Dillon Dingler having a breakout campaign with Tigers

Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Dillon Dingler having a breakout campaign with Tigers

By Vanessa Serrao | Last updated Jun 23, 2026 2:40 PM ET

The Detroit Tigers have one of the best catchers in MLB with Dillon Dingler, who is putting up a solid breakout campaign and career-high numbers in 2026.

He leads all catchers in MLB with 55 RBI and is ranked third with 18 home runs. Across 17 games in June he has slashed .386/.408/.786 with seven bombs, three doubles, two triples, 21 RBI and a 220 wRC+.

From last season, he has lowered his strikeout rate from 23.5% to 20.9%, while also significantly improving his Expected Slugging Percentage (xSLG) from .475 to .556.

A clear indication that he's hitting the ball hard is that he's boasting a 50% hard-hit rate that ranks in the 89th percentile, which is also up from 2025 (45.7%). In addition, his wRC+ of 138 is also 38% better than the league average (100), illustrating how he has enhanced his offensive output this season.

Dillon Dingler leads all catchers with 3.6 fWAR this season.

The gap between Dingler and #2 Shea Langeliers (2.3 fWAR) is the same as the gap between Langeliers and #14 Carter Jensen (1.0) pic.twitter.com/jqyPoSCFVR
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) June 22, 2026

Dillon Dingler has been a hot-ticket catcher this season

The 27-year-old has put on a clutch performance that has put him in a strong position to earn his first AL All-Star nod. The current leader in All-Star votes for AL Catcher is Shea Langeliers and behind him is Alejandro Kirk.

While Dingler leads all catchers with a 3.6 fWAR, he is ranked third and is certainly deserving of more votes for his workhorse dominance this season. Dingler's performance has been comparable to former Tigers legend Miguel Cabrera, who put up similar numbers across his 70th game in his 2013 MVP campaign.

Dingler has also showcased how he's capable of producing clutch hits in high-leverage situations. On June 21 against the Chicago White Sox in the bottom of the ninth inning, he faced a situation with runners on the corners and two outs, and, down to his last strike, Dingler came through with a base hit off of a sweeper to tie the game. The Tigers went on to beat the White Sox, 5-4, in the 10th inning.

Dingler and rookie phenom Kevin McGonigle have become an offensive dynamic duo for the Tigers.

Vanessa Serrao

Serrao is a freelance baseball writer who has covered all MLB teams, with particular expertise on the Toronto Blue Jays. She is a member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America.

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