Detroit Tigers: 3 goals for the second half of the 2022 season

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The Detroit Tigers may not be in contention, but the second half of the season is still important

The Detroit Tigers are once again out of contention at the midway point of the season, and the trade deadline will most likely bring more selling off of pieces. Needless to say, the disappointment has been immeasurable.

Despite the lackluster first half, the second half will still have a great deal of importance for the future of the franchise. They need to further figure out who will be a part of this team long term. If nothing else, they need to play much better and leave a good taste in their mouth, just for their own psyches.

In a season full of negatives, the Detroit Tigers need to find some positives, as hard as they may seem right now. This season is a wash, so it’s time to focus on getting better for 2023. Here are three goals for the remainder of the 2022 season.

1. Have a league-average offense

Mar 1, 2021; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers Scott Coolbaugh #53 poses during media day Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: MLB photos via USA TODAY Sports /

In theory, this should not be hard to do. If even half of the hitters that have underachieved for the Detroit Tigers so far in 2022 live up to their potential, it should not be difficult at all for the Tigers offense to be around league average in the second half.

Their two best hitters in the first half were 39-year-old Miguel Cabrera and Harold Castro. That’s not going to get it done, as we already know. They need the likes of Javier Baez, Jonathan Schoop, and Jeimer Candelario among others to step it up.

Hopefully some reinforcements will help, such as finally getting Austin Meadows back. If he continues to put up the same at-bats that he was putting up before his health went down the toilet, then he should be as good as advertised. Maybe Akil Baddoo can figure it out at the big league level after mashing in Triple-A, although the early returns on that haven’t been great.

For those of you holding out hope that hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh will get the heave-ho midseason, I’ve got bad news for you. It doesn’t sound very likely. A.J. Hinch has said that it isn’t wise to make a change if you don’t have someone better waiting in the wings. So the Tigers are likely stuck with him for the rest of the year.

And of course, I’d be foolish if I didn’t mention Spencer Torkelson here. Hopefully he figures something out in Triple-A, or gets some confidence back at the very least. Saying the Tigers need him to be productive would be an understatement.

The offense shouldn’t be this bad, and it should not be hard for this offense to be average. If they had been average all season, then they’d probably be hovering around .500 right now. They just need a few guys to step up, and they’ll start winning more games.

2. Figure out who is part of the team’s long term plans

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – APRIL 27: Akil Baddoo #60 of the Detroit Tigers looks on during an at-bat against the Minnesota Twins in the third inning of the game at Target Field on April 27, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Tigers 5-0. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /

This might be the most important goal for the second half. The Detroit Tigers will have some tough (and some not-so-tough) decisions to make as far as player personnel for the 2023 season and beyond. The second half of the 2022 season will be paramount for quite a few players on this roster.

Jeimer Candelario is first guy that comes to mind. Some fans were clamoring for the team to give him an extension in the offseason after posting a 3.8 bWAR last season and leading the American League in doubles. Now, there’s a pretty good chance he gets non-tendered this offseason regardless of how he performs in the second half of 2022.

Jonathan Schoop has a player option that he will almost certainly accept after the season he’s had, but the Tigers could still choose to move on from him and eat the $7.5 million that he’s owed. There was talk of extending Tucker Barnhart before the season as well, but that also seems highly unlikely now.

That’s not to mention some of the younger, more inexperienced players on the roster. Riley Greene obviously isn’t going anywhere. Akil Baddoo still needs to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke, as we mentioned in the previous slide. Eric Haase is still in the middle of a nice hot streak, but can he keep it up?

Then there’s bench players like the Castros, Victor Reyes, and Kody Clemens, and guys that have been flipped between Toledo and Detroit like Derek Hill and Daz Cameron. How long will this organization continue to rely on them as actual big league reinforcements, or even starters in some cases?

There is probably going to be some major roster overhaul this offseason. Whoever the GM ends up being (fingers crossed it’s not Al Avila) will have a lot of work ahead of them.

3. Get healthy and stay healthy

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – APRIL 16: Starting pitcher Matt Manning #25 of the Detroit Tigers pitches during the 1st inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on April 16, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

We’ve gone over this time and time again this season. This team has some of the worst injury luck known to man. It’s crazy some of the stuff that’s happened this season. Guys like Beau Brieske and Alex Faedo, that should probably be in the minors, have had to come up and develop in the big leagues.

The pitching staff in particular needs to stay healthy. This team can’t afford to go through any more arms. At this point, Wilmer Flores or Reese Olson will have to make their debut at some point this year.

Jose Cisnero will finally make his season debut after the All-Star break. That’s a start. Hopefully Matt Manning and Austin Meadows aren’t too far behind. Unfortunately, the likelihood of seeing Kyle Funkhouser pitch this season just got a bit slimmer, as his throwing program was recently shut down and he will be seeing a specialist.

The Tigers have stated that they’d like to have both Spencer Turnbull and Jake Rogers play this season as both have been recovering from Tommy John surgery. Rogers seems to be a bit closer than Turnbull at the moment, but I wouldn’t hold your breath on either on them.

The last thing this team needs is more injuries. Getting healthy and staying healthy should be a top priority for the Detroit Tigers the rest of the way.

Next. Detroit Tigers 2022 MLB Draft recap: Rounds 16-20. dark

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The Detroit Tigers may not be in contention, but the second half of the season is still important

1. Have a league-average offense

2. Figure out who is part of the team’s long term plans

3. Get healthy and stay healthy

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