Three Catalysts Who Could Push Tigers Further Up MLB Power Rankings
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The Detroit Tigers are now coming off a near-sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Tigers pulled off a stunning 4-0 shutout in Game 1, followed by an 11-6 victory on Saturday, but the Cardinals bounced back for a tight 5-3 comeback win on Sunday. Now, Detroit is gearing up for a four-game series against the Minnesota Twins.
At the time of this writing, the Tigers are fourth in the American League Central division with an overall record of 4-5. The Twins are in fifth, riding 3-6 overall.
So far, Detroit has largely been led by three key players, and at this rate, it doesn't look like they're going to be slowing down anytime soon. In fact, they're largely carrying the ballclub in the latest power rankings.
Tigers’ Ranking Relies on Three Critical Players
According to Brent MaGuire of MLB.com, the Tigers continue to stand at No. 9 in the power rankings—they didn't see any movement this week. However, no movement is far better than falling further behind, and the ballclub can thank Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez and Kevin McGonigle for their placement.
The interesting element here is that Skubal and Valdez are, of course, longtime Major League veterans, but McGonigle is currently navigating his rookie year. Simply put, this core is bridging the gap between veteran energy and young talent.
McGonigle made his MLB debut on March 26 of this year, and he is slashing .303/.410/.455 with a .865 OPS and reeling in five RBIs through nine games.
It doesn't come as a surprise that he's already turning heads, considering he is their top prospect, but a solid start in the big leagues is never guaranteed. To be candid, it's not uncommon for prospects to sputter early on in their careers. Fortunately, this isn't the case for this 21-year-old.
As for the ballclub's ace, Skubal is logging a 0.69 ERA and nine strikeouts across 13 innings pitched through two starts, while Valdez registers a 0.75 ERA and 10 strikeouts across 12 innings of work through two starts.
Detroit continues to claim spot No. 9 among the power rankings, but a shift is bound to take place. If Skubal, Valdez and McGonigle stay on this trajectory, fans can expect to see the franchise climb its way up the rankings.
For now, the Tigers are preparing to take on Minnesota for Game 1 on Monday at 7:40 p.m. ET.
Maria Aldrich lives in the captivating Adirondack Mountains in New York where she can be found scaling cliffs, hiking in the High Peaks and paddling down local rivers. After graduating from SUNY Potsdam with a degree in Exercise Science and a minor in Wilderness Education, Maria began documenting her backcountry experiences through written stories. Over the years, she has found herself drawn to sports journalism and now focuses on MLB, WNBA, NCAA and NHL writing. She can be reached at mariaaldrich20@outlook.com.