The Detroit Tigers clinch their first playoff berth in a decade.
The Detroit Tigers are headed to the postseason. On Friday night they completed their improbable run to the playoffs in much the same way they had won so many games during this historic stretch. With excellent pitching, strong defense, and a few well-timed hits. And a whole lot of rookies.
The day began warm and sunny, before a breezy afternoon led to a gray, overcast evening. It wasn’t cool, or even crisp, really. But a steady breeze seemed to be whispering about the cold weather to come.
There were no whispers from the Comerica Park fans, however. The standing-room-only crowd was loud from the first pitch, and the noise escalated to a full roar with each Tigers hit.
It felt, in every way, like October.
There’s a whole generation of Tigers fans who haven’t seen October baseball up close. Heck, only a few Tigers players have. Kenta Maeda and Matt Vierling are the only members of the active roster with playoff experience.
We obviously focus a great deal of our coverage on the minor league. We are, after all, the Tigers Minor League Report. So of course we’re going to look at the 2024 Detroit Tigers from this angle. But you really can’t tell the story of this season without focusing on young players.
The prospects have come in waves. The first wave, which included Beau Brieske, Kerry Carpenter, Jason Foley, Riley Greene, and Tarik Skubal, among others, makes up the true core of this team. The 2023 crew was less a wave than a bathtub splash, with Tyler Holton and Reese Olson the key rookie contributors (with a hat tip to Sawyer Gipson-Long).
But 2024 was more like a tsunami. The Detroit Tigers saw 16 different rookies play, more than all but a handful of (mostly bad) teams. Rookie hitters accounted for over 1800 plate appearances for the Tigers this year. That’s 200 more than any other team. Rookie pitchers also covered more than 220 innings for the Tigers.
So let’s look at Friday’s playoff-clinching win with a focus on the rookies who helped make it happen.
Brenan Hanifee
Hanifee worked two scoreless innings as the Opener on Friday
Brenan Hanifee wasn’t supposed to be here. A 4th-round draft pick of the Orioles in 2016, he spent three years in the low minors. Then he lost 2020 to COVID, and all of 2021 with Tommy John surgery. He returned to the mound in 2022, but Baltimore essentially gave up on him and let him pursue free agency. The Tigers signed him and set about improving his pitch mix. He still seemed like an organizational arm until August, when he came up to Detroit and instantly turned into a rock out of the bullpen. His outing on Friday was typical, with Hanifee relentlessly pounding the strike zone and getting the Tigers through two innings with little difficulty.
Trey Sweeney
Sweeney went hitless on Friday, but continued to play terrific defense at shortstop
Two of Hanifee’s outs in the first inning went to Trey Sweeney, part of the trade return for Jack Flaherty that so many fans and media members seemed to find underwhelming. We aren’t entirely innocent in this regard, ranking Sweeney 21st in the system in our most recent update, and calling him “a solid utility man or a potential second-division regular.” But Sweeney has shown enough usable power and defensive prowess to head into 2025 as Detroit’s starting shortstop. He also might have saved Detroit’s season.
Justyn-Henry Malloy
Malloy struck out in his first three at-bats, but worked a walk in his fourth plate appearance
Justyn-Henry Malloy embodies the selfless spirit of the 2024 Tigers. Scott Harris’ first trade acquisition made his MLB debut in early June and he played steadily through mid August. He maintained an OPS of around .700 and was a reliable lefty masher. But when Detroit’s other outfielders seemingly all got healthy around the same time, Malloy was the odd man out. He spent two weeks back in Toledo, and then returned in September, only to get about 25 plate appearances all month. But when called upon, he did the job.
Wenceel Perez
Perez went 1-for-4 with a single, and he caught the final out of the game
The term “reckless abandon” was invented for players like Wenceel Perez. Matt Manning is the only player on the 40-man roster who has been in the Detroit Tigers organization longer than Perez, who signed in July 2016. He plays with the infectious enthusiasm of someone who has been grinding toward his dream for eight years. And he’s been a huge part of the 2024 team. He hit a game-tying home run against the Reds, and walked off the Royals. He worked an incredible at-bat and drove in two against the Rays. And, in typical Perez fashion, he went all out to secure the final catch on Friday, comically colliding with Parker Meadows.
Brant Hurter
Hurter was the bulk reliever on Friday, working four innings of one-run ball to earn his 6th win of the season
Brant Hurter was in Erie, Pennsylvania exactly one year ago, celebrating a title with the SeaWolves. It looked like he hit a wall in Triple-A Toledo this year, but Hurter came to Detroit and helped save the season. The success of Detroit’s opener/bulk reliever strategy is largely the story of the success of Brant Hurter. He made just one traditional start, but compiled a 6-1 record and a 2.58 ERA over 45.1 innings. Hurter was asked to play to his strengths, and he did, getting ground balls in bunches and dominating left-handed batters to the tune of 20 strikeouts to just 1 walk.
Parker Meadows
Meadows went 1-for-4 on Friday, singling in the 5th inning and scoring what proved to be the winning run
Of course Parker Meadows scored the winning run. Think of a key moment from this stunning run to the playoffs. Think of five key moments. The odds are Parker Meadows was somehow involved. It’s the home run robberies, plural, and the incredible range. It’s the walk-off winner in Williamsport. It’s a go-ahead grand slam against a pitcher throwing 102 MPH. You’ve probably seen the numbers by now, but they bear repeating: the 2024 Detroit Tigers are 54-26 when Parker Meadows plays. What a remarkable turnaround for a player who started the season 7-for-73 and spent more than two months in the minors.
Colt Keith
Keith didn’t start against a tough lefty, but he got into the game late, received an intentional walk, and made a great play on defense
Colt Keith represents a lot of things. He essentially became Scott Harris’ first real long-term investment in the team when he signed his extension before the season. He, like Meadows, battled back from a difficult start to the year, and he fought through slumps on both sides of the ball. And when it mattered most, he came through with two enormous hits. He essentially learned second base at the MLB level. And he put together one of the best rookie seasons by a Tigers hitter in the 21st century. Not too shabby.
Tigers postgame show part 3 with special guest Colt Keith. pic.twitter.com/YPKxLarzR1
— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) September 28, 2024
That’s every rookie who played on Friday, but far from every rookie who helped the 2024 Tigers. Keider Montero showed flashes of brilliance. Ty Madden provided key innings down the stretch. Jackson Jobe electrified fans in his MLB debut. And though players like Bryan Sammons, Easton Lucas, Ricky Vanasco, and Ryan Vilade weren’t a part of the celebration on the field, they all helped make it happen.
The hard work is still yet to be done. But in 2024 the Detroit Tigers started a youth movement, and it went better than anyone could have hoped. Who knows what they might do next?
Rogelio Castillo