One overlooked development fans got incredibly wrong about the 2024 Detroit Tigers

Anyone who doesn't claim the Tigers as their squad probably found this 2024 team to be an easy one to write off. Even though they finished second in the AL Central in 2023 and had a lot of promising talent, including a starting pitcher who was getting Cy Young hype before this year's season even began, they had still posted a losing record and hadn't spent much money in the offseason, choosing instead to put their faith in their young, homegrown players.

However, Tigers fans were a little more optimistic. That second-place finish was Detroit's best since 2016, and they had a core with star potential in Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, and Spencer Torkelson, as the latter two were looking for true breakout seasons after being hampered with injuries in 2023.

What fans weren't so sold on, though, was the revolving door at third base, and the viability of the Tigers' many utility players to actually step up and justify the team's hesitation to name (or find) a true third baseman.

Apologies to Matt Vierling.

Tigers fans who doubted Detroit's utility players were proven wrong by the end of the season

The Tigers signed Gio Urshela in the offseason, and he immediately seemed to be their everyday third base solution (and he had a proven bat to go along with it), but he went straight into the infield utility rotation along with Vierling, Zach McKinstry, and Andy Ibáñez. Urshela was eventually DFA'ed and the Tigers instead turned to Jace Jung along with the occasional mix of the aforementioned utility players.

But in the second half of the season, those utility players actually ... proved their worth. Vierling hadn't graded well at third base in 2023 and his hitting left something to be desired, but he improved on the field in 2024 and his average, OBP, and slugging numbers ended up in the top three of all qualified Tigers batters this year. As one of the oldest Tigers and the only one with postseason experience, he also stepped up as a clubhouse leader.

McKinstry, a fan least-favorite, even had his moments in the postseason, and Ibáñez proved his worth with his clutch, pinch-hit bases-clearing double in Game 2 of the Wild Card series against the Astros, which took the Tigers to the ALDS. They also both improved defensively at third base, with Ibáñez picking up positive OAAs at every position he played except left field.

So maybe the Tigers knew what they were doing when they decided to keep third base without a permanent occupant. We're still not sold on McKinstry, but Vierling and Ibáñez might be keepers.