Jul 28, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler (13) gets showered with sunflower seeds as he celebrates with his teammates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the sixth inning at Comerica Park. Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Dillon Dingler Giving Tigers Massive Boost in Breakthrough Season at Catcher

Originally posted on Detroit Tigers on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Aug 9, 2025 1:30 PM ET

The Detroit Tigers started their weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels with a thrilling win.

Due to the Cleveland Guardians being red hot and making some noise in the American League Central, the Tigers have started to feel some pressure in the division for the first time in a long time.

This could help benefit the team in the long run. Detroit was seemingly coasting through the season, and now they will be tested a bit. Facing a little adversity will only help toughen the team up for success in October, which is the ultimate goal.

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At the trade deadline, the team knew that they had some issues to address. Even though they brought in a lot of new players, they might not have made the splashes that some were hoping for.

However, the Tigers likely did improve a bit with the new players coming in; the question is just whether it was enough.

One thing that Detroit has been able to lean on at times this year is their much-improved lineup. This was an area of weakness in 2024 but has now become a strength of the team.

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Brian Murphy of MLB recently wrote about Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler having a massive impact on the team despite perhaps flying under the radar a bit.

“The Tigers got plenty of good glovework behind the plate last season between Jake Rogers, Carson Kelly, and Dingler, who played 27 games. But offensively, Detroit's backstops combined to hit .208 with a .635 OPS, ninth-lowest in the Majors,” he wrote.

With Detroit getting off to such an incredible start to the season, they were well-represented in the All-Star Game. A lot of their talented position players who have performed well were recognized, but one who might have flown under the radar was Dingler.

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The young catcher has had an excellent year for the Tigers and has been a significant reason why they have improved so much on offense.

Will Dingler Make the Difference?

In the 2024 campaign, while the catchers were excellent defensively for Detroit, they provided next to nothing on offense.

Dingler has certainly been an improvement for the team in that department. So far this season, he has slashed .269/.312/.424 with 10 home runs and 43 RBI in 87 games played.

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The production behind the plate has helped make this a much-improved and deeper lineup.

As the Tigers try to hold on in what has become a much tighter race in the AL Central, Dingler has had a massive impact for the team so far this year. With his ability to perform offensively, the catcher position is in a much better spot compared to the 2024 campaign.

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

This article first appeared on Detroit Tigers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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