Tigers outlook remains optimistic after brutal year

After a  bleak 2019 season where the Detroit Tigers finished 47-114—last out of all MLB teams—fans are looking for any reason to have hope in 2020. The Detroit Tigers were once an amazing franchise, but eight years after the team’s World Series appearance, the Tigers have hit rock bottom. Injuries are partially to blame, and part of the issue is that they are in a rebuild. At the end of the season, the Tigers were outscored by opponents by 333  runs. Matt Boyd was the team’s “ace” and Team MVP with a record of 9-12 and a 4.56 era. In other words, the Tigers had traded away most of the team’s aging star players with hope that young players in those deals would turn into great players in the near future.

Going into the 2020 season, the Tigers added 1B Cj Cron, batting .253 with 25 home runs, and 2B Jonathan Schoop, batting .256 and 23 home runs, in hopes of helping with hitting. Since the Tigers finished last in team hitting, the team wanted to recruit some guys with some power this year. Senior Hunter Teippo said, “I think the Tigers are gonna bring it back around.”

With how the Tigers have been playing, the chance of improvement this year is low, but possibly over time success will follow. The Tigers are currently trying to rebuild the team and its players’ skills, which will take time, and have four players in the MLB Top 100 prospects. Those four players are Casey Mize (RHP), Matt Manning (RHP), Riley Greene (OF) and Tarik Skubal (LHP). In addition, the starting rotation is beginning to become more rounded, and Michael Fulmer is returning from IR and spending the whole 2019 season there due to Tommy John surgery.

The Tigers aren’t supposed to have any chance going into the 2020 season as the expectations stay the same. In an article by USA Today, the Tigers are projected to be the worst team once again. However, with some recent additions, the rotation is starting to become stronger. The Tigers are now full of young players with a lot of potential, such as  Christan Stewart, going into his second year in the majors. Last year, he hit .233 with 14 home runs. Others include Jeimer Candelario, batting .203 with eight home runs, Jake Rodgers, hitting .125 with just 35 games, and one of the newest editions, Cameron Maybin, who is a constant hitting .285.

The Tigers have a chance to be a World Series contender in the upcoming years, but not this season; the team’s players are young and don’t have much experience, but as time passes, the players will gain more. Additionally, three of the team’s prospects are in the MLB Top 100.  If the team rises to the occasion and the right moves are made, the Tigers can be winners in the coming years, but not in 2020.