Dillon Dingler has been promoted to the Detroit Tigers
Dillon Dingler has officially been promoted to the Detroit Tigers. The writing was on the wall yesterday after the Tigers traded catcher Carson Kelly to the Texas Rangers. Dillon Dingler was the only other catcher on the 40-man roster. Also, he’s been crushing the ball lately.
Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press offered the first report of Dingler’s promotion late on Sunday night. And then on Monday the Detroit Tigers confirmed it:
Welcome to The Show, Dillon Dingler! pic.twitter.com/TwrHvQjODz
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 29, 2024
It’s not just a promotion. Dingler is starting at catcher and batting sixth in his first big-league contest. So, let’s learn a little more about the newest Detroit Tigers backstop.
Dillon Dingler’s Background
Francis Dillon Dingler attended Jackson High School in Massillon, Ohio, hometown of Detroit Lions legend Chris Spielman. Dingler excelled at football and basketball in high school, but it was baseball that took him to Ohio State. He was a solid performer in his first two years with the Buckeyes. He split time between catching and the outfield as a freshman, then spent most of his sophomore year behind the plate.
Dingler was off to a spectacular start in his junior season, batting .340 with ten extra-base hits (including five home runs) in just 13 games. But then the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scouts were torn. Dingler had fantastic tools and looked to be breaking out, but he didn’t play in the 2019 Cape Cod League, and didn’t have a long track record of success in college.
Ranked as the 24th best prospect in the draft by MLB Pipeline, and 27th to Baseball America, Dillon Dingler slid slightly to the Detroit Tigers, who took him with the first pick of the second round, 38th overall. There was no minor-league season, but Dingler did get to participate in the in the the so-called Summer Camp that July.
In May of 2021 The TMLR crew (including our friends Jake Boes and James Chipman) headed to West Michigan to see Dingler and fellow 2020 draftees Daniel Cabrera and Spencer Torkelson in action. He backpicked a runner at second base. He sprayed liners all over the field. He hit a game-tying opposite-field home run in the 9th inning.
It was immediately apparent Dingler was the best player on the field. We tweeted about it and discussed it on a podcast. We saw him several more times with the Whitecaps, and he continued to excel. Dingler was promoted to Double-A Erie after just six weeks. And a strong start with the SeaWolves made it seem like he might rocket through the minors. But then the trouble started.
Dillon Dingler struggled with injuries and inconsistency for much of the next two years. His batting averages plummeted and his strikeout rates rose. He still managed to post above-average offense overall, thanks to double-digit walk rates, solid power, and a penchant for getting hit by pitches. But Dingler was beginning to look like another Jake Rogers: A glove-first, power-over-contact backup catcher.
And his first taste of Triple-A did little to alter that notion, as he batted just .202 with three home runs in 26 games with the Mud Hens in 2023. But 2024 has been a different story entirely. Dingler had a slow April, but since May 1st he has been a monster, posting a 155 wRC+ by batting .330 with 14 home runs.
He appears to have made some real changes at the plate, while still playing terrific defense. He absolutely deserves this promotion.
Dillon Dingler Scouting Report
As always, you can read our full scouting report on Dingler, but here’s the quick and dirty version.
Defense is still the main attraction here. Dillon Dingler is the total package behind the plate, with uncommon athleticism, soft hands, a good feel for calling games, and a very strong, accurate arm. Pitchers love throwing to him, because they know he’s going to steal them strikes, and he’s going to block anything in the dirt.
Offense remains a question mark, but Dingler appears to have made some real improvements at the plate this year. In the past he could be patient to a fault, taking hittable pitches in an attempt to work deep counts. That often led to him falling behind, guessing, and striking out. He is now much more aggressive early in counts, but he’s still staying in the zone. Rogelio had some excellent info about Dingler in his piece:
Last season, between Erie and Toledo, Dingler had strikeout rates of 28% and 31%, respectively, and posted just a 56 wRC+ in 109 plate appearances at Toledo. This season, he has reduced his strikeout rate to 20% while walking at a 10% clip, achieving a 137 wRC+. Another standout aspect of Dingler’s game is his increased line drive rate, now at 27%, while reducing his ground ball rate from 46% to 31%.
The Trouble With Dillon Dingler
There’s honestly not a lot of trouble here. With Carson Kelly gone, Dingler is due for significant playing time over the final two months of the season. He may have some hiccups behind the plate, but the defensive ability is certainly there. Dingler should, at the very least, serve as a solid backup catcher for several years.
The only real questions here are how he hits against MLB pitchers. The offensive bar for backup catchers is extremely low. He has the power and on-base ability to grow into close to an average offensive performer. And sometimes catchers are just late bloomers. There’s still a small chance Dingler puts it all together and performs at an All-Star level for a few seasons.
The Verdict
Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Catching is incredibly difficult, and the Tigers will be putting an awful lot on Dillon Dingler’s plate. For now it’s probably best for Tigers fans to just hope he stays afloat, call a good game behind the dish, and hits the occasional sharp line drive to the gaps. Anything more than that is a just a bonus.
Dillon Dingler with a well-deserved day off today. Dingler’s last 5 games:
10-for-19, 5HR, 2 2B, 7R, 10RBI, 5BB/3K pic.twitter.com/5wGn203eTC— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) July 28, 2024
Jayden Hewitt