Tigers Star Slugger Reminds Everyone About His Immense Power Potential
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Entering spring training, there was some criticism about how the Detroit Tigers handled their offseason.
After making a magical run to the playoffs with a young roster, consensus thinking suggested the front office would be aggressive to augment this group with established players who could help them take the next step as a franchise out of this rebuilding phase.
The Tigers attempted to land Alex Bregman, but after they came up short, the only offensive addition they made was signing Gleyber Torres to a short-term deal.
Much of the reason for that was because of all the young talent they have on their Major League roster and in their farm system, wanting to see what their current crop can do with more reps at this level and not blocking the others coming up the pipeline.
If Detroit is going to the achieve top-end success that is now expected of them, then their rising stars need to perform.
Kerry Carpenter was someone highlighted a lot this winter.
Relegated to platoon action against right-handed pitching in 2024, he worked a ton to become an everyday option for manager A.J. Hinch by improving against lefties.
The 27-year-old got off to a slow start this season, hitting just one extra-base hit during the first two series of the year despite driving in three runs, but that has changed during their first action at home.
Carpenter flashed his immense power potential, blasting two homers on Friday before hitting one in Saturday's game, as well.
Doing that in a tough hitting environment like Comerica Park further indicates the type of slugger he can become when he enters his prime.
With a 20-homer season under his belt in 2023, he would have hit that number last year if he hadn't gotten hurt, finishing with 18 long balls in only 87 games of action. He also has a career OPS+ of 134 that's 34 points above the league average, indicating he's not just an all-or-nothing hitter.
Perhaps the biggest positive for Carpenter thus far is how he's performing against lefties.
In five at-bats, his lone hit went over the fence to drive in two runs, while he's only struck out once.
If he can continue to flash the power upside he has and is able to perform well against left-handed pitchers, then Carpenter will remain in the lineup where he has the potential to put together the best season of his career.
