Open Kerry

 

It is extremely difficult for a Tigers team to sum up a season and transfer the working parts of said season to the following one without a whole bunch of shit flying off the walls again.

How many seasons in a row have the Tigers built a foundation, ended a season strong, and then the second the team is supposed to improve, half the guys they're relying on get injured and the rest of the team is dead weight? They are relying on some of these pieces, and so many of them just aren't giving them the consecutive success that one might think would be in play for building a new dynasty. This is yet another Tigers team that Casey Mize has had absolutely no effect on, and that Spencer Torkelson could only muster one dimension for. The Tigers have already been through years where they're really hoping they can build shit off of people like Justin Thompson, Ryan Anderson and Bobby Higginson, and then none of that actually comes to fruition. And I fear we're back at that.

There has been some signs of improvement, though, as more and more people are getting activated and helping out. Both Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning have been strong since coming off the IL, with the latter helping the Tigers with a combined no-hitter last month. Riley Greene is hitting .289 and having a season that, while truncated, is still enough to calm the nerves of Tigers fans. The bullpen is still really strong, and people like Alex Lange, Jason Foley, Tyler Holton and Will Vest are at least making up for a shakier rotation. 

And then you have the sudden emergence of Kerry Carpenter. Carpenter's been decent in the past, has had a surprisingly lethal power bonus, and is at least a sturdier option at left field than a lot of veteran alternatives. But in the past month, Carpenter's strength has reached an unprecedented level. This month, he's had a .364 average, 19 RBIs and 9 home runs, which is a pretty insane month of offensive production. The team is rightfully being built around Carpenter now, even at the expense of Torkelson. And look, even if he wasn't the biggest prospect on this team, to have a young guy like Carpenter who can hit 20+ home runs, baffle opposing pitching and command the narrative while still posting on LinkedIn--that's gotta mean they're doing something right, right? 

Even if not everything's held together, pieces like Carpenter are coming forward and making this team begin to mean something. And just last week, Parker Meadows, whose brother Austin's had a rough go of things this year, had a crucial walk-off hit to get the Tigers past an Astros team that was at one point no-hitting them. The continued presence of Parker Meadows infers a potential 2024 season where both Meadows brothers could play alongside each other in the lineup. And that's something I'd absolutely love to see, especially if Austin sticks around.

You can see it again, the foundation set in place for what could be a much better and much fuller year next year for the Tigers. What they need to do, for the first time in nearly a decade, is actually deliver on their own promises. Because I don't want to write this post again next year, and I feel like this is something I've said a million times about the Tigers. They really need to change their own narrative, because it's gotten extremely old.

Coming Tomorrow- He had an excellent first month in the majors, then struggled. A year later, there's a lot he's figured out, and a lot he's helping his team with.