Riley Greene already one of Detroit Tigers best players
By David Hill
To say that the Detroit Tigers‘ offense has disappointed this year would be an understatement. They rank either last or next to last in the American League in virtually every offensive category, letting down a pitching staff that has performed better than anyone could have hoped for considering their injuries. This season could end up being one that the Tigers look back upon as a missed opportunity.
The futility of the Tigers’ lineup can be summed up in Riley Greene. Although he had appeared in two games prior to Monday’s action, he is already tied for second amongst Tigers’ position players in fWAR for the season.
Riley Greene sums up Detroit Tigers putrid offense
Greene has been solid in his first two appearances. He has notched two hits and drawn four walks in nine plate appearances, scoring two runs while striking out once. While it is an extremely small sample size, his performance shows what the Tigers had been hoping for before Greene’s injury kept him from the Opening Day lineup.
The Tigers had clearly expected much more from their lineup. Spencer Torkelson was a preseason AL Rookie of the Year favorite, someone who was expected to inject much needed power into the lineup. Javier Baez had been signed to add another solid bat after his run with the Mets.
Instead, the offense has been a complete disaster. Miguel Cabrera has the highest OPS+ of any regular, and he is at 107. Only five players that have seen action for the Tigers this year have been at least league average, and two of those players have under a dozen plate appearances.
Maybe Greene would have made a difference. Having him atop the lineup could have changed the entire dynamic, forcing pitchers to focus on a baserunner and potentially leading to more mistakes. If nothing else, having someone on base would give the Tigers plenty more chances to score runs, something they have struggled to do all season. Maybe Greene was the key to everything.
Ramirez putting Tigers to shame by himself. dark. Next
It has not taken long for Riley Greene to make an impact. According to Fangraphs, he is already their second most valuable player this year.