Ranking the 5 Best Detroit Tigers Players of the 2026 Regular Season
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The Detroit Tigers' 2026 season was filled with highs and lows. While the way the team performed in May still keeps fans up at night, the Tigers played well into the summer before their second slump in August took them out of the running for a third straight trip to the postseason.
The season had high expectations, and while those expectations weren't met, there were still reasons for optimism moving into the offseason. Taking a look at the roster, here are five Detroit players who gave it their all from game one to game 162 and stood out the most for the franchise.
5. LHP Tyler Holton
The bullpen was Detroit's biggest weakness this season, but it's hard not to include reliever Tyler Holton on this list. Holton has become a mainstay in the Tigers' bullpen and while the bad bullpen took center stage, Holton had a much better season than he did in 2025 that might've flown under fans' noses.
Holton began the season getting hit around, holding a 6.25 ERA in 11 outings in April. But as the weather heated up, so did Holton. Between June and July, Holton held a combined 1.59 ERA in 21 games, striking out 15 along the way. In fact, for three months this season, Holton held an ERA sub-2.00 (June, July, September).
For a third straight season, manager A.J. Hinch called Holton out of the bullpen 65+ times, proving how valuable he is to the Tigers' pen. His workload in terms of innings may have decreased, but more often than not, Holton was the most reliable arm in a struggling bullpen.
4. C Dillon Dingler
Dillon Dingler's 2026 campaign is a tale of two halves, and the first half was more dominant than the second. If it weren't for how he performed in the second half of the season, when his OPS dropped from .831 to .631 and his OPS+ from 128 to 76, he would be a top-three Tiger this season.
Regardless, it was one of the best seasons a catcher in Detroit has put up, finishing with 27 home runs, 91 RBIs and a .749 OPS. He earned the first All-Star nod of his career and further proved why he's the reigning Gold Glove winner behind the dish.
According to Statcast, Dingler was the best catcher in the league at catcher framing runs with nine, held a caught stealing above-average mark of five, which ranked sixth in the league and fourth in the AL.
Dingler solidified himself as one of the best catchers behind the plate and in the batter's box this season and for that, he deserves his flowers, despite a subpar second half of the campaign.
3. RHP Troy Melton
Tyler Melton wasn't healthy to start the year, but he was exactly what the Tigers needed when he made his season debut at the end of May. Melton, in just his second season, has proved to be a pivotal piece in the future of the starting rotation, with the chance to become the franchise's ace in a year or so, depending on his health.
Melton took the mound 20 times for Detroit and pitched to a 2.76 ERA with 94 strikeouts and an 8-5 record. He looked nearly untouchable in July, posting a 0.92 ERA in five starts, surpassing 29 innings. Even before he was shut down at the end of the season, Melton went out and competed.
The Tigers placed Melton on the 15-day IL with right arm fatigue near the end of the season to ensure he can restrengthen for next season. His arm issues do raise some concerns because it's been the same problem that kept him off the opening day roster after spring training.
When Melton was on the mound, he was one of the most consistent pitchers, instilling confidence in fans, coaching staff, and teammates that he would get the job done.
2. OF Riley Greene
It became massively apparent that this Tigers lineup needs All-Star Riley Greene in the middle of it when the team started to fall apart in the middle of August. While Greene didn't hit 30+ home runs into the seats this season, he took another step forward in becoming a star for the franchise for years to come.
Greene had a better WAR (2.6) than he did in 2025, when he drove in over 100 RBIs and had 36 home runs (2.1), and a big reason was because of his strikeout numbers. Greene decreased his strikeouts this season after punching out 201 times in 2025 to striking out 157 times in 2026.
He finished with a .280 batting average for the first time since 2023, hit the most doubles of his career in a season (32), walked the most he's ever had (75), and set a new career-high in OPS with .844, while playing in over 86% of games this year (140/162).
The offensive numbers and consistent positive WAR, strong defense in left field make Greene a candidate to get an extension this offseason, especially to solidify the core to build around.
1. INF Kevin McGonigle
Kevin McGonigle is as advertised, and the Detroit Tigers couldn't be happier. Likely the American League Rookie of the Year, McGonigle had a rookie season for the ages and has become a franchise player for a Tigers team poised for great things.
From game one to game 162, McGonigle remained consistent. Ending his season with a .278 average, 18 home runs and 72 RBIs, while holding an OPS of .806, the 22-year-old is only getting started.
Finding McGonigle a place to play consistently in the infield will only help his development, especially fielding-wise, having caused 19 errors between third base and shortstop. However, he still made strong plays and was given a 1.9 WAR for his defensive efforts.
Named an All-Star in his rookie season, in the running for the Rookie of the Year Award, and falling in love with the city he'll call home until 2035, McGonigle will always remember the 2026 season, regardless of the overall record.
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Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.