Detroit Tigers: 5 reasons to be excited about the 2023 season

Fans should still be excited about the 2023 Detroit Tigers season.

Down in Lakeland, Fla., the Detroit Tigers continue to tune things up and ramp up their competition as the 2023 season inches closer. Opening Day creeps closer and closer, and the Tigers are continuing to try and iron things out with their roster.

The Detroit Tigers may not leave fans feeling overly excited, but there are still reasons to look forward to the 2023 season. Going into 2022, there was some hope that the team would be able to get things going and start turning a corner.

Heck, in April of 2022, Tigers owner Chris Ilitch came out and noted that the rebuild was over and the Tigers were going to keep building. He went as far as to say that the rebuild is 100% over in this article from Deadline Detroit detailing an interview he did.

It's a bit impressive for Ilitch to make that claim, given that the rebuild was certainly not over, and frankly, the team is still entrenched in the rebuild. The Tigers have room to keep improving and changing, with Scott Harris taking over the rebuilding efforts.

The Tigers are moving in the right direction, that is certain, but the progress continues to be at a tortoise pace. But, even with the Tigers being in the rebuilding stage, there are still reasons to look forward to the 2023 season.

Let's talk through five of the reasons to be excited about the 2023 season.

Reason #1: Watching Detroit Tigers hit with new ballpark dimensions

One of the things that Scott Harris was tasked with immediately after taking over as the President of Baseball Operations of the Detroit Tigers was fielding questions about the dimensions of Comerica Park. There had been talk for years that the fences would get moved in.

However, after a long discussion with ownership and staff within the Tigers organization, changes happened, and the Tigers will head into a new and re-vamped Comerica Park in 2023. It's undoubtedly something to watch early in the 2023 season.

It will be interesting to see how the hitters handle this adjustment, and the fans should enjoy this. It should mean that the park benefits the hitters more and plays smaller than it has in previous years, where at times, it really can be a big pitcher-friendly park, especially for left-handed hitters.

The Tigers will likely see an uptick in power numbers this season, but at minimum, the goal is for the new dimensions to help the Tigers get some more of a competitive advantage as the home team. Some felt there was a serious problem with Comerica Park's dimensions in the past, so the new updates should help with this.

However, the hitters are not the only thing to watch. It will be interesting to see how the outfielders play the new park. It will likely be a seamless adjustment or one that is not noticeable to most but could see some adjustments as the players adjust to the new dimensions of Comerica Park.

Reason #3: Seeing some new faces with the Detroit Tigers

The 2023 season may be a bit tough to watch at times, but as the regular season gets underway, there are some new faces in Detroit Tigers' uniforms. The fans can look forward to watching some of the team's new players as they get underway.

One of the more exciting off-season additions was right-handed pitcher Michael Lorenzen. He's expected to join the team's rotation and be a solid addition to the team's pitching staff during the 2023 season. Here's an analysis on Lorenzen after he signed.

Third baseman prospect Justyn-Henry Malloy could become a player to watch if he breaks camp with the team. He may not be on the roster as things stand and is fighting for a spot, but with the third base spot open, the Tigers could bring him north when they leave spring ball.

Malloy is arguably the best of the younger prospect players that the team brought in this off-season and will be someone for fans to be excited about. He's got tools on both sides of the ball and could be a potential answer at third base for the Tigers.

Nick Maton has been having a great spring and might beat out Malloy due to the fact Maton is on the roster. But Nick Maton's looking to prove himself and put himself in contention for the third base role, but also bring versatility to the team's lineup in 2023.

Left-handed reliever Chasen Shreve is also expected to play a role in the team's bullpen. He's a non-roster invitee, so he has to be added to the 40-man roster, but he could very well be someone for fans to get eyes on in his Tigers debut with upside as a left-handed strike thrower from the bullpen.

Reason #4: Seeing Riley Greene take off in year two with Detroit Tigers

Perhaps the most exciting reason to watch Detroit Tigers baseball in 2023 is outfielder Riley Greene. The second-year outfielder will be looking to lift off and make some leaps in his development to take off.

He had a solid rookie season in 2022 but is looking to continue moving in the right direction. The Tigers are testing him out in different lineup spots, and as a corner outfielder in Spring Training, it will be interesting to see how Greene is utilized in 2023.

On top of being primed for another big season, the new park dimensions mentioned earlier are also likely to play a role in Greene's 2023 performance. He will likely be the Tigers' best player in 2023 and will be a part of the team's plans moving forward, so fans should be looking forward to watching Greene in 2023.

Reason #5: Seeing Spencer Torkelson figure it out for Detroit Tigers

Even though the 2022 season was not very kind to Spencer Torkelson, the former first-overall pick of the Detroit Tigers has room to improve. It's too early to panic and call him a bust, but Torkelson left plenty to be desired in 2022.

Torkelson played in 110 games, where he totaled 404 plate appearances. He slashed .203/.285/.319 with 16 doubles, a triple, and eight home runs for the Tigers. He's got to come out and be better in 2023 with a rebounding performance to pivot in the right direction.

The Tigers fans should tune in to see how Torkelson performs in 2023 as he looks to rebound. I'm hopeful that Torkelson gets things figured out and performs well in 2023. It's too early to close the book on Torkelson, so fans should be optimistic and be looking forward to seeing him right the ship in 2023.