2 Tigers players' ascensions fans should believe in, 2 they should be wary of

The Detroit Tigers have leaped into bonafide contender status thanks to several players on the roster reaching new heights. As a young, up-and-coming team, the roster is littered with young talent reaching their true potential and are supported by veterans who have taken a step forward in their careers.

When a club has several players outperforming their past production, the logical questions become: how reliable is the breakout? Is the player actually improving? Has he made meaningful changes from the past? Or is this merely a mirage that indicates he's bound to come back down to earth?

In the case of the Tigers, two players stand out as ones you can believe in sustaining their ascension to productivity, while two others show some serious warning signs that things could bottom out at a moment's notice.

These 2 Tigers players are proving their breakout is the real deal

First baseman Spencer Torkelson

It has long been assumed that Spencer Torkelson's days in Detroit were numbered. The Tigers' signing of Gleyber Torres seemed to be the final straw to push Torkelson off the roster. After a brief flash in 2023, when he cracked 31 homers, Torkelson took a major step back in 2024 with a .219/.295/.374 line.

However, 2025 has shown the former first overall pick finally living up to his potential. Torkelson will never be confused with a batting champ, but he has become a patient and powerful threat in the middle of Detroit's lineup.

Through 68 games, the big first baseman is hitting .237/.346/.498 with 16 long balls. He improved his walk rate to a stellar 12.6% while keeping his strikeout rate to a manageable, though not spectacular, 24.5%.

The most important thing that has changed with Torkelson is the way he's been connecting with the ball. In 2025, his barrel rate is in the 87th percentile, his launch-angle sweet-spot percentage (how often he hits the ball with a launch angle that will likely result in damage) is in the 89th percentile, and his chase rate is elite, ranking in the 90th percentile.

Comparatively, last year, Torkelson's barrel rate was down in the 37th percentile, his LA sweet-spot percentage was in the 21st percentile, while his chase rate was still very good in the 84th percentile. In short, Torkelson has always been good at identifying the strike zone, but now he's punishing pitches in the zone much more frequently than he has in the past. As a result, he's been one of the driving forces behind the Tigers' resurgence, and his combination of patience and power is a recipe for continued success.

Starting pitcher Reese Olson

Reese Olson has been a solid performer for Detroit over the last few years, posting ERAs of 3.99 and 3.53 in 2023 and 2024. In 2025, he's continued his trend of shaving roughly half a run off of his ERA with a 2.96 ERA through nine starts.

Olson's currently working his way back from a ring finger injury that has changed the way he's had to pitch during his rehab assignment, leading some to believe that he can benefit by being forced to temporarily shelve his stellar off-speed stuff.

The changes made to how he utilizes his arsenal has stood out during Olson's hot start to the season. When the 25-year-old righty arrived in the majors two years ago, he relied heavily on his slider and four-seam fastball, utilizing those pitches 30% of the time and 29% of the time. Meanwhile, his best pitch, his changeup, was only broken out 15% of the time.

Fast forward to 2024, his slider still led the way, being thrown 28% of the time, but his four-seamer was down to 24% while his changeup rose to 22% utilization. Now, in 2025, his four-seamer is an afterthought, coming in at just 14% of the time. His slider has seen further reduction to 24%, while his sinker, previously seldomly broken out, leads the way at 31%. His changeup is right there at the top of his arsenal as well (25%).

His changeup has always been regarded as his best pitch, and now, being brought to the forefront of his repertoire, it has become especially deadly. The pitch has a run value of five on the season, and he's generating whiffs over half the time at 50.5%. Furthermore, batters are hitting just .111 against it.

Olson is now striking out more batters, averaging 9.43 K/9 up from 8.09 a year ago, and his near-unhittable changeup is a major reason why. If he can continue to improve his other pitches, the league should be put on notice.

At the end of the day, by using his best pitches more often, Olson has made it clear that his performance in 2025 is the real deal.

These 2 Tigers are showing signs of crashing back down to earth

Utility man Zach McKinstry

Formerly light-hitting utility man Zach McKinstry started the season off hot and was arguably Detroit's MVP after the first month, filling in around the diamond and giving the Tigers a reliable producer wherever he was called upon.

That hot start has continued, with McKinstry slashing .277/.361/.432 while posting a career-best 1.9 fWAR in just 64 games. The 30-year-old has been an All-Star for the Tigers both on and off the field.

The organization has long thought fondly of McKinstry, but fans have never really seen the reason for the McKinstry admiration as he's posted an OPS of .668 or under every full year of his career.

Suddenly, McKinstry looks like an on-base machine, skilled at making contact and drawing walks while generating just enough power to make for a compelling total package. But looks can be deceiving.

A deeper look shows that McKinstry's production has mostly been generated by balls falling where defenders aren't, rather than any real improvement in the quality of his contact.

McKinstry's average exit velocity of 86.7 miles per hour ranks in the 10th percentile. His hard-hit rate is also, unsurprisingly, in the basement ranking in the 17th percentile. He rarely barrels balls, coming in at a 28th percentile mark, and even if he did, his fifth percentile bat speed wouldn't allow him to do much damage.

The one factor that has been in McKinstry's favor as far as quality of contact metrics is concerned is his 100th percentile launch-angle sweet-spot percentage; however, unlike Spencer Torkelson, that doesn't mean much if the ball isn't being hit with any authority.

The versatile infielder-outfielder has a well-above average walk rate coming in at 11.4%, but even that feather in his cap is mostly negated by his higher-than-average strikeout rate, a 23.3% clip.

Eventually, the balls McKinstry's hitting will start finding gloves, and when that happens most of his offensive value will evaporate. He deserves some kudos for the increased walk rate, but that alone won't be able to salvage his bat once the law of averages finally catches up with him.

Catcher Dillon Dingler

When Dillon Dingler, a former top prospect, got the call to the bigs last year, it was because he earned it. His bat had reached another level at Triple-A Toledo, finally matching his defense to create an intriguing package behind the plate.

Dingler struggled to acclimate to major league pitching upon his arrival, slashing just .167/.195/.310 in 27 contests. Now the 26-year-old backstop has claimed Detroit's starting catcher role and has started hitting, with a 112 wRC+ while also ranking as one of the league's best defensive catchers.

It would appear that Dingler is well on his way to stardom, and while that might ultimately be the case, his 2025 performance presents something of a mirage.

The first notable concern for Dingler is his alarmingly low walk rate, coupled with his very high strikeout rate. Through 54 games, Dingler is walking at just a 2.5% clip — one of the worst marks in the league — while striking out 27.6% of the time. That disparity is similar to what he did in 2024 when he really struggled, walking just 3.4% of the time with a 34.5% strikeout percentage a year ago.

Secondly, Dingler has gotten extremely lucky on the balls he has put in play. His .357 batting average on balls in play is astronomically high. Typically, only speedsters who beat out a ton of infield hits or mashers like Aaron Judge, who regularly top the exit velocity leaderboards, post BABIPs that high over the course of a season.

That's where Dingler shows some real signs of regression. His average exit velocity of 89.5 miles per hour is a tick or two below league average in the 42nd percentile. His hard-hit rate, 45.3%, is slightly above average in the 62nd percentile. All told, that makes for a roughly average output when balls are put in play, and should his BABIP fall to league average, the majority of his offensive production would crater.

There's still a lot to like about Dingler, and the Tigers are clearly all-in on his development. But there could be some growing pains in the process. The good news is that Dingler regularly produced above-average walk rates in the minors. Should he find his way back there, he'll be able to survive the natural regression that he'll experience when his BABIP falls back to normal levels. That might not all happen at the same time, though, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see an extended slump in his future.