Ridiculous Zach McKinstry stat proves that firing Joey Cora didn’t solve everything

The Detroit Tigers have really struggled running the bases this season, and many fans thought that the dismissal of third base coach Joey Cora might bring about better results. A putrid Zach McKinstry stat shows that has not been the case at all, though.

McKinstry has successfully stolen one base this season and he has been caught stealing four times which is the lowest success rate of anyone in the big leagues. That’s just a disaster, and it speaks to a larger issue with the Tigers.

As a team, the Tigers rank dead last in MLB when it comes to stolen bases. They have stolen 33 bases, and the next best team is the Houston Astros with 37 stolen bases. The Tigers have been caught stealing 16 times, meaning they have been successful roughly two-thirds of the time they try to steal a base. That isn’t ideal for a team that rarely tries to swipe a bag.

Some fans thought maybe Cora was the reason for the team’s struggles on the bases. While his aggressive style gave the Tigers a boost the last two seasons, maybe it just was not the strategy the team needed this year with the way the roster was constructed.

Tigers just do not have a lot of stolen base threats on the roster

But it seems the issues really go beyond Cora and probably just come down to the team not having a ton of burners on the bases. Outside of McKinstry, Kevin McGonigle may be the team’s best stolen base threat. He has 11 on the season.

Injuries are part of the reason why the Tigers haven’t had a lot of stolen bases since guys like Parker Meadows and Javy Baez have been on the shelf for a while and usually are at least a threat to run when they are healthy.

McKinstry has to be the biggest disappointment of them all, though. He’s had such a bad year at the plate, hitting .207/.283/.316 on the year. After he was an All-Star in 2025, his regression has been tough to understand, but he’s regressed both as a stolen base threat and a hitter, so he provides next to no value offensively.

The Tigers might still have a chance to make a run at the playoffs since they’ve played better as of late. But their inability to run the bases well may prove costly as the season goes on.

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