Riley Greene Is the Detroit Tigers' MVP, Just Not the Way Anyone Expected
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How could Riley Greene be better in 2026 than he was in 2025? That was the question on everyone’s mind when the Detroit Tigers entered the regular season.
He had 36 home runs, 111 RBI and earned both an All-Star selection and an American League Silver Slugger Award in 2025.
The conversations surrounding Greene also included his dreaded strikeouts, though. While he was proving to be exceptional in a lot of areas, this one was still tough. He led the AL with 201 strikeouts in 2025. So, could he get this under control and be a completely dominant player?
If Greene could continue the power, or even increase it from 2025, and reduce his number of strikeouts, he could be a real force.
Well, neither of those things has come true and yet, he still has earned what we will dub the Detroit Tigers’ Most Valuable Player through the first two months of the 2026 season. It’s just not how anyone saw it coming.
The True Transformation
Greene comes into the month of June slashing .311/.403/.461 for an .864 OPS. That is the best line on the Tigers roster, and the team needed it. The lineup has been riddled with injuries, and the bullpen has failed on multiple occasions.
Greene has not. He has scored 32 runs, driven in 29, and has been a constant who delivers every game. Contrary to what the majority has done for Detroit.
Riley Greene has been one of the AL's best hitters over his last 50 games played, which dates back to April 11.
— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) June 6, 2026
During that stretch, he leads the league in batting average (.348) and ranks 10th in OPS (.954). #DNMW | https://t.co/fKvdVHqS2J pic.twitter.com/MMxa2oXboa
Yet, the power hasn’t shown back up. He has just six home runs so far in 2026. Given that we are about one-third of the way through the season, that would project him to smash 18 in contrast to the 36 he hit last year. His at-bat to home run ratio confirms the drought at 38.
For a player with real raw power, this was unexpected. But what he has replaced that with is something Detroit hasn’t seen from the 25-year-old lefty: genuine plate discipline.
His 2026 walk rate now sits at 12.4%, which is a substantial improvement over last year’s 7.0%. That stat ranks in the 81% in all of MLB. His chase rate has dropped by 5.2%. Now, looking at his BB/K is where he really stands out. Sitting at .445, this looked to be impossible last year.
There is one stat worth noting: Greene may be experiencing some luck in 2026 and could regress toward the mean in the second half of the season. His BABIP is .441 and that is among the highest in baseball. The league average sits much closer to .300.
Greene has proven through the first part of the season, though, that his discipline at the plate is real. His batting average may fall a bit should he regress, but even if it does, he is much improved over 2025, just not in the way everyone expected.
The Team Surrounding Him Elevates Argument
The Tigers have not impressed as a whole as all of baseball expected them to at the beginning of the year. They are now 26-38, sitting fourth in the American League Central, just barely above the Kansas City Royals and 9.5 games back of the Cleveland Guardians.
Without Greene, this picture would look much worse.
Of course, the team MVP was expected to be Tarik Skubal, but he has been limited to just seven starts with a 2.70 ERA before he found himself on the IL due to elbow surgery. Casey Mize has also been outstanding with a 2.27 ERA, but a groin injury has shut him down.
The bullpen? Well, they have been historic, just not in the way you hope. A total of 14 blown saves before June has really hindered Detroit.
Insert Greene into that mess and he has shown up every day. Looking around him, Spencer Torkelson has certainly been disappointing with his batting average at .214 and a strikeout rate of 31.7%. Colt Keith has not hit a single home run and carries a .638 OPS. Javier Baez has spent the majority of the season on the IL.
Greene has had to carry the offense in a way no one saw coming.
Greene’s Supporting Cast
There are two other Tigers who have earned mention in the MVP conversation: Dillon Dingler and Kevin McGonigle.
Dingler has been dangerous when he steps into the batter’s box. He has hit 14 home runs, has an .830 OPS and an ISO of .266. For a catcher, he is legitimate at the plate.
McGonigle may be the biggest surprise in the Motor City. The 21-year-old shortstop never hesitated when he entered the MLB. He is slashing .288/.390/.412 with nine stolen bases and a BB/K ratio of 1.029. He is truly extraordinary, and when you consider he is a rookie, well, it’s nearly mind-blowing what he is accomplishing.
The MVP the Tigers Got
Greene has earned it, not because he is on track to hit 50 home runs or because he solved his strikeout problem. He’s the MVP because when the organization has been falling apart around him, he has quietly remained and reinvented his profile.
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Laura Lambert resides in Wiggins, Colo. with her husband, Ricky and two sons, Brayden and Boedy. She attended the University of Northern Colorado while studying economics. She is an accomplished rodeo athlete and barrel horse trainer along with being a life-long sports fan. Over the years, Laura has been active in journalism in a variety of roles. While continuing to cover western sports and country music, she is currently enjoying expanding her reach into multiple sports including MLB, NFL, and WNBA. Laura covers the Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, and Rodeo for On SI. You can reach her at lauralambertmedia@gmail.com