Tigers moving up MLB rankings thanks to resurgent Javier Baez

The Detroit Tigers are on a tear, and as of now, they're the best team in the American League.

It was perhaps expected that the Tigers would be good this season after their tremendous run at the end of the 2024 campaign. Momentum doesn't always translate from season to season, but the Tigers were a young and ascending team with several players boasting "breakout star" potential.

Some of those players are living up to that potential this season, but interestingly enough, the resurgence of Javy Baez, now in centerfield, has arguably driven the Tigers more than anything else.

Baez was seen as washed up last season and his contract was viewed as an albatross in Detroit after posting a woeful .516 OPS and .184 batting average with a WAR of -1.1. Now, he's hitting .309/.350/.479 with an OPS of .829 and a WAR of 1.5.

It's been a prolific turnaround for the man they once called “El Mago”, and The Athletic is crediting Baez as it moved the Tigers up three spots in their MLB Power Rankings this week.

"As of Monday night, Baez was tied with reigning Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal for the most bWAR on the team. More than the resurgent Spencer Torkelson, All-Star Riley Greene, or any other position player on the squad. He’s hitting over .300, and has more than acquitted himself on defense at a new position — and not a “I dunno, man, maybe he can play there” corner-outfield spot, either," Levi Weaver wrote.

The Tigers were ranked No. 7 in the last power ranking, but they're now No. 4 behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and San Diego Padres.

Ultimately, whether or not Baez keeps up this hot streak is up in the air. In fact, his history as a player suggests that he's going to hit some lows sooner rather than later. Some of the magic with Baez is that he's as streaky as they come. When he's "on one", he's one of the most exciting players to watch in baseball, and he's been that way since helping the Chicago Cubs win the World Series in 2016.

That season, he was a 3.4 WAR player with a .737 OPS. He hit a solo home run in Game 7 of the World Series. He was even named the co-MVP of the NLCS alongside pitcher Jon Lester. Heck, in 2018, he had a 6.3 WAR and a .881 OPS. Those are MVP-like numbers, and he finished second that season in NL MVP voting to Christian Yelich.

That's Javy when he's good. When he's good, he's great.

The Tigers thought they were getting the MVP version of "El Mago" when they signed him to a six-year, $140 million contract before the 2022 season. Instead, for large chunks of his time in Detroit, he's seemingly been uninterested and aloof. He's become more known for swinging at pitches so far outside the batter's box that it's become a meme. His trademark elite defense has slipped as well.

And that's the bad Javy. When he slumps, he slumps hard.

That's not the Baez that Detroit has seen this year, though, and perhaps it's because of the move to center field. It's either that, or the fact that he's finally playing on a Tigers team that looks like a contender. Either way, he's on one, and that's a good thing.

"I miss the “El Mago” tags at second base, but if he can keep this up, it will be a massive benefit to a Tigers team that already ranks higher than any other AL team," Weaver continued.

The Tigers have been on a hot streak, and their ranking by The Athletic is justified. They're 23-13 and first in the AL Central. They've won nine of their last 13 games, and that includes series wins over the Padres and Baltimore Orioles.

The Tigers or "El Mago" may not be able to keep this pace up all season, but if they can, this is a team that can contend to win a World Series for the first time since 1984.