Detroit Tigers Rookie Lands Among Game's Best With Strong Debut Campaign
The Detroit Tigers drafted Colt Keith out of Biloxi High School in Biloxi, Miss., with their fifth-round pick in the 2020 MLB draft.
The young infielder quickly rose through the ranks of the minor leagues and earned a spot on the Tigers' Major League roster out of Spring Training this year, making his debut on Opening Day and going 1-for-4 to tally his first career hit.
133 more hits later, and it was a solid rookie campaign, laying the groundwork for the future as he continues to develop his skills, including gaining valuable postseason experience with Detroit.
The solid year for Keith was good enough to land him inside the top 15 of Joel Reuter's final second base power rankings of 2024 for Bleacher Report, with the rookie placing 14th.
"The Tigers signed Keith to a six-year, $28.6 million extension last January despite him not yet making his MLB debut, paving the way for him to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster," writes Reuter, "the 23-year-old hit .260/.309/.380 with 15 doubles, 13 home runs and 61 RBI in 148 games, and he had a huge month of July where he posted a 1.048 OPS with seven home runs and 17 RBI in 25 games."
Keith served as the club's primary second baseman and looks to continue doing so for the foreseeable future on a very team-friendly contract that keeps him with the Tigers until he reaches free agency in 2033 if all three club options are picked up before then.
The rookie ended the year with a 96 OPS+ offensively, though he was solid enough defensively to finish the season with a 1.1 bWAR.
With his glove, Keith finished the 2024 campaign an even zero Outs Above Average per Baseball Savant, placing in the 63rd percentile in MLB and 20th at the position.
Keith earning a contract with Detroit before even setting foot on a Major League field indicates the club has high hopes for the second baseman, so he is going to need to improve on at least one aspect of his game moving forward, whether it be offense or defense.
Should he make the necessary steps to improve his game, it will serve as a major boon for the Tigers in their quest to officially end their rebuild and become perennial contenders for October baseball.
As it stands, Keith is a solid role player for a team on the cusp of consistent success who has shown flashes of being capable of being the face of the franchise.
