This conspicuous improvement for Colt Keith could finally fuel breakout Tigers season

Colt Keith has established himself as a slow starter through the first two seasons of his major league career. In his rookie year, he batted .163 with a .396 OPS in April and then .342/.881 in May. It was much of the same in 2025 — .186/.578 in April, .288/.839 in May.

This year, though, Keith has come out the gate hot. Through the Tigers' first six games, he's hitting .364/.962 with four extra-base hits and two RBI. He's tied with Kevin McGonigle for the most hits of any Tigers position player so far.

Tigers fans have been waiting for Keith to live up to the six-year, $28.64 million contract extension the front office gave him before he debuted. Although it pales in comparison now to the contracts that the Mariners and Brewers just gave to Colt Emerson and Cooper Pratt, both also pre-debut, it was a huge leap of faith for an organization that doesn't make those often.

The key, as The Athletic's Eno Sarris pointed out, might be a dramatic improvement in bat speed. Keith sits behind only the Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong on a list of top surgers this year, with a 1.9 MPH difference from 2025 to 2026.

Improved bat speed could be Colt Keith's key to breakout season for Tigers

Sarris writes, "When a player such as Colt Keith swings harder, it's almost all good news. Keith has always struck out less (and whiffed less) than average players at every stop in the pros, and adding power would take him from a good player to more of a cornerstone offensively for the Tigers."

Keith has sort of gotten a bad rap with Tigers fans, even though he's making steady but sure improvements year-over-year. He's also on his way to becoming a true utility infielder and has made a couple of nice plays at third base already this season.

It's not hard to sus out why; it's the money. Tigers fans gave up a long time ago on Javy Báez being the face of the franchise, and Keith is still the only other position player on a long-term deal. Anything less than excellence was always going to rankle some people.

But he's already one of the only consistent highlights in a frustratingly spotty Tigers' lineup, and he always deserved a little more patience that fans have oftentimes been willing to extend. This could be the year.