Case for Tigers Being Best Team in Baseball Is an Easy One To Make

When the Detroit Tigers made a late-season surge to sneak into the playoffs last year, it was a great story.

Manager A.J. Hinch got massive credit for leading his team to 17 wins in September after it looked like the Tigers were giving up by selling Jack Flaherty at the trade deadline and letting Tarik Skubal's American League Cy Young campaign go to waste.

When they beat the Houston Astros in the Wild Card round, Detroit transitioned from a good story to a respected team.

People began to believe the end-of-the-season rally was more indicative of what this team actually is than what they were in the first half of 2024.

However, even their biggest supporters did not think this iteration of the ball club could work its way into the World Series conversation. But Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller believes the argument in favor of the Tigers as, not only a contender, but as the frontrunner, is really simple.

"They've been in first place in the American League—sometimes in a tie; usually in sole possession—on a daily basis for the past six weeks," Miller wrote. "They have, arguably, the current best pitcher in the world in Tarik Skubal, anchoring what has been maybe the best pitching staff in baseball dating back to mid-August of last season."

Detroit had the best record in the MLB at 41-22 entering Thursday, and have held onto first place for much of the year over teams like the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Eventually, the narrative should shift from the Tigers just having more wins to simply being the better team.

Detroit might not have the offensive stars many of its top competitors do, but it boasts a deep, balanced lineup that can win multiple ways by ranking 11th in average, 10th in OBP, ninth in OPS, fourth in runs and ninth in home runs.

Riley Greene is on track to repeat as an All-Star in 2025, slashing .283/.336/.506 with 14 doubles and 13 home runs.

After being sent down to the minor leagues last year in what seemed like a career roadblock, Spencer Torkelson has revived himself and is now one of their best power-hitters, slashing .231/.341/.495 with 14 home runs and 42 RBI.

Gleyber Torres is having one of his better seasons after coming over from the Yankees on a one-year deal, slashing .270/.383/.404 with an impressive 31 walks, the second-most on the team behind Torkelson.

With an elite pitching staff as well, it's time for the Tigers to be taken more seriously.