After Surprising Start, Detroit Tigers' Offensive Outburst Now Looks Legit

The Detroit Tigers' success in 2024 was due in large part to their pitching, namely Tarik Skubal. The unit helped lead the team to the playoffs after an otherworldly run in the second half, even winning their Wild Card series against the dynastic Houston Astros.

The offense was scarcely heard from last year, aside from one or two guys here or there, and there was little done over the offseason to make the starting lineup better. It was a unit that finished No. 23 in MLB in OPS last year with a .685 mark, and that total was actually brought down by their second-half OPS of .682.

None of that has come into play this year. The pitching staff, namely Skubal, has still been a clear strength, but the offense, too, came out of the gates firing on all cylinders. Now over 1/3 of the way into the 2025 season, that surprising start could be solidified as the real deal.

Offense's Strong April for Detroit Tigers Solidified with Stronger May

"It’s not the pitching that’s driving their rise to the top of the AL standings," writes Thomas Harrigan in a recent article for MLB.com, "it’s the offense. (OK, Tarik Skubal has been pretty awesome, too.) Getting unexpected contributions from Spencer Torkelson, Javier Báez and Zach McKinstry, Detroit’s offense ranks fourth in the Majors in runs per game (5.07) this season, and only the Cubs and Dodgers have scored more runs in May."

Spencer Torkelson has once again found his groove, and the slugger enters play Wednesday with a .238/.351/.513 batting line with 13 home runs and 40 RBI. Should he keep it up down the stretch, his current OPS of .864 would be a career high, a .105 increase over his previous best set in 2023.

The strong offensive performance from the Tigers in April has been even more so in May. The opening month of the season saw the team post a .705 OPS, the 15th-best mark in MLB, while May has seen the unit produce a .752 OPS, which is seventh-best for the month.

If Detroit can continue to produce on offense to complement their elite ace and his pals, it could go a long way toward seeing them back in the playoffs for a second-straight year, and potentially even see them go on a deeper run.