The Detroit Tigers capped off an amazing first half of the season with the best record in the American League and have emerged as the team to beat.
After a fantastic end to last year, the Tigers have built off the momentum that they created and have improved so far in 2025. This is a unit that is far more complete than the team that was just one win away from reaching the ALCS, and that is an exciting thing to think about.
While the team might not be perfect, they do have the ability to make a couple of upgrades with a lot of talent in their minor league system.
However, whether or not significant upgrades happen, there are a few players who are going to be X-factors for the team after the All-Star break. Here are four players who Detroit needs to perform well to sustain their success.
Javier Baez
It was a shockingly good first half of the season for Javier Baez. After undergoing hip surgery last year, the Tigers likely thought that he wasn’t going to be a productive player for them ever again based on his struggles in recent campaigns.
However, in the first half of the season, he slashed .275/.310/.442 with 10 home runs and 39 RBI. The veteran has played both the outfield and the infield, doing whatever the team needs from him.
Baez has completely changed the outlook of his career in the first half and keeping it going will be important.
Jack Flaherty
After a great first stint with Detroit in the first half of last season, the Tigers traded Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers. As a free agent, the veteran right-hander came back to Detroit with the team in need of a capable postseason pitcher behind Tarik Skubal.
Unfortunately, the second stint hasn’t gone nearly as well as the first for Flaherty. So far, he has totaled a 4.65 ERA and has a record of 5-9. While there is still time to turn things around, the performance of the right-hander has been a disappointment.
Spencer Torkelson
Similarly to Baez, it looked like Torkelson, and the Tigers were destined to breakup after a poor 2024 campaign. The former first overall pick was very ineffective, and it didn’t seem like there was going to be a spot on the roster for him going forward.
However, a great spring resulted in him making the team, and he has kept it up with some incredible power numbers. So far this season, he has slashed .234/.337/.489 with 21 home runs and 59 RBI.
The Tigers needed a power right-handed bat during the offseason, and it ended up being their former top pick who has assumed that role.
Casey Mize
Due to Flaherty struggling to prove he can be the number two pitcher on the staff, another option that the team might look toward is Casey Mize. The young right-hander has arguably been the second-best pitcher for the Tigers this season, totaling a 9-3 record and 3.13 ERA so far.
Staying healthy will be important, but Mize could end up being the pitcher the team relies on after Skubal in a playoff series.