'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Detroit Tigers were a shocking playoff team last year. They sold at the deadline and then got hot. They made it as a wild card and then upset the Houston Astros in the first round before falling in Game 5 of the ALDS. The future is bright, and here are five predictions on just how bright it can be.
Bold predictions for the 2025 Tigers
5) Riley Greene will be an MVP candidate
Riley Greene was the best Tigers hitter last year. He had 4.0 fWAR, 135 wRC+ and 24 home runs. Those are all good, but they're not MVP-level. However, he showed time and again that he is a high-quality hitter.
Trending
The AL does have Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. among others to outdo for the MVP finalist spots, but Greene is on an upward trajectory and should contend for the award.
4) Jackson Jobe will win Rookie of the Year
Jackson Jobe should be up in the big leagues sooner than later. The Tigers expect him to take a spot in their rotation at some point this year. Provided it's not too late in the season, he will win Rookie of the Year.
The AL has plenty of top rookies, but Jobe is the second-best pitching prospect in baseball behind Roki Sasaki. As long as he doesn't totally fail, he could repeat Paul Skenes' success en route to the award in the AL.
3) Kerry Carpenter will hit 40 home runs
Riley Greene had a breakout season last year with 2.4 fWAR, 18 home runs and a 160 wRC+. That was in just 82 games since he was largely relegated to the bench against left-handed pitching.
Carpenter can clearly hit as well if not better than anyone on the Tigers. That 160 wRC+ would've been just below Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Brent Rooker on the MLB leaderboard last year. Provided he doesn't stay as a platoon player, which he shouldn't, he will truly break out with 40 home runs.
2) Tarik Skubal will repeat as Cy Young
Maybe it's not bold to say that the Triple Crown winner will have another Cy Young-level season. Tarik Skubal is just that good. However, the last person to win back-to-back Cy Young awards in any league was Jacob deGrom in 2018 and 2019. In the AL, it was Pedro Martinez at the turn of the century.
Plus, the AL is filled with elite pitching. Garrett Crochet, Cole Ragans, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Logan Gilbert, Framber Valdez, and others will also be in contention. It's hard to pick against Skubal, though.
1) The Tigers will make the World Series
The Tigers came within one game of making the ALCS, and there's no telling if they would've done better against the New York Yankees than the Cleveland Guardians did. Nevertheless, they're a better team now than they were last year.
They have their second-half call-ups for the full season. Gleyber Torres and Jack Flaherty are in town after signing in free agency. The AL is also wide open, and with a one-two of Skubal and Flaherty, the Tigers have the pitching to make it through.
