5 Reasons Not to Worry about The Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers will improve with Riley Greene

Riley Green was absolutely destroying major league pitching in spring training, hitting over .400 before his broken foot.  With news that he is improving and now out of his walking boot, Tigers fans can begin to think what a future with him in Comerica Park will look like.

Between his spring training production, and his body of work through two levels of the minor leagues last year — he hit .301 with a .387 OBP and 25 doubles, 8 triples, and 24 HRs — it looked like Riley Greene was set to be one of Detroit’s biggest offensive contributors this year.

At the very least he will provide another option in the outfield in the event Akil Baddoo continues to struggle. Greene’s return will only make the lineup deeper, and lead to better performances from the Tigers this season.

The Detroit Tigers will improve when Jeimer Candelario gets hot

At this point in his career Jeimer Candelario is an established major league player with a proven track record. He’s only 28, and he’s coming off a season in which he produced 3.8 WAR and tied for the MLB lead with 42 doubles. Hitters like that don’t just fall off the map. He will improve on his .188 batting average to start this season.

The past two seasons he has hit .291 and .271. There is no doubt in my mind his average will improve this year as the season continues. With his improved bat, plus Greene returning, and a typical weather-induced warm up from Miguel Cabrera, the offense will only improve as the temperatures heat up in Detroit.

The Detroit Tigers will improve because of A.J. Hinch

A.J. Hinch is a top shelf major league manager with two pennants to his name, as well as a World Series championship. He’s entering his 9th season as a manager, his teams have never had a winning percentage lower than .392, and that was from a partial season with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010, when that team was led by Kelly Johnson. Remember him? Exactly.

There is no doubt this Detroit Tigers team is more talented than that Arizona squad. This year’s team also boasts more talent than last year’s Tiger’s squad, which Hinch led to a .475 winning percentage. This team’s talent, combined with Hinch’s ability to keep them focused and motivated, will yield results when it comes to the standings over the course of a full season.

The Detroit Tigers will improve because their schedule is easier

The Tigers have played the 11th most difficult schedule to date in the Major League Baseball. Only two teams with a more challenging slate so far have winning records. The schedule will continue to include difficult opponents, like this week’s matchup with the Houston Astros, but as the Tigers start to play the AL Central with greater frequency their strength of schedule should ease, and some more regular winning should occur.

The start of this season is exactly the opposite of what Tigers fans were hoping for. The team has looked bad on defense, and the offense has been frustratingly weak. But but I believe all hope is not lost. The Tigers will start to get healthy, they’ll get help from Riley Greene and Jeimer Candelario, their schedule will get easier, and A.J. Hinch will keep them on the right track.

For these five reasons, we’ll see the Detroit Tigers start to win games on a regular basis soon.