Tigers 'Most Improved Player' One of MLB's Most Underrated Catchers

Going into the 2025 MLB season, the Detroit Tigers were not viewed as a team that had a lot of "star power" offensively.

And in many ways, they still don't. But the balance lineup has done a great job scoring runs this season.

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With the Tigers' MLB-leading record, players who used to be known less have become more popular. Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, and Colt Keith have seen their stock increase with the team's success, drawing attention to them.

Even Spencer Torkelson, whose college success prospect status kept him in the public eye for a few years, has been discussed more than ever.

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But despite the ball club's newly found notoriety, one player remains under the radar, especially. Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller released his list of "The Most Improved Player on Every MLB Roster in 2025" and pointed to catcher Dillon Dingler as Detroit's candidate who has taken the biggest leap.

"Between 2023 and 2024, Dingler hit 33 home runs in 160 minor league games played," Miller writes. "But in his 27-game cup of coffee in the majors last season, he managed just one home run, batting .167 with a .505 OPS. With Jake Rogers getting hurt barely a week into the season, though, it was Dingler to the rescue with a year-to-date .730 OPS that makes last year's rough debut a distant memory."

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Dingler is slashing .273/.305/.426 on the season. According to Baseball Savant, he is one of the best defensive catchers in baseball, with a Blocks Above Average rating in the 97th percentile and a Framing rating in the 90th percentile.

He has struggled in June, slashing .192/.232/.327. But in May, he slashed .329/.378/.461 with 25 hits and four doubles.

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Jake Rogers, who Dingler replaced at the start of the season, returned from the IL on May 20. The two have split time at the position. Rogers is slashing .188/.291/.271 in 48 plate appearances in 2025.

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