Photo: Allan Dranberg/Icon Sportswire

Part of a series of articles previewing the defensive performance of all 30 MLB teams by asking the question … are they good? To see the full series, click here.

2024 Defensive Runs Saved Rank: 5th

Strengths

Riley Greene won a Fielding Bible Award in left field, a position he was moved to with the emergence of rookie Parker Meadows. Greene led all left fielders in Runs Saved despite playing only 84 games there. 

Meadows is another strength. He had 5 Runs Saved in center field in about a half-season’s worth of games. He’s currently dealing with a nerve issue in his arm that prevents him from throwing and will not be ready to go on Opening Day.

Jake Rogers finished tied for 4th in Runs Saved among catchers. He ranked among the best pitch framers in baseball and is an impactful defender.

There are also big expectations for shortstop Trey Sweeney, who saved 3 runs in 36 games there, and though he didn’t hit much, the Tigers went 23-10 in games he started.

The team has good defenders but the positioning of those players was integral to the team’s success in 2024. Of their 50 Runs Saved, 33 were credited to the team for defensive positioning.

Most Defensive Runs Saved

Weaknesses

The Tigers have two dicey spots in their infield. Gleyber Torres totaled -11 Runs Saved at second base last year with the Yankees and -4 the year before that. Third base is also going to be interesting. 

Jace Jung, brother of Rangers third baseman Josh Jung, had -6 Runs Saved in 27 games at third base in 2024, and figure to be the starter eventually. He’ll start the season in the minor leagues. For now with Matt Vierling also injured, FanGraphs lists Javier Báez, who has 8 Runs Saved in a little over 600 career innings there. Báez hasn’t played the position since 2019.

Other Things To Know

First base is a question mark because Spencer Torkelson hasn’t hit enough to warrant staying in the lineup. For now, it looks like the Tigers will take Colt Keith, who had a shaky start at second base last season before settling in, and play him at first base, where he’s never played as a professional. Seems a little risky.

Are The Tigers A Good Defensive Team?

Collectively at the end of last season, the Tigers were a very good defensive team that maximized the player’s skills with good positioning. This year’s team could be as good as that one, but it could be in for some rough patches, particularly in the infield.