Welcome to “Five Things We Liked From Last Week”, a weekly list of… five things we liked from last week:
1. Troy Melton
Twenty years ago, Michael Caine delivered one of the greatest lines in Batman film history:
“Why do we fall, sir? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.”
In his first ever playoff appearance last Wednesday, Troy Melton fell.
With the score tied at one in the bottom of the eighth inning of game two of the Wild Card Series, Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch called on the youngster to hold the lead in one of the biggest spots of the season.
Melton got a groundout to start the inning, but gave up a home run, double and double to the next three batters. Hinch left Troy in to intentionally walk José Ramírez, and then pulled him for Brant Hurter.
The Tigers lost the game 6-1, and some fans questioned using Melton in such a high leverage spot. But while the results weren’t in Detroit’s favor, the decision by A.J. Hinch to bring in Troy in that spot spoke volumes not only about the faith that Hinch has in the right hander, but the faith the entire organization has in him as well.
Detroit of course ended up winning game three of the Wild Card Series, which meant that Melton, despite his fall, would get a chance to pick himself up.
And just like Batman, he did exactly that.
In another show of faith by the Tigers organization, Melton got the nod to start game one of the American League Division Series against the Seattle Mariners.
He responded with four innings of one run ball.
Melton set the tone for the Tigers in game one, keeping them in the ballgame through the first four innings. Detroit would ultimately win the game in a 3-2 nailbiter.
Sequels are rarely better than the original, but the Tigers would end up sending out the Bat Signal for Melton again just four days later, this time in the top of the sixth inning of game four of the ALDS.
At the time, the score was tied 3-3, and Detroit’s season was on the line. All Melton did was fire three innings of shutout baseball, allowing just enough time for the Tigers offense to catch fire. Detroit ended up winning the game 9-3, keeping their postseason run alive.
When Melton was sent to the bullpen in August, there was some consternation online, due to Troy clearly being one of the five most talented starting pitchers in the Tigers organization.
But there was logic to that move, and it paid off on Saturday and Wednesday.
Melton threw just 100 innings in 2024, and since teams generally don’t like increasing a pitcher’s innings by more than 25-30% year over year, Troy is likely on an innings limit this season. If he’d have stayed in the rotation, that limit would have been reached in September.
Instead, Melton is not only available in October, but he’s also looking as strong as ever.
There’s a lot of upside in Troy Melton, and we may be witnessing the start of a very interesting career.
2. Keider Montero
It’s August 25, 2016.
Barack Obama is the President of the United States, Britain just held a vote to leave the European Union and an attempted coup just failed in Turkey.
Meanwhile, a 16 year old from Venezuela is about to make one of the biggest decisions of his life.
That 16 year old was named Keider Montero, and his decision was to sign with the Detroit Tigers as an international free agent, for a grand total of $40,000.
Ever since that day, Montero has slowly but surely climbed his way up the Detroit Tigers organizational ladder.
He pitched all of 2017 and 2018 in rookie ball, before reaching the Tigers Low A short season affiliate in late 2019; an affiliate that no longer exists.
Covid wiped out the 2020 minor league season, so Montero made his full season affiliate debut in 2021, at High A Lakeland, which is now just “A” Lakeland.
Keider would spend 2021, 2022 and the beginning of 2023 at High A, before getting promoted to Double A and eventually Triple A during the 2023 season. And after starting the 2024 season back in Triple A, Montero finally got the call for his big league debut on May 29, 2024; a full 2,834 days after he first signed with the Tigers.
Throughout the 2025 season, Montero has been a bit of a forgotten man. He’s generally served as the Tigers “sixth starter” all year long, getting called upon only when there was an injury in the rotation.
But on Saturday, in game one of the ALDS, Keider made sure that Tigers fans will remember him.
With Detroit clinging to a 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the 11th inning, and with a bullpen that had been taxed to that point, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch summoned Montero to close out the game.
It wouldn’t be an easy task, as the dangerous top of the Seattle Mariners batting order was due up next.
But Keider was up for it.
Groundout, popout, single, groundout.
Game over.
Wenceel Pérez is the only player on Detroit’s 40 man roster that arrived before Keider Montero. And just like Wenceel’s journey to the big leagues, it was a grind for Keider to get to this point.
But that grind paid off on Saturday.
3. Zach McKinstry
0-12.
Heading into the top of the 11th inning of game one of the ALDS, Zach McKinstry was 0-12 in the 2025 postseason.
McKinstry was integral to the Tigers hot start to the 2025 season, enough so that he earned his first All-Star appearance. From the beginning of the season until the All-Star break, Zach hit .285/.364/.472; and combined with his excellent baserunning and defensive versatility, McKinstry was worth 2.8 fWAR according to FanGraphs, the highest of any Tigers position player at the All-Star break.
The sledding got a little tougher for Zach in the second half of the season, as his slashline dipped down to .213/.278/.378, and his Wins Above Replacement was just 0.3 according to FanGraphs. That tough sledding also bled into the playoffs, as McKinstry went hitless in his first 12 at bats of the postseason.
But Saturday night, in one of the biggest at bats of his career, Zach delivered.
With two outs in the top of the 11th and Spencer Torkelson standing on second base, McKinstry got a first pitch 100 MPH heater from Mariners reliever Carlos Vargas, and hit a seeing eye single up the middle, giving the Tigers a 3-2 lead that they’d hold onto thanks to the aforementioned Keider Montero.
It was fitting for McKinstry to come up with the big hit, as he’s the player that makes the Tigers roster work. Need an infielder? Need an outfielder? Need someone to lay down a crucial sacrifice bunt in game one of the Wild Card Series? Zach is your man.
It’s hard to imagine where the 2025 Tigers would be if it weren’t for Zach McKinstry.
4. ALDS Game 4
Albert Einstein was a bit of a quirky fella, but not only was he of course incredibly intelligent, the man could also drop some bars.
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”
“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
Despite his tremendous success in life, Einstein also faced a lot of adversity; which led to this all-timer:
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
Heading into game four of the ALDS, it’s fair to say the Detroit Tigers were in the middle of difficulty.
Coming off two straight losses, and one that was particularly soul crushing, the Tigers were down 2-1 in the series; which meant that game four was a must win.
Detroit’s offense has been struggling for a while now, and the last time they scored more than seven runs in a game was back on September 10th. So when Seattle went up 3-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth of game four, it was easy to start to see the writing on the wall.
But with their backs against that wall, the Tigers fought back.
Three runs in the fifth, four runs in the sixth, and a run each in the seventh and eighth.
It’s been a rollercoaster of a season so far for the 2025 Detroit Tigers, with tremendous highs matched only by tremendous lows. But on Wednesday, the Tigers showed that they’re not quite ready to get off that rollercoaster just yet.
In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity, and the opportunity for Detroit is to win game five of the ALDS and advance to the American League Championship Series.
Let’s see what they do with it.
5. El Mago
Some nicknames just seem to fit perfectly.
Megatron. The Microwave. Mr. Big Shot.
El Mago.
Back in 2016, Terrence Tomlin and Eugene McIntosh of “The Bigs” bestowed the nickname “El Mago” on one Ednel Javier Báez, after seeing one amazing play after another from the then Chicago Cub.
It stuck, and fittingly, lives on to this day.
Javy Báez can be a bit of a frustrating player at times. He has a big swing, and likes to use it; which can lead to some ugly plate appearances.
But there’s a certain level of pizazz to Javy’s game, one that’s unquantifiable but ever present.
A certain level of magic, even.
Tigers fans haven’t gotten to see a lot of El Mago at his peak over the past few years, as he’s dealt with injuries and some inconsistencies at the plate and in the field. But they’re seeing it now, and it couldn’t come at a better time.
This postseason, not only has Javy played excellent defense, but he’s also been the Tigers best hitter, with a .346/.370/.500 slash in 27 plate appearances. That includes Wednesday night, when Báez went 2-4 with a crucial home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to put Detroit up 7-3 in game four of the ALDS.
The Tigers are going to need a little more magic on Friday night if they want their season to continue.
Don’t be surprised if El Mago provides it.
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Rogelio Castillo