Detroit Tigers: 4 positives that came from the 2022 season

Detroit Tigers rookie outfielder Riley Greene had an excellent debut performance.

While it was a tale of frustration as the summer started for Spencer Torkelson, outfielder Riley Greene came out swinging when he made his debut in the big leagues. He joined the team this summer and was able to be an impactful part of the Detroit Tigers lineup.

It felt like Riley Greene captured the hearts of fans early on in his rookie campaign. From his hitting in the box and acrobatic catches in the outfield, there was plenty to like. He appeared in 93 games, totaling 418 plate appearances, where he slashed .253/.321/.362 with 18 doubles, four triples, and five home runs.

Greene has been an excellent performer, allowing the Tigers to hold out hope that Greene continues to be a vital piece of this team’s roster moving forward. While the focal point of this “positive” is Greene’s performance overall, he has brought plenty.

The amazing catches offered some nice moments for the fans. It felt like he was churning out highlight-reel catches all the time. On top of that, Greene has been fun to watch in the box overall. Fans should be ultra-happy with what Greene brought to the table this year.

From the fantastic catches, extra-base hits, good interviews, rock-paper-scissors battles with mascots, and all the smiles in between, Greene’s rookie campaign was a positive from the 2022 Detroit Tigers season.

Detroit Tigers needed pitchers to step up in 2022.

For the Detroit Tigers, there were a lot of injuries and trouble that came from the pitching staff. The pitchers were dropping like flies, but the team ran with a next-man-up mentality. It felt like the players being called upon continued to get the job done.

When it comes to the Tigers’ pitching staff, several players stepped up. It’s a positive takeaway from the 2022 season to say that several starting pitchers stepped up and got the job done when being called upon.

Drew Hutchison was one of the arms who provided quality starts whenever he was called upon. He may not have been in the running for a Cy Young or even close to that, but he was solid when called upon. He pitched in 28 games making 18 starts.

Hutchison managed a 4.53 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP and ate up 105.1 innings for the Tigers. While he was not lights out, he went out and did his job, which is all that the Tigers could ask for from arms like this.

Garrett Hill was another arm who excelled when he was needed. Hill also made some changes to his delivery that helped maximize his performance and helped him succeed. Hill pitched in 17 games, making eight starts for the Tigers.

The rookie right-hander pitched to a 4.03 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP and accumulated 60.1 innings pitched. For a rookie being thrown into the fire, he did a great job in the spots he was put in.

While neither Hill nor Hutchison was spectacular or off the charts, they were just two of the pitchers who stepped up and provided starts when the Tigers needed arms. Their performances should be viewed as a positive from the Tigers’ 2022 season.

Detroit Tigers hiring Scott Harris is a positive as the team shifts its direction.

Lastly, and perhaps the most recent positive from the 2022 season, was the change of direction that the Detroit Tigers have instilled. After finally moving on from Al Avila and firing him, the team found the new man with a plan.

For the Tigers, the results may not have been directly shown in the 2022 season, but the Tigers went on a bit of a run in the “Scott Harris era” of the 2022 season. Beyond that, the acts alone of bringing Harris in with the organization and beginning that process were rewarding enough.

The opening press conference with Chris Ilitch introducing Harris and allowing Harris to address the Detroit media for the first time told a lot to Tigers fans. There were a lot of things said that should lead the Tigers to be happy about the direction of this organization.

With a lot of changes coming to the Tigers organization this offseason, being able to look back on the day Avila was fired, and the day Harris was hired, it’s positive for this organization. Harris is able to start leaving his mark on the Tigers.

The future is the exciting part of this, and things could easily fall apart, but the honeymoon phase with Harris is not over yet. It still feels like the Tigers are vastly moving in the right direction.