Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch (14) walks off the field after a pitching change against Minnesota Twins during the eighth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit in Monday, August 4, 2025. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Identifying Tigers' Biggest Weakness Heading Down the Stretch

Originally posted on Detroit Tigers on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Aug 9, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The once massive lead in the American League Central is starting to shrink for the Detroit Tigers, and things are getting interesting.

With the Tigers struggling in the second half of the season, their once dominant lead in the American League Central has diminished. The Cleveland Guardians have been able to play some good baseball of late and have been making a bit of a charge up the standings.

A lot of the gap getting closer is Detroit’s own doing, as this is a team that simply has to break out of their funk.

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The schedule is getting a bit easier for them coming up, and they should be able to string together a nice stretch in their next three series.

There have been several issues of late for the Tigers, but the two most notable have been their offense and their bullpen. However, one area has stood out as a glaring weakness all of a sudden.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the biggest weakness for the Tigers being their lack of production from center field.

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“They've started all of Parker Meadows (now on the IL), Matt Vierling, Javier Báez, and Wenceel Pérez in center at least once each within the past 10 games, searching for anything that will stick,” he wrote.

At the trade deadline, Detroit did try to make some upgrades to their bullpen, with the most notable being the addition of Kyle Finnegan. The former closer of the Washington Nationals should be an improvement for the unit, but it feels like more should have been done to help the bullpen.

Can the Offense Turn it Around?

Furthermore, while the bullpen has taken a step back from the success of the last campaign, the offense has been heading in the wrong direction of late.

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Center field has certainly been an issue for the team with multiple players getting a chance lately, and none being able to hold down the spot. The injury to Parker Meadows is a significant one for the Tigers to try to overcome.

He was an important part of the team both offensively and defensively last season. In 82 games last year, he slashed .244/.310/.433 with nine home runs and 28 RBI. While the offensive numbers were solid, he is an even better defensive player.

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The hope has to be that he will be back from the injured list soon and regain the spot. In 38 games so far this campaign, he hasn’t had nearly the same amount of success offensively for the Tigers, but the sample size is fairly small because of multiple injuries.

If Parker can produce like he did in 2024, center field will go from a weakness to a strength for the team.

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

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