2 concerning spring training performances Tigers fans hope are just a blip on the radar

There was an aggressive start to spring training for the Detroit Tigers. Tarik Skubal had a historic arbitration victory, but that didn't stop Scott Harris and Co. from bolstering the starting rotation with the additions of Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander. While those were needed moves, they may have masked the fact that the Tigers didn't add an impact bat to their roster this offseason.

The Tigers doubled down on the position players they already had on the roster, hoping Kevin McGonigle could be the impact arrival the offense clearly needed by the end of the 2025 season.

McGonigle certainly has looked the part during spring training, but if the Tigers truly are going to be contenders in 2026, they will not only need repeat performances from the unsung position players that stepped up last year, but also an improvement.

Overreactions during spring training can be dangerous, but Tigers can't ignore the struggles of these two players

By the end of each March, spring training stats are erased from memory. Fans certainly make note of the success stories and see if they can transfer over to the regular season, and on the other side of the coin, hope that struggles during exhibition play are simply tied to the player working on a singular aspect of their game.

Zach McKinstry

The 30-year-old utility man had a breakout season for the Tigers in 2025, slashing .259/.333/.438 with a wRC+ of 114. It was far and away his best offensive season since making his major league debut in 2020, and he was rewarded with an All-Star selection.

Of course, the concern was that the 2025 season was an outlier for McKinstry, and spring training hasn't helped those fears. McKinstry has a wRC+ of 76 through 32 plate appearances this spring.

Now, the reason for hope is that the versatile infielder is working on his discipline. He's striking out under 10% of the time during spring training and is walking 12.5% of the time. Both would represent the best marks of his career.

Kerry Carpenter

While McGonigle could disguise a regression from McKinstry, the Tigers don't have that luxury with Carpenter. If the Tigers' offense is going to be potent this season, Carpenter, who hit 26 home runs in 2025, will need to be at the center of the success.

That would be why his struggles this spring have been notable. He's slashing .184/.262/.263 this spring with a wRC+ of 38. His walk rate, 7.1%, is up from the 3.9% mark he had last season, but he is striking out over 28% of the time.

As is the case with McKinstry, the hope is that Carpenter is working on his plate discipline. After swinging at 34.1% of the pitches thrown to him outside the strike zone last season, that number has come down to 23.7% this spring. That's a dramatic improvement, which could indicate that it has been Carpenter's focus during Grapefruit League play.