Detroit Tigers 2023 Season Preview
Some seasons aren’t defined by wins and losses. They’re defined by individual player development and growth. The problem for the Detroit Tigers is that both of those things were awful in 2022. The Tigers went 66-96 with the third-most losses in the American League, realized their worst fears about Javier Baez and had so many injuries that it was a throwaway year for most of their key pieces for the future.
Riley Greene showed flashes and was a good story over 418 plate appearances, but Spencer Torkelson was overwhelmed and couldn’t stick. April trade acquisition Austin Meadows failed to live up to his 2019 and 2021 seasons with the Rays and also only played in 36 games. Tarik Skubal led the team with 21 starts, as Matt Manning, Alex Faedo, Joey Wentz and Casey Mize only combined for 33 total starts. Spencer Turnbull missed the entire season recovering from Tommy John surgery.
For a team that has been undergoing significant changes because of albatross contracts and a new approach in the front office, the fact that 2022 amounted to nothing other than finishing with 96 losses was a major disappointment and it leaves a lot of people wondering what improvements can be made for 2023.