Scott Harris has seen this movie before. This time, he's directing it. One of the main characters is 24-year-old Riley Greene, who scored three runs in the Tigers' latest win Wednesday over the Cardinals and has been one of the best hitters in the bigs for the last month. To watch him mature, Harris said the other day, is to be reminded "how young he is, how young this entire team is."
"I think we have the fourth youngest position-playing group in all of baseball right now, so these guys are still learning and winning at the same time, which is such an incredible opportunity for them," Harris said on MLB Network Radio. "I saw something similar in Chicago when I was there with that young group."
Harris joined the Cubs' front office in 2012 under Theo Epstein. He was 25 at the time, older than most of the players the club would count on in the future. The Cubs lost a lot over the next couple years, while a wave of talent crested in the minors. They eventually caught it in Chicago and rode it all the way to a World Series title, led by an innovative manager in Joe Maddon.
One of those fresh faces is now a veteran in Detroit. But there's nothing grizzled about Javy Baez, the shortstop-turned-center fielder who knocked in the final run of the Tigers' 5-1 victory Wednesday in St. Louis that clinched their third straight series win -- and 12th in 16 tries this season. Baez made yet another clutch catch look casual to snuff out a threat in Detroit's 5-4 win on Tuesday and "no disrespect to Parker Meadows, Matt Vierling or Wenceel Perez," said Harris, "but it is really impressive what Javy is doing every night."
"I have long thought he is one of the most athletic players in baseball, but it is so hard to do what he’s doing and to make it look as easy as he’s making it look right now," Harris said. "He’s been a huge boost for us."
The boosts have come from all over the roster, fueling the Tigers' MLB-best record of 33-17 -- their fastest start through 50 games since 2006 when they reached the World Series. From former No. 1 picks Spencer Torkelson and Casey Mize to later-bloomers like Kerry Carpenter and Zach McKinstry to veteran free agents Gleyber Torres and Tommy Kahnle, the Tigers are winning with all hands on deck and A.J. Hinch at the helm. Tarik Skubal is a port in any storm.
Long before Harris arrived, the Tigers' rebuild hinged squarely on two bats. Greene, the fifth overall pick in 2019, homered and drove in four runs Tuesday and has the third highest OPS in the AL since April 23rd, trailing only Rafael Devers and Aaron Judge. Torkelson, the first overall pick in 2020, reached base four times Wednesday and doubled home Greene in the fourth for his 39th RBI of the season, tied for second in the AL with Devers and trailing only Judge.
This is the future in the present: Torkelson and Greene are tied for fifth in the AL with a slugging percentage of .532. As a duo, it's their first sustained stretch of elite production in the bigs. It's no coincidence that the Tigers are surging at the same time.
"What a beautiful left-handed swing," Harris said of Greene. "One of the things that A.J. says to him all the time is just, get a good pitch to hit. I think that's one of the things that he's growing to learn and do more consistently at this level -- because when he gets a good pitch to hit, we all see what he can do."
We saw what the Tigers could do at the end of last season. They roared into the playoffs and knocked off the juggernaut Astros before falling a win shy of the ALCS. Then, before playing a game this season, they lost arguably their most valuable player in Meadows, another key piece in the versatile Vierling, and yet another viable center fielder in Perez. They also lost veteran starting pitcher Alex Cobb, and just recently got back Jake Rogers, their starting catcher entering the season. They look like contenders all the same.
"We felt like we were going to have a good team going into the season," said Harris. "I didn’t expect to lose three center fielders and a catcher and a couple starters and a few bullpen arms, so I’m really pleased with how this group has responded to the adversity the injured list has thrown us and I’m really excited to get these guys back. I feel like we have a chance to build on this start."
Indeed, reinforcements are coming: Meadows, Vierling and Perez are all on rehab assignments in Toledo. Mize, after a brief IL stint himself, is expected to return to the mound for the Tigers this weekend. Rogers will have to wrest some starts back from Dillon Dingler, who's hitting near .300 after two more knocks and an RBI on Wednesday and playing exceedingly well behind the plate. These are good problems to have for Hinch, who said with a laugh that moving Baez out of center field to make way for Meadows will be like taking away a toy from a 32-year-old kid. There will still be plenty of work for Baez elsewhere.
"Anybody who’s watched us play knows that we use the entire roster," Harris said. "We use every player that is available for almost every game because we feel like our style of play puts a lot of pressure on the opponent. I think A.J. is going to have some tough decisions about who’s going to start games, but not about who’s going to play games, because he uses everybody."
Through 50 games in 2016, the Cubs had the best record in the majors. By the time the playoffs rolled around, their position-playing core featured Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell, Wilson Contreras, Kyle Schwarber and Baez, all of them 26 or younger. They also had the best rotation in the game, anchored by the reigning Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta and two more Cy Young candidates in Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks. At the deadline, they added Aroldis Chapman to their bullpen. They were loaded, front to back, top to bottom, and eventually etched themselves into Chicago lore.
So when Harris was asked about the Tigers leading the majors thus far, he said, "Records in May don’t win divisions or make noise in October. You win divisions by keeping your head down and grinding all year, not puffing your chest out in May -- so we’re going to be the last group that does that."
They were the first group in the majors this season to 30 wins, but who's counting. This is the group they're counting on, which is coalescing into something special.