Tigers collecting awards is a double-edged justification of Scott Harris' promises

Tigers players are slowly but surely stacking up nominations and awards this offseason. Dillon Dingler and Zach McKinstry are both up for Gold Gloves and won Fielding Bible Awards; Dingler, Kevin McGonigle, and Riley Greene are up for the 2026 All-MLB Team; Greene and Dingler were included on The Sporting News' AL All-Star Team; and McGonigle is both The Sporting News and Baseball America's Rookie of the Year.

These might seem like small potatoes compared to the MVPs, Cy Youngs, and Rookies of the Year who will be announced in the offseason, but they deserve acknowledgement.

Dingler, McGonigle, and Greene were the foundation of the Tigers' offense this year, even with Dingler struggling in the second half. McKinstry was by far their best defensive player.

They're reminders that, despite the losing record, the Tigers do have pieces that could make an annual contender. McGonigle is likely to be MLB's AL Rookie of the Year, and he, alongside Greene and Dingler, could even receive down-ballot MVP votes.

It's likely that no one is happier about all of these accolades than Scott Harris, who has always pled patience with his vision for the Tigers. Even his most vocal detractors have to acknowledge that he's gotten some things right. But when paired with their 76-86 record, it also invites a sneaking suspicion that the rebuild never truly ended.

Tigers are stacking up awards this offseason, but Scott Harris can't get complacent

There's blame to go around for the failure of the Tigers' 2026 season, with some bad luck sprinkled in. Harris himself took responsibility for the lack of depth that killed Detroit during their 6-22 May.

The awards remind us of how confusing this season was: there were some incredible individual pieces and baseline tools to succeed, but the Tigers failed to pull it all together.

And the question for next season is: will they be able to figure it out? All signs point to the Tigers' roster looking more or less the same in 2027. They auditioned a number of rookies throughout the year, but will the next just feature more growing pains and more requests for patience, or will the Tigers actually be competitive?

Progress isn't always linear; Tigers fans know that well. But after two years of looking like serious contenders, a dip like the one they experienced in 2026 was inevitably going to leave room for doubt to come in.

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