Can Detroit Tigers Be a World Series Contender if They Make the Playoffs?
The Detroit Tigers are heading into the final stretch run as one of the hottest teams in baseball.
Despite being out of the playoff picture about a month ago, the Tigers have been on an absolute tear of late. Detroit has been beating bad teams, playoff teams, and everyone in between, as even though they were sellers at the trade deadline, this team didn’t give up.
The Tigers will be coming up on the most important stretch of baseball for the franchise in years, as they will be finishing up the season against the Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, and Chicago White Sox.
Having a series against the White Sox at this point in the season could be one of the reasons why Detroit makes the playoffs. Even though the Tigers will at best be a Wild Card team, that has actually been a good spot to be in.
Just last year, two Wild Card teams from their respective leagues made the World Series. Recently, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report spoke about the chances that Detroit could do something similar to the Texas Rangers or Arizona Diamondbacks of last year.
“Trading Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers before the trade deadline might mean Detroit doesn't have enough starting pitching depth behind likely AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal to make a deep playoff run. But whether the Tigers return to the playoffs for the first time since 2014 this year or not, they've done enough to warrant a renewed commitment from ownership to spending this winter and surrounding some of the organization's emerging talents with productive veterans.”
Even though the Tigers are the hottest team in baseball and making the playoffs is a real possibility now, making a World Series is an entirely different ball game. This is a young team that has little experience in meaningful games this time of year.
If Detroit is going to go on a magical run to a World Series, a lot would have to go right. One benefit is that that do have a manager who has won a World Series in A.J. Hinch. Also, they have the likely American League Cy Young award winner in Tarik Skubal.
That is an excellent combination to start with, but in all likelihood it won’t be enough. Regardless of what happens in the rest of the regular season or in the playoffs, it has been a great year and the future is very bright.
NICK ZIEGLER