Where Do Detroit Tigers Rank in Major League Baseball Over Last Five Seasons?

Even with the improbable playoff run in 2024, the Detroit Tigers have been one of the more middling teams in MLB over the last five seasons.

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch speaks to reporters April 5, 2024, before the home opener at Comerica Park. | Evan Petzold / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Detroit Tigers shocked the MLB world when they turned their 2024 campaign on its head and made an improbable run to the postseason.

After a sell-off at the 2024 MLB trade deadline, and a sub-.500 record before then, no one expected the young Tigers team to explode in August and September to claim the third American League Wild Card spot and then knock the dynastic Houston Astros out of the playoffs.

On the strength of Tarik Skubal's American League Triple Crown and "pitching chaos," it happened, but the four years prior were not as exciting for the club.

In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Zachary D. Rymer ranked Detroit 23rd in his power rankings for all MLB clubs over the last five seasons.

"It finally happened for the Tigers in 2024. At last, they broke free from a seemingly endless rebuild and snapped a nine-year streak without a playoff berth. More good things should be on the horizon ... And yet, hyping the Tigers right now somewhat amounts to sweeping recent history under the rug. They were a bad team in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, and it was only in the final weeks of 2024 that they ascended to respectability."

Skubal can certainly be in the conversation for "best pitcher in baseball," after the performance he has turned in since returning from an injury that sidelined him for the second half of 2022 and the first half of 2023.

The superstar has been a completely different pitcher since coming back, posting a 2.51 ERA across 272 1/3 innings in 46 starts during that time with 330 strikeouts and a 165 ERA+.

His dominance has gone a long way to singlehandedly improve the performance of their rotation, and the addition of Jackson Jobe, assuming he lives up to expectations, is certain to help.

Riley Greene has become a force at the plate in his own right, batting .262/.348/.479 in 2024 with 24 home runs, 74 RBI, and a 133 OPS+ in 2024.

Did I mention that 2025 will be only his age-24 campaign?

While the last five years may not have been great for the Tigers, the future is bright for the franchise with Skubal and Greene leading the way.