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In 2024, manager AJ Hinch helped the Detroit Tigers get back into the postseason despite having a 0.2% chance. The Tigers, though, clinched the AL wild-card spot, finishing the season 86-76. They stunned the Houston Astros in the wild-card round, before losing against the Cleveland Guardians in the NLDS round in five games.
With the Tigers maintaining most of their core going into the 2025 season, they are once again expected to make out of AL Central. During an interview with MLB Network, the manager had a clear message for his group before the start of the new season.
"I'm super proud of what we've accomplished to get here," Hinch said. "My message will be very clear to this group—we're back at the bottom of the mountain, needing to climb a little more. Now, we're equipped to do it.
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"We just proved to ourselves that we can win a playoff series against the Astros, who have been a mainstay in October over the last decade. So, very, very proud. But at the same time, I’m going to be very focused on what we need to do moving forward rather than looking backward."
AJ Hinch names key players who are now "battle-tested"
During the same interview, AJ Hinch highlighted key players like Kerry Carpenter, Parker Meadows and Riley Greene, noting how they have become "battle-tested" and are now expected to perform at an even higher level.
"Kerry Carpenter is a household name now after the home run off Clase," Hinch added.
"And I think Parker Meadows got a hit in every playoff game. I already mentioned Riley. We have players who are now a little more battle-tested, and I think we have to be careful not to look in the rearview mirror too much. We've got to look out the windshield.
"We've got to look forward, get to 2025, and begin that climb again—hopefully to win the division and put ourselves in an even better position than we were in last year."
With a young and talented core, the Tigers are no longer the team that sneaks into October. They believe they belong there, and, under AJ Hinch, they have championship aspirations.
