When the ballots open in June for the MLB All-Star Game, the first-place Tigers will have a number of worthy candidates. Asked Wednesday if he'd like to stump for anyone in particular, A.J. Hinch said, "I think Dillon Dingler actually deserves a lot of credit for what he’s done."
"And I know he’s not the biggest name, he didn’t even come into the season expecting to play as much as he has, or people didn’t expect it, I thought it would be a timeshare, but he’s grabbed a little bit of that opportunity," Hinch said.
A lot of it, actually. After Jake Rogers went down early in the season with an oblique injury that cost him more than a month, Dingler took the starting job at catcher and ran with it. And while it was Rogers running from first to third Wednesday as part of a four-run rally in the Tigers' 4-3 win over the Giants, Dingler, who debuted last season, has rather quietly been one of the most valuable players in Detroit's 37-20 start.
"Obviously Jake Rogers is really good, and I gotta get him incorporated, but Dillon behind the plate is a pretty good difference-maker," said Hinch. "And he’s not going to get the (voting) love that Riley Greene and Tarik Skubal and Gleyber Torres and more recognizable names get, but Dillon’s starting to establish himself as a very stable part of a good team. And you can’t look at the pitching staff without looking at the catcher."
Spoken like a former catcher. Dingler has indeed been the real deal this year for the Tigers. He's a steadying presence for the pitching staff, third among MLB catchers with six defensive runs saved, buoyed by elite framing skills. His pitch-calling is sharp, and highly informed. On top of that, the Ding Bat (our name, not his) is hitting .289, which ranks second among catchers, with a .746 OPS in his first full season in the majors.
To further Hinch's case, Dingler is third among AL catchers in fWAR (1.6). He's tied for second on the Tigers among position players in that category with Spencer Torkelson, trailing only Zach McKinstry (1.8) of all people. Greene, Javy Baez and Torres rank fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. All to say, Hinch has a point.
Here's the other point: Rogers is taking this in stride. ("I've been known to scamper," he said Wednesday with a grin). Winning's always fun, but this can't be easy for a proud veteran who was the Tigers' No. 1 catcher each of the last two seasons and who caught every inning of last year's playoff run. Rogers is a strong defensive catcher himself with some big-league pop at the plate, just a couple years removed from a 20-homer season.
Most of all, Tommy Kahnle said Wednesday after Rogers steered him through the final six outs of Detroit's third straight win, "he’s an incredible teammate."
"I’ve seen it since day one of spring training. He even came up to me and gave me a big hug and I was like, oh, this is awesome," Kahnle said with a laugh. "And he’s a great catcher. You see it. He does everything for us. He’ll go out there and lay on the ground and pretty much die for you. I love that, and that’s basically everybody in here."
Rogers started close to two thirds of the Tigers' games over the last two seasons. These days, he starts once every third or fourth. Asked about adjusting to his new reality, he said, "We got another great catcher. Yeah, it’s tough, I’m used to playing a lot, but that’s just not my role anymore. Dingler’s doing really well. And again, I’m gonna get my reps. I talked to A.J., I’m gonna play a little bit."
Hinch said his plan, for now, is to start Rogers once every series, as he did against the Giants and as he intends to do again Sunday against the Royals.
"It’s just going to be two on (for Dingler), one off, three on, one off until further notice," said Hinch. "And I told Jake, listen, it’s a pretty hot hand right now. Ding's doing a very, very good job. And Jake kind of laughed at me and he’s like, ‘Just look at the scoreboard. You can tell he’s doing really well.’ So everybody understands. I’ll work Jake in to where it’s a tick of a timeshare, but Ding’s earned the right to catch two or three in a row."
Beneath a mustache that grows bushier by the game and that earned him the nickname Sheriff Rogers from Yankees manager Aaron Boone, Rogers is still all smiles in the Tigers' clubhouse. He can usually be heard crooning along to country tunes before and after games. The team's victory song this season, which has been thumping frequently at Comerica Park, is Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy). Despite looking the part of the latter, Rogers is good with the Tigers riding Dingler.
"He’s catching really well and he’s hitting really well," Rogers said. "I know my role and I’m going to be here for him whatever he needs, and whenever they want me to play I’m going to be ready and try to fit my role as best I can to help this team win. Again, I want to be play every day, but when you got a player playing that well, it’s tough to play every day.
"He’s doing great, and as long as we’re winning, I love it."