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Detroit Tigers: 3 players playing better than their numbers suggest

By Matthew Scheidel |
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Some Detroit Tigers are off to good starts but don't have the numbers to show it

The Detroit Tigers are off to a terrible start as a team. They are 2-8 as of this writing and just look downright awful. But there are a few players that are off to a good starts, though it may not look like it if you looked at their stats.

Most of the lineup is off to a horrible start, but there a few players that have put up some good at-bats without a lot to show for it. Likewise, some pitchers have been decent despite some rough surface numbers.

We've spent a lot of time on the negatives recently, so today we're going to focus on the few positives this team has had to start the year. Here are three Detroit Tigers that are playing better than their numbers suggest.

OF Kerry Carpenter

Carpenter barely made the Opening Day roster over Akil Baddoo in a battle that quite literally went down to the wire. The Tigers appeared to like what Carpenter can offer with the bat over Baddoo's ability to wreak havoc. So far, it looks like they made the right choice, though Baddoo ended up in Detroit not long after the fact after Austin Meadows stepped away from the team again to focus on his mental health.

Carpenter's surface numbers aren't very impressive. He's slashing .227/.346/.364 with no homers and a 106 wRC+. That last stat is above average, and there's a reason for that. Through 26 plate appearances, he had a walk rate of 15.6%. That's in the 85th percentile according to Baseball Savant. There's still some swing-and-miss and he still strikes out quite a bit, but the walks are very encouraging.

He's also crushing the baseball. He's in the 99th percentile in barrel rate and 77th percentile in hard-hit rate. So why are the surface numbers so low? Well, he's gotten pretty unlucky, and nowhere was that more apparent than Tuesday night's game against the Blue Jays.

He had over 800 feet worth of outs in that game. He had two flyballs to the wall—one of them was robbed by Jays' CF Kevin Kiermaier, and the other just died at the wall. Tough luck, but he did everything right.

As long as Carpenter continues to trust his process, he should be fine. I wouldn't expect that walk rate to hold up, but even if he ends up around league average (roughly 8.2%) I would call that a win. The Tigers need any positive development they can get right now, and Carpenter looks like he's picking up where he left off from a year ago.

INF Nick Maton

Maton's surface numbers are quite horrible through 31 plate appearances. He's currently slashing .120/.290/.280 with one home run as of this writing. He hasn't been hitting the ball very hard either. But one thing he has done well is draw a ton of walks.

He's currently sporting a walk rate of 19.4%, which puts him in the 94th percentile according to Baseball Savant. He grinds out every single on of his at-bats. He's one of the few hitters on this Tigers team where if he falls down 0-2 in the count, I don't worry because he could easily work it back to even or full. He has a really good eye up there.

He has struck out a bunch, but he doesn't chase very much. It's clear he has a pretty good understanding of the strike zone, which is something president of baseball operations Scott Harris has been coveting since he was hired.

Much like Carpenter, Maton's approach and process is solid. If he keeps working counts like he has been, he could end up being a nice piece for the Detroit Tigers.

RHP Trey Wingenter

The Tigers' bullpen has been a tire fire to start the year. Nobody can be relied upon to come in and get a clutch out. But there is one reliever that is off to a solid start, and that's Trey Wingenter.

Wingenter hasn't pitched in over three years due to various injuries. He was solid for the Padres back in 2019 with his high 90s fastball and wicked slider, but he could get wild at times. That last part hasn't changed, but he can still be effectively wild.

In four appearances so far in 2023, Wingenter has a 5.40 ERA and four strikeouts in 3.1 IP. Those numbers are okay, but a deeper dive suggests he's been more effective than it looks.

He's been missing a lot of bats, but perhaps most importantly, he's been missing barrels. He's in the 79th percentile in barrel rate and 80th percentile in whiff rate, respectively per Baseball Savant. He's also in the 82nd percentile in chase rate. The only problem is that when he does get hit, he gets hit hard. But again, he's missing barrels.

His most recent appearance last Sunday against the Red Sox showed just how dominant he could be. He was hitting 98 mph on his fastball, and most importantly, he was throwing it for strikes. He had that along with that devastating slider. For a bullpen that's had virtually nobody step up this year, that was a welcome sight.

If Wingenter can build off that last appearance, it should give him some confidence, and should also give A.J. Hinch some confidence in him. Right now, I'm not sure he has confidence in anyone in that bullpen, so he'll take what he can get.

Next. Detroit Tigers: This team is an embarrassment. dark

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