The national media are noticing Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene. He was named to Bleacher Report's All Breakout Team and had a healthy season, launching himself into the conversation of best outfielders in MLB. It's something that Detroit fans haven't seen since the days of Miguel Cabrera being talked about as one of the game's best.
In fact, just recently, MLB.com predicted Greene to win the 2025 AL MVP. How's that for the utmost pressure?
An MVP award would be a big step forward for Greene. He has shown continuous improvement year over year and has become more responsible with his bat and body. We're sure he's honored even to be mentioned in the MVP conversation. The pressure that comes with that will also presumably mount on his shoulders now more than ever, which is difficult to compartmentalize. The best players are the ones who can silence that outside pressure, and Riley will need to do that this season.
As Greene continues to fight the always-mounting battle of self-improvement, he also has another obstacle on the horizon. The MVP award goes to the best player in each league. What makes an MVP candidate is often the supporting cast around them. Aaron Judge, for example, had Giancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto surrounding him in the lineup. Take those names up against Colt Keith and Kerry Carpenter represent a clear gap in production.
Riley Greene must balance self-improvement and Tigers' unwillingness to improve
Greene hit .262 with 24 home runs and 74 RBI in 2024. This was on a team with one of the worst offenses for most of last year. He was their top producer in nearly all offensive categories. For a team that made the playoffs, there was plenty of speculation about improvements that would be made in the offseason. Names like Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso, and Christian Walker were tossed around as improvements. Instead, the Tigers ended up with Gleyber Torres. While it's not a bad addition, the Tigers need more than that.
This is a story that Tigers fans should be used to by now. Scott Harris has done nothing but twiddle his thumbs since he got here. Opportunities have been there. They refuse to make big moves. Another silent offseason should have fans incensed. Bregman is still available, and the team seems to still be in the hunt, but we wouldn't be surprised to see him sign elsewhere the first chance he gets.
At this point, ownership isn't only hurting his fans; it's going to start hurting Tigers players if the proper weapons aren't added to the lineup. The Tigers are missing power hitting and right-handed hitting. Alex Bregman won't fix either of those ... right? Pete Alonso wouldn't have fixed that ... right? Christian Walker wouldn't have fixed that ... right? But hey the team has Alex Cobb now.
Get excited everybody! We are a mere three weeks away from Tigers baseball again. We wish Riley Greene the best because he truly deserves it. The hope is that he keeps his head down, works hard to improve, and makes the most of the middle of the order he has to work with.