Resurgence of Detroit Tigers Slugger Has Massive Impact for Franchise

As the Detroit Tigers battle with the Chicago Cubs in an exciting weekend series, there are a lot of positive takeaways from the season so far.

The Tigers have been able to emerge as one of the best teams in baseball this year. Detroit came into the campaign with much higher expectations than in recent campaigns, but so far, they have lived up to and exceeded them.

Over the winter, the front office did a nice job of adding some veterans to help support a young team that likely overachieved last season.

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This year, the Tigers are proving that they are an improved team with a strong balance of pitching and hitting. Detroit had to use some smoke and mirrors to win games in 2024 at times, but this is a team that is now fairly complete and can beat an opponent in multiple ways.

While some of their returning stars have performed well, the major difference this year compared to last has been the resurgence of a couple of players who didn’t appear to be in the franchise's plans not long ago.

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Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the resurgence of Javier Baez being one of the best stories in baseball this season.

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“This season, the former All-Star has adjusted to playing center field and rediscovered his stroke at the plate, as he's hitting .271 with a .739 OPS and 1.1 WAR,” he wrote.

After undergoing hip surgery in 2024, it seemed like Baez didn’t have a meaningful role for Detroit heading into the 2025 campaign. However, due to injuries, opportunities presented itself for Baez to get some playing time and he has taken advantage.

What arguably might be more impressive than him once again finding his stroke at the plate has been his ability to go into center field and be a solid defensive player. Whether or not he stays there for the whole season with some issues on the left side of the infield remains to be seen, but he has done very well.

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At the plate, Baez is slashing .275/.305/.429 with six home runs and 30 RBI. After a -1.1 WAR in 2024 and a 0.8 WAR in 2023, the slugger has already totaled a 1.2 WAR this year, proving his value to the team.

As one of the highest paid players with a contract lasting for a few more seasons, getting positive production out of Baez has been a great thing to see for the franchise. Hopefully, he can sustain it throughout the season and help Detroit get to the next level in October.

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