Tigers Bullpen Has One Clear Weakness Even After Excellent Start

The Detroit Tigers have a real case as the most well-rounded team in the MLB with their blend of ascending young hitting and elite pitching.

While Tarik Skubal has gotten a lot of attention for his outstanding season, and rightfully so, the bullpen has been a beacon of consistency.

Will Vest has picked up right where he left off from his outstanding 2024 campaign with a 1.44 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. He's added more than two miles an hour on both his slider and sinker, according to Baseball Savant.

Tommy Khanle has done wonders for manager AJ Hinch and company since coming over from the New York Yankees with a 1.66 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. His offspeed run value is in the 98% percentile, making his change up one of the better pitches in all of the MLB.

Brant Hurter has done exceptionally well for himself as a Tigers seventh-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft with a 1.95 ERA and 0.90 WHIP.

But despite individual great seasons, the unit as a whole is still lacking in one key stat.

Key Area Where Detroit Tigers Bullpen Struggles

According to FanGraphs, Detroit's bullpen ranks 24th in strikeouts per nine innings, meaning they don't have a lot of guys who can pound the zone effectively.

Having a rating like that, which is so different from all the other strengths of the bullpen, can sometimes make it easy to predict.

To be clear, it hasn't nabbed the Tigers yet as they have the best record in the American League, and are tied for the best in baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies. But it could present a lack of variety in the future.

Breaking stuff outside the zone that doesn't go for strikeouts is more likely to get hit inside the park. Comerica Park in Detroit, Mich., ranks 22nd in Baseball Savant's Park Factors Leaderboard, meaning it's very pitcher-friendly. But it ranks 13th in singles and fourth in triples, so getting too pretty with offspeed and breaking pitches against teams that know how to hit for contact can be risky.

It could lead to the Tigers looking for some heavy strike-throwers at the deadline.