There are plenty of juicy tidbits about the Tigers' solid start.
They are 18-13. They didn't get their 18th win last season until Memorial Day.
It's the best Tigers' record after 31 games since 2015.
Detroit's pitchers are fourth in MLB in ERA (3.12), third in saves (11), fifth in quality starts (14) and third in WHIP (1.10).
It hasn't been a case of everything falling perfectly in place, either. At times, the Tigers' offense has been frustratingly feeble.
Spencer Torkelson, who bombed 23 home runs during the final 82 games in 2023, has yet to homer in 128 plate appearances and has butchered several balls in the field,
The Tigers thought enough of rookies Colt Keith and Parker Meadows to insert them into the lineup as regulars. They have presented gaping holes in the batting order.
But more has gone right than wrong for the Tigers.
Pitching is baseball's great equalizer. It's like good defense in other sports. If a club pitches well, it's always in the game and leads to the stealing of wins in the late innings, which the Tigers have done on multiple occasions.
Tarik Skubal has pitched as well as any starter in MLB, and Jason Foley is a trusted closer. There is bullpen and organization pitching depth.
President of Baseball Operations Scott Harris added several players who have made significant contributions thus far. Mark Canha has a 1.2 WAR, contributing in multiple ways. Jack Flaherty has flashed the form in recent outings that made him one of National League's top pitchers with the Cardinals not that long ago. After a couple horrific starts, Kenta Maeda has bounced back. Andrew Chafin and Shelby Miller have played key roles in the bullpen, and Gio Urshela clutch hits led to wins before he was injured.
While Torkelson has unexpectedly struggled, Riley Greene has emerged as one of MLB's best all-around players. His 2.1 WAR (Baseball Reference version) is third in MLB. His OPS is .906. He is playing Gold Glove caliber left field. The Tigers' organizational depth has been evident. Perhaps you didn't know much or anything at all about Weencil Perez. Now you do. In a brief period, Buddy Kennedy did enough to justify being claimed off waivers.
The unexpected twist about this season, at least so far, has been the strength of the American League Central. It was supposedly awful, but it's been the opposite.
The Guardians entered Thursday with the AL's best record. The Royals and Twins are well above .500.
To stay in contention, the Tigers' must be more than just a pitching dynamo. There are too many automatic outs in their lineup.
It's fair to question how long they should stick with Keith and Meadows. It's not that early in the season any more. Power is essential. Torkelson needs to provide it. Period. He is capable of it. It can't just be on Greene and Kerry Carpenter.
Even in this era of high strikeout rates, fielding plays a key role. After a good start with the glove, the Tigers gave away a couple games with alarming errors.
Like the weather, interest in the Tigers is warming. At minimum, it's refreshing and promising.
This club has postseason potential, but it can't be a one-trick pony.
It needs to catch the ball and hit it better to take full advantage of what the pitching staff has to offer.
