Advertisement

Tigers' overlooked young slugger propels Detroit to first win of 2025

Emma Lingan
Emma Lingan

Motor City Bengals

Detroit Tigers v Seattle Mariners / Stephen Brashear/GettyImages

The 2020 MLB Draft has yielded extremely positive returns for the Detroit Tigers. Not only did they get the slugging Spencer Torkelson at No. 1 overall; they also snagged Colt Keith, who quickly became a core piece of their infield picture, in the fifth and final round.

Between Torkelson and Keith, however, the Tigers also drafted Dillon Dingler – the oft-overlooked second-rounder who seemingly got lost in the shuffle amid his counterparts' meteoric ascent to the big leagues.

Until now, that is.

Tigers have overlooked slugging prospect Dillon Dingler emerging early in 2025 with MLB roster

Dingler made his Major League debut on July 29, 2024, after the Tigers traded Carson Kelly to the Texas Rangers at the deadline. At the time, the Tigers were 52-56; but Dingler's arrival happened to coincide with Detroit's late-season surge into a playoff spot.

Admittedly, Dingler struggled at the plate in his first taste of Major League action, slashing .167/.195/.310 in 84 at-bats last season. However, that's pretty much par for the course in his development journey. Every one of Dingler's promotions through the Tigers' farm system has been followed by an immediate dip in offensive production before a subsequent improvement the following season. He just needs a little more time to adjust at each level – and his early performance in 2025 appears to follow that same pattern.

In an admittedly small sample size of 11 at-bats, Dingler has done nothing but rake at the Major League level this year. He's already got five hits, including a home run and a triple in the same game Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and is slashing .455/.455/.909. It's still early, but he looks like a far cry from the struggling rookie who hit .167 in 27 at-bats last year.

On Monday night, he helped the Tigers to their first win of the season over the Seattle Mariners when he went 3-for-5 with two runs scored an two RBI in the 9-6 triumph.

Four games into the 2025 season, Dingler and Jake Rogers have been alternating starts behind the plate each day. While the two are splitting starting catcher duties evenly for the time being, it's possible that one emerges as the Tigers' true No. 1 catcher – and if Dingler's bat stays this hot, Detroit will have no choice but to keep him in the lineup as much as possible.

More Tigers content from Motor City Bengals

Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.