Could Detroit Tigers Rising Star Become Dark Horse MVP Candidate This Season?
The Detroit Tigers' run at the end of last year from nearly double digit games out of the playoffs to making the postseason and dispatching the Houston Astros en route to coming within a game of an ALCS appearance was unlikely.
In order to have an unlikely run the way the Tigers did, teams need help from some unlikely heroes.
While perhaps nobody expected Tarik Skubal to be that good this season, Matt Vierling was an ironman both in the infield and the outfield, and Parker Meadows burst onto the scene with a 2.2 WAR in just 82 games.
However, one player stood out above all others in terms of a breakout.
Kerry Carpenter has had some bad luck with injuries early in his career.
Missing significant time this past season with a back issue that kept him out for over two months before suffering a hamstring injury in the playoffs, which was a factor in the ALDS against the Cleveland Guardians, it was a tough year for him in that department after a more than solid rookie season in 2023.
But, since entering the Major Leagues in August of the 2022 season, all Carpenter has done is hit the baseball at an elite level.
Playing just 87 games in 2024, his lengthy absence was a huge reason why Detroit struggled the way they did until the final stretch of the campaign, with him becoming a huge catalyst during their run with clutch hitting and relentless slugging ability.
In those 87 contests, Carpenter hit for an average of .284 with 18 home runs and 57 RBI as well as an on-base percentage of .345.
But by far the most impressive of his stats was his .587 slugging percentage and his OPS of .932, both elite figures that extrapolated over a full healthy season would put him squarely in the conversation for the American League MVP award.
Understandably, Riley Greene has gotten most of the attention. He is the expected superstar after being the fifth overall selection in the 2019 MLB draft, the same draft where Carpenter was selected in the 19th round.
Greene and Carpenter will hopefully form a dynamic duo in the Tigers' outfield for years to come, but the unheralded Carpenter may be even better than the former top prospect Greene.
Carpenter has only gotten better since entering the league with a respectable .795 OPS his first 31 games in 2022, followed up by a extremely encouraging .811 figure in 118 games in 2023, and the borderline elite .932 mark this past season.
If the 27-year-old can both continue to improve as he has done in all three seasons and stay off the injured list over the course of a full campaign - something which can often be easier said than done - not only will he be recognized as one of the best young emerging players in the league, but Detroit could have a dark horse MVP candidate in the awards race.
