DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers have hit the midway point of the 2025 season, and to say it’s been fun would be an understatement.
Even the most optimistic fans couldn’t have predicted the Tigers would be this good. They became the first team to 50 wins on Tuesday night and have by far the biggest division lead of any team in MLB.
Let’s dive into this team’s first half as a whole.
AL Central standings
It’s tempting to turn all the attention to the big picture because the Tigers have built such a nice cushion in the division.
But don’t forget: Everything starts with winning the American League Central. That would give the Tigers a playoff spot, home field advantage, and maybe even a first-round bye.
Right now, the Tigers have an 8.5-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians and an 11.5-game lead over the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins.
That’s right, the Tigers nearly lead the division by double digits, and it’s still only June.
At the start of the year, it looked like the Guardians and Royals would be the toughest challengers -- they were both only 2.5 games back on May 10.
Then the Twins ripped off 13 straight victories to pull within four games on May 17. Here’s how the division has played out since then:
- Tigers: 20-15
- Guardians: 15-18
- Royals: 13-20
- Twins: 12-22
That’s how we got to this place. The Tigers haven’t necessarily played their best ball the past few weeks, but they’ve avoided long losing streaks and stayed afloat while the other three struggled.
We’ve seen teams blow huge leads before, but the Tigers have put themselves in a very strong position.
Overall MLB standings
Now for the really fun part: The American League standings.
Most of the season has been a two-horse race between the Tigers and New York Yankees for the best record in the league, but massive surges have brought the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays into the mix, as well.
On May 23, the Astros were 26-25 -- the seventh-best record in the AL. The Rays were 24-26. Both teams would been fifth in the AL Central.
Since then, the Astros have been the best team in baseball, winning 21 of 29 games to pull with 3.5 of the Tigers. The Tigers have gone 17-12 over that span, while the Yankees have gone 16-14.
The Rays have been the best of the bunch since May 19, going 24-9 and pulling within 4.5 games of the Tigers, including a head-to-head series win in Florida.
The past two weeks have been specifically tough for the Yankees. They were swept by Boston, lost three of four to the Angels, and also dropped a series vs. the Reds. Overall, they’ve lost nine of 13.
So the Tigers lead the Astros by 2.5 games and the Yankees by 3.5 games. The Rays, Blue Jays, and Mariners round out the top six.
Tigers fans don’t want to get greedy, but it’s deep enough into the season to have an eye on this race. The Tigers are 27-13 at Comerica Park this season, so home field advantage in the playoffs definitely matters.
It would also be nice to earn a first-round bye, avoid the dangerous best-of-3 wildcard round, and set up Tarik Skubal for multiple starts in the ALDS.
In the National League, the Dodgers, Phillies, and Cubs are all right on the Tigers’ heels. That doesn’t really matter (unless the Tigers make the World Series), but it’s fun to say the Tigers have the best record in baseball.
All-Star candidates
The Tigers have nine players who deserve All-Star consideration, but I believe there are five who should actually make the roster.
- Gleyber Torres -- starting second baseman.
- Riley Greene -- starting outfielder.
- Tarik Skubal -- American League starting pitcher.
- Zach McKinstry -- reserve utility player.
- Tommy Kahnle -- relief pitcher.
The no-brainers:
The top three are pretty self-explanatory.
Torres has been the best second baseman in the AL. It’s a pretty weak position overall, and he’s been great from start to finish.
The outfield race behind Aaron Judge was murky a few weeks ago, but Greene has solidified himself as the obvious second option since the calendar flipped to June.
In 22 games this month, Greene is slashing .386/.435/.639, with four homers and nine doubles.
Skubal will be on the roster, obviously, but he’s got competition for the starting nod. He trails Garrett Crochet in strikeouts and ERA but has a big lead in WHIP. Hunter Brown leads in ERA but doesn’t yet have quite the same quantity as the other two.
If I was the manager, Skubal would start (but that was also the case last year). He’s the best pitcher on the planet. Don’t overthink it.
Zach McKinstry:
McKinstry is one of the best base runners in the league -- he currently has eight stolen bases and seven triples. He’s also an above-average defender pretty much everywhere A.J. Hinch puts him on the field.
The fact that he’s already racked up more than 20 extra-base hits and a .350 on-base percentage makes McKinstry one of the top players by WAR in the league. It’s hard to label him with a specific All-Star position, but I think he belongs.
Tommy Kahnle:
Among AL relievers with at least 30 innings pitched this season, Kahnle has the lowest ERA and the third-lowest WHIP. His strikeout rate is slightly better than league average, but he’s among the top 5% in MLB at suppressing hard contact.
He gives the Tigers decent swing-and-miss, plus a low walk rate, plus a high ground ball rate, plus weak contact on balls in play. And he does it all while throwing change-ups 85% of the time.
Kahnle is the best reliever on the best team in the league, so he deserves to be an All-Star.
Others with arguments:
The Tigers have four other players who deserve serious All-Star consideration.
- Dillon Dingler
- Spencer Torkelson
- Javier Baez
- Will Vest
Dingler has an outside shot at the backup catching spot behind Cal Raleigh. He’s been amazing defensively and comes up with big hits.
Torkelson leads his position in homers but has basically no argument over Jonathan Aranda for the starting spot. The backup spot at first is a tossup, but Torkelson has been in a long slump that isn’t doing him any favors -- a 48-game stretch with a sub-.200 average and around .700 OPS.
After starting the season slashing .307/.343/.512, Baez went through a 20-game slump where he hit .194/.206/.226 with 2 doubles, 15 strikeouts, and 0 walks.
But he’s bounced right back in the 11 games since, hitting nearly .400 with three walks, six strikeouts, three homers, two doubles, and a triple.
And throughout his offensive ups and downs, he’s played All-Star caliber defense -- especially in center field while the Tigers dealt with injuries.
Will Vest probably won’t make the team because he hasn’t been the best reliever on his own team. But he’s had a very strong season and the underlying numbers back it all up.
Trade deadline needs
I’m not going to get into specific players because we don’t know who will be available and a lot that has to play out between now and the end of July. But the Tigers do have some clear holes to address.
- Starting pitcher.
- Late-inning reliever.
- Third baseman or shortstop with home run power.
I didn’t expect to be worried about the starting rotation this year, but beyond Skubal, it’s a bit of a mess. Jackson Jobe is done for the year, Reese Olson has been on the IL since May 17, and Alex Cobb doesn’t seem like he’s ever going to put on the Old English D.
On top of that, Jack Flaherty has been very average. Sawyer Gipson-Long is struggling a bit. Casey Mize looks solid but not dominant since returning from injury.
I don’t think the Tigers need to add an ace, but they could use a reliable middle-of-the-rotation guy to give them some length and stability.
A late-inning reliever who can miss bats would also be a welcomed addition to the duo of Kahnle and Vest. Struggles by Tyler Holton, Beau Brieske, and Brenan Hanifee have left the Tigers in some tough spots.
And we all know the Tigers still lack power on the left side of the infield. Baez and McKinstry have been solid offensively, but a 25-30 homer bat would make a big difference in the middle of the lineup, especially since Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter haven’t been supplying much power lately.
The Tigers could stand pat at the deadline and still make the playoffs, but I expect Scott Harris to be a little more active. No blockbusters, but a couple of savvy moves to supplement the roster.
Final thoughts
It’s been so incredibly fun to follow this team all summer, and I’m really looking forward to the upcoming playoff race. We’ve waited a long time for this.
The Tigers certainly aren’t perfect, but they’ve done more than enough to prove they’re one of the best teams in the AL, and that means they have a real shot to go to the World Series.
If they can get Olson back and Flaherty finds his footing, the pitching staff will look a whole lot better. Any offensive additions would be icing on the cake.
Here’s to a second half that’s even remotely as fun as the first.