Things Detroit Tigers Fans Should Be Thankful For This Thanksgiving
The Detroit Tigers are heading into the holiday season with the hopes of improving a team that surprised everyone last season.
It was a shocking turn of events when the Tigers were able to become one of the best teams in the second half of the season last year after being sellers at the trade deadline. Despite essentially giving up on the campaign, Detroit found their groove in August and September and went on an improbable run into the playoffs.
After exceeding all expectations last year, expectations will be much higher coming into 2025, as the franchise will need to address some needs this offseason. While the playoff run was a treat, they must now try to sustain that type of success. However, the future is bright and there are a lot of reasons to believe that they can do so.
For Tigers fans heading into Thanksgiving, here are a few things to be thankful for.
Playoff Drought Snapped
There have been a lot of losses for the franchise over the last decade. Before they snapped their playoff drought in 2024, the last year they had a winning record was in 2016, and the last season they made the playoffs was in 2014. That is a lot of losing seasons over the past 10 years, and it made 2024 all the more special. While making the postseason was great, the fact that they were able to defeat the Houston Astros made it even better.
Bright Future
While making the playoffs might have been a surprise, it was valuable experience for the young core of talent that Detroit has been developing. It is impossible to replicate postseason baseball until they actually get there, and with road games against the Astros and Cleveland Guardians in the playoffs, the Tigers should be pretty battle tested and know what to expect going into a playoff series next season.
Tarik Skubal
Easily the thing to be the most thankful for is the American League Cy Young Award winner. Tarik Skubal was the easy choice to win the award in the AL, as he put together an excellent campaign. In 2024, Skubal had a (18-4) record, 2.39 ERA, and 228 strikeouts.
The Southpaw was able to take the mound and instantly give Detroit an excellent chance to win against whoever he was facing. That type of talent is hard to find in baseball, but they have it in the left-hander. Now, the Tigers should be prioritizing trying to lock down their ace to the massive contract extension he deserves.
