Detroit Tigers: 5 players to watch for the remainder of the 2022 season

There a still a few reasons to watch the Detroit Tigers

The trade deadline has passed, and the Detroit Tigers are once again out of contention. Many fans have checked out, and it’s hard to blame them. Why would they want to waste their time and energy with team that’s 23 games under .500 with a GM who’s likely (hopefully) on his way out and an owner who doesn’t care?

But for those looking for any kind of hope or silver lining, there are still a few players to watch and look out for the rest of the season. Some of these players are vying for future roster spots, and others are looking to continue their development.

Most of these players are young and largely unproven, so these last two months will be of the utmost importance for them. Since the Detroit Tigers are out of the playoff race, they need to spend these last couple of months figuring out who will be a part of their future. For those that the team believes will be a part of their future for sure, this is crucial development time for them.

So without further ado, here are five players to watch for the rest of the 2022 season.

SP Matt Manning

Manning just recently returned from injury after hitting the injured list on April 16. He was suffering from shoulder soreness, but then strained his right bicep during his first rehab assignment. He, of course, is just one of many Tigers starting pitchers to have injury trouble this season.

Manning pitched five innings, gave up three runs, walked four and struck out one in his first start back last Tuesday. He struggled with his fastball command, which has been his achilles heel ever since he got called up last June. However, his slider looked good, which is encouraging.

His stuff hasn’t looked the same since he was in Double-A in 2019. Missing the 2020 season obviously didn’t help. He also caught COVID-19, which caused him to lose some weight, which in turn caused him to lose some fastball velocity. It’s been a rough go of it for Manning the past couple years health-wise.

There’s still a lot to like about him. His athletic ability and his 6-foot-6 frame only helps him on the mound. He still features a nice low-80s curveball on occasion, but it would be nice to see him throw it more often. He still has a tendency to lean too heavily on his fastball, which would be fine if he had better command of it. He still needs to learn to mix his pitches more effectively.

Sadly, because of all of these things, there are growing concerns that Manning could be become a reliever. The thought is that his stuff could play up in the bullpen. But the Tigers need him to be a starter. They can’t have all of their prized pitching prospects end up being bullpen arms.

Hopefully Chris Fetter can work him over these last two months and figure something out, because the Detroit Tigers need his arm in the rotation.

OF Akil Baddoo

The last couple years has been a rollercoaster for Akil Baddoo. Last year he looked like a foundational piece of the Tigers outfield who could only get better. Then he was sent down after an awful start to the 2022 season. Then he got injured in Triple-A. Then he came back and mashed for about three weeks. The Tigers finally called him back up, but it’s been more of the same at the big league level.

Right now the Detroit Tigers are trying to figure out what happened to the former Rule 5 pick. He has a .416 OPS in 95 plate appearances this season. He just looks lost at the plate. His plate disciplined has disappeared. The flare and excitement he brought to the team is all but gone.

The most notable changes in his batted balls are his hard hit rate and line drive percentage, both down almost 10% from last year. This, of course, is one of many common themes among all Tigers hitters this season. There’s reason to believe that he and other Tigers hitters will improve once they get away from Scott Coolbaugh, but we’ve already discussed that at length, so we won’t beat a dead horse here.

However, there’s also reason to believe that Baddoo’s 2021 season was a fluke. He had a .335 BABIP last season, so there was certainly some luck involved.

These last two months will be paramount for Baddoo. With Robbie Grossman now out of the picture, he is going to get more at-bats. The Tigers should give him every opportunity to prove himself. Will he return to his 2021 form? Or will he be relegated to minor league fodder? Only time will tell.

OF Daz Cameron

Speaking of minor league fodder, Daz had a promising start after he was up at the beginning of the season, making some big plays in the outfield and getting some timely hits. But the 25-year-old may be running out of time in the Old English D, especially since the organization recently DFA’d Derek Hill.

A 2015 first-round pick of the Houston Astros, Cameron was acquired in the Justin Verlander trade. We all know how that’s turned out. He’s bounced up and down between Toledo and Detroit the past couple years, but injuries have kept Daz from making the most of his opportunities.

He had some really poor numbers in Toledo after returning from the COVID-IL, but his last 16 games there have seen him slash .302/.371/.413 before getting called back up this week. He’s only amassed a .639 OPS in 20 games with the Tigers this season, but there were some good signs.

His average exit velocity is the highest of his career thus far, and he was hitting the ball on the ground less and lifting the ball more. His strikeout rate had dipped as well. It’s been just 69 plate appearances, but these are promising signs nonetheless.

It really feels like this is Cameron’s last chance to prove himself, especially if a new regime is coming in following this season. He may go back down when and if Austin Meadows comes back, so his days could be numbered no matter what. Nevertheless, the Tigers need to see what they truly have in Daz Cameron.

OF Riley Greene

Come on, you knew he was going to be on here. Greene may be the single biggest reason to continue watching the Detroit Tigers the rest of the season. He may end up being the best homegrown talent this team had had since Al Kaline.

He has gone through a rough stretch as of late, striking out a bunch, but he had a nice game on Friday with an opposite-field home run and a double. The overall process for Greene has still been solid despite the recent hike in strikeouts. His ABs are still a treat to watch.

Of all the players mentioned on this list, Greene may be the only sure thing. He struck out a good bit in the minors as well, so those aren’t a huge surprise. He also hit .300 with power in the minors.

The last two months of this season are still key for his development. He’s going to play every day. He’s the best player the Detroit Tigers have right now, and probably will be for years to come.

In addition to the five players on this list, it’s also possible the team calls up some prospects like Kerry Carpenter and Ryan Kriedler to give them a cup of coffee. They would also be players to watch, as they could potentially play themselves onto next year’s roster. In fact, with how hot Carpenter has been, he could get the call very soon.