The MLB has returned and so have the same old disappointing Detroit Tigers. Or, have they? This season has started off much the same for the squad, although, there have been bright glimpses of the future for this young roster. So, the question is this: Is this Detroit Tigers team going to produce the same old results, or is something going to click this year for the young Tigers?

The Detroit Tigers started off the 2023 season by going 0-3, getting swept by the red-hot Rays in Tampa. They then traveled to Houston for a three game set that the Tigers somehow won, two games to one. However, when the Tigers came back home to Detroit for Opening Day, fans were disappointed to see their Tigers get swept again by the .500 Boston Red Sox. The team’s record at this point was the second worst in the MLB, sitting at 2-7, and it sat in fourth place, right above the Kansas City Royals, in the nonexistent AL Central. The team then went on the road again for another three game set against the Toronto Blue Jays; Detroit lost two out of three but started off a good stretch by winning the last game of the series. Could this have been the spark the team needed?

When the Tigers went back to Detroit for a three game set with the San Francisco Giants, there was a different feel in the air. The bats were finally coming alive for the young Tigers, and they possibly had finally found their stride. The series proved a huge success for the Tigers as the team won two more games in a row, both in walk-off fashion. When the Cleveland Guardians came into town a few days later, fans of the team were ecstatic as it was riding a three game win streak. Rain affected the first game forcing the teams to make up the game with the Tigers’ first doubleheader of the season. Again, the Tigers swept it, first in walk-off fashion and then in a defensive battle in game two. The win streak at that point hit five games and your Detroit Tigers were in third place in the division with an 8-9 record. Even with the Guardians winning the final game of the series, the momentum in Detroit for the Tigers was unreal. However, the Baltimore Orioles ended this sense of optimism real quick, for they swept the Tigers in three games with our beloved team only scoring a total of three runs in the entire series.

So, are the Detroit Tigers ready for a good season with a young and talented team? I think yes. The Detroit Tigers have been waiting for a start like this for a while, and even with the choppy waters at the start of this season, I think the Tigers will show out during the summer and potentially break .500. However, I do not think the team will make the playoffs this year, although, they are definitely on the rise. The rebuilding process has taken forever, but the Detroit Tigers are making progress, and their young phenoms are going to find their stride. It is just a matter of time, but how long will we have to wait?