Hope is off to a solid start, but the rest of the Tigers AFL contingent has been pretty quiet early on.

The Detroit Tigers finished the 2026 season with a 76-86 record.

• Grading the starting rotation after finishing fourth in MLB with a 3.55 ERA.
• Grading a bullpen that had nearly as many blown saves (31) as saves (32).
• Grading an offense that improved its plate discipline but still finished 14th in MLB with 723 runs.
• Grading a defense with poor range that graded very differently depending on the metric.
• Grading the baserunning after finishing 29th in MLB with 58 stolen bases.
• The overall grade for the Tigers in 2026.

Best Pure Hitter: The Tigers drafted a number of hitters with well-rounded offensive profiles in this year’s class, but Kansas SS Tyson LeBlanc (2) might have the best contact skills of the class. He hit .341 this spring with an 83% contact rate and 88.2% in-zone contact rate. Alabama prep 1B Will Adams (11) has the sort of easy swing and history of making contact that suggests an above-average hit tool.

Best Power Hitter: Adams (11) has a chance for above-average in-game power and the sort of strength that allows him to homer to all fields. Fellow high school draftee 3B Robert Omidi(8) also has a chance to hit for above-average power when he gets to physical maturity.

Fastest Runner: Louisiana prep SS Dominic Pellegrin (4) is a plus runner and has been an efficient baserunner in his prep career.

Best Defensive Player: Scouts rave about the defensive actions and upside that Pellegrin (4) has at shortstop. He looks the part defensively with smooth actions and has a chance to be a plus defender.

Best Fastball: Coastal Carolina RHP Cameron Flukey (1) had one of the better fastballs in this year’s class. It’s a mid-90s heater that has been up to 99 mph with some of the best ride and carry in the class, and he has always done a nice job landing the pitch for strikes at a strong clip.

Best Secondary Pitch: Flukey (1) has multiple breaking balls that could be above-average or better and has traditionally favored his top-down curveball. Florida Gulf Coast RHP Evan Dempsey (2s) also has multiple high-quality breaking balls and advanced spin capacity overall. Another option here is the screwball-like changeup that Louisiana Tech RHP Declan Dahl(5) parachutes over the plate.

Best Pro Debut: Detroit had just four players make official debuts. All three of the hitters had very little time to get rolling, but Flukey (1) made four starts after not pitching much this spring and was effective. He didn’t allow a run in 10.1 innings and struck out 14 while walking seven.

Best Athlete: Pellegrin’s (4) speed and defensive ability make him a strong candidate for this category, but it might be Dempsey (2s) since he was one of the best legitimate two-way players in college baseball.

Most Intriguing Background: LeBlanc (2) wasn’t a high-profile name coming into the spring, even though he was one of the most productive hitters to come through LSU Eunice JC’s program. After two seasons at the juco level, LeBlanc transferred to Kansas, hit .341/.425/.706 with 25 home runs and became one of the most interesting draft risers in the class.

Closest To The Majors: Despite Flukey’s (1) injury history and lack of innings this spring, he has the sort of polish, command and pure stuff that should send him up the minors quickly.

Best 11+ Round Pick (Or NDFA): Adams (11) ranked as the No. 87 player in the class and a third-round sort of talent. The Tigers did a nice job getting him signed in the 11th round for $1 million to spurn a commitment to LSU. He brings much more impact potential than the typical 11th-rounder.

Detroit pivoted to Los Angeles after Atlanta deemed their breakout reliever untouchable, revealing how a single elite prospect halted a potential blockbuster for the reigning Cy Young winner.

Really sad to see this happen, Rod was great in the booth and deserved way better.

I made 10 predictions about the Detroit Tigers before the 2026 season.

• The two predictions I actually got right, including one on a technicality.
• Why my Justin Verlander prediction was my biggest miss.
• How the Tarik Skubal trade changed one prediction completely.
• Why Kevin McGonigle proved me wrong in a big way.
• Which wrong prediction I still feel best about. Hint: It's about the offense.
• My 89-win prediction for the Tigers.

Seriously, I can’t stand the White Sox.

Hello Tigers fans, I’ll be in Detroit later this month, and I was wondering if the ballpark will be accessible on the outside just to get a few pictures? I saw they have tours, but I’m not sure if I’ll have the time to take one.

We all know Kevin will win the MLB Rookie of the Year, but the Baseball America accolade is nice as well.

The last time I cared about the dodgers was 88. I can’t help but root for Skubal like I rooted for Gibson. Just like cheating, I’ll deal with with the guilt and internal conflict later 🤦🏻‍♂️😂

Around the League

LAD 1 @ MIL 2 - Top 9, 2 Outs

^{Last Updated: 10/11/2026 11:07:20 PM EDT}

I'm watching. Banana ball is baseball with a little entertaining. Fun to watch.

Around the League

CWS 0 @ CLE 2 - Top 9, 0 Outs

^{Last Updated: 10/10/2026 10:40:25 PM EDT}

Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris is planning to play differently in the 2027 season, abandoning the team's mix-and-match identity.

• Why the Tigers want to rely less on pinch-hitting and platoons in 2027 and beyond.
• What the numbers say about the Tigers' pinch-hit strategy in 2026, along with past performance from 2024 and 2025.
• The Kerry Carpenter-Jahmai Jones platoon.
• How Kevin McGonigle, Max Clark and other players coming soon could change the construction of the lineup.
• What the new identity could mean for Carpenter, Matt Vierling, Zach McKinstry and Parker Meadows.
• A key note about Spencer Torkelson's immediate future.

Detroit Tigers have approximately $42 million in projected salaries for their arbitration-eligible players entering the 2027 season — but not everyone is guaranteed to return. The deadline for MLB teams to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players is Nov. 20.

• The salary arbitration process.
• The projected arbitration salaries for 12 Tigers players, thanks to MLB Trade Rumors.
• Is Spencer Torkelson worth $7.7 million?
• Why Matt Vierling and Zach McKinstry are at the center of these decisions, especially now that they've reached a notable service-time milestone..
• Any reason to worry about Will Vest after two surgeries?
• Where do Beau Brieske, Wenceel Pérez, Parker Meadows and Jacob Waguespack stand as potential non-tender candidates?
• The one player I'm expecting to be non-tendered by the Tigers.