Tigers’ great start is led by a surprising talent.

Tigers’ great start is led by a surprising talent.

Tigers‘ great start led by

Tigers’ great start led byThe Detroit Tigers entered Monday with a 22-13 record, the best in the American League. An unexpected player has taken the lead in Detroit. Shortstop Javier Baez had been a disappointment to the Tigers. Baez had failed to live up to his six-year, $140 million contract signed during the 2021-22 offseason, recording a mediocre.221/.262/.347 batting line in 1426 plate appearances from 2022 to 2024. Baez was no longer a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop, thus his defence suffered as well.

Tigers’ great start led by

Baez had been an afterthought coming into the 2025 season. He had hip surgery during the 2024 season, and infielder Trey Sweeney took over as starter. Baez made the squad owing to his contract, although he was a backup, slated to play shortstop, third base, and outfield rather than an everyday role.

Instead, Baez has significantly above expectations so far. He had an impressive.309/.350/.479 batting line in 100 plate appearances before Monday, including three home runs and seven doubles. Baez leads the Tigers in bWAR with 1.5, making him the top player on the best AL club. Baez’s resuscitation with the bat was not the only surprise. He has taken over as the Tigers’ primary centre fielder, starting ten of their previous eleven games in that position. Baez has been outstanding defensively, having saved a run in just 99 innings. His move to the outfield is all the more impressive given that he had only four professional games in centre prior to this year, all of which came during the 2015-16 Puerto Rican Winter League season.

Tigers’ great start led by

Baez has been more than just an unexpected positive story for the Tigers. He’s been their most valuable player in the first few weeks of 2025.

David Hill Dave is based in the highlands of Vermont and has over a decade of experience writing about baseball. Don’t question him about the universal DH.