Can Tigers Still Rely on Their Surprising Breakout Players in Second Half?

The Detroit Tigers were the best team in baseball, record wise, entering the All-Star break.

Their success on the field can be attributed to several different players giving contributions up and down their roster.

As shared by Levi Weaver of The Athletic (subscription required), there were 22 players who took at least one at-bat for the Tigers heading into play on July 22.

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Seven positional players already surpassed their previous career bests or were on pace to have their best seasons based on bWAR.

That doesn’t include left fielder Riley Greene, who was an All-Star for the second consecutive year and is the team’s best performer at the plate. Or the resurgent Javier Baez, who was also an All-Star, changing the narrative that surrounded him coming into the campaign.

Viewed as an albatross and sunk cost after performing so poorly in his first three seasons with the Tigers, Baez came out of nowhere as a regular contributor for the team, even turning in stellar production defensively in center field.

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On the mound, 23 pitchers threw at least one pitch, not including positional players who toed the rubber in blowouts.

Nine of them are on pace for career-high bWAR, including the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, Tarik Skubal.

That doesn’t include Casey Mize, who looked to no longer be a part of the team’s long-term plans after another injury-plagued and underwhelming 2024 showing. But he has been the most consistent performer behind Skubal this year.

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The biggest question facing Detroit now is whether those breakout candidates can continue their high level of play.

Some signs of wear and tear are beginning to show, with the Tigers losing four out of five games following the All-Star break to the Texas Rangers and Pittsburgh Pirates.

That makes it eight losses out of their last nine , which has brought them back to the pack in the AL playoff race.

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Detroit still holds a commanding nine-game leading in the AL Central, but their hold on the No. 1 seed is shaky.

The Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros are both surging, only a half-game behind the Tigers with identical 59-42 records.

Detroit needs to find its groove again and shake this rough patch, and the MLB trade deadline could provide them the opportunity to do so.

The Tigers remain in first place of The Athletic MLB power rankings, but their recent skid could have them moving back a few spots in the near future.

For more Tigers news, head over to Tigers On SI.