Twins, White Sox, and Tigers: 2 truths and 1 lie about the AL Central

Lie: The Detroit Tigers will be worse than last year

The stats as presented in black and white are not good. Detroit has the second-worst run differential in the league. The bullpen is unproven, as the Tigers traded Joe Jimenez and Gregory Soto for depth.

Add in the element of just bad mental lapses, including Javier Baez, forgetting how many outs there were in Thursday’s win over the Jays. They were in all three games in Toronto and the bullpen was able to pull through. But among the 10 games, there are a few signs the Tigers will not be the laughingstock of the American League.

Jake Rogers is a legit catcher

The Tigers stayed in-house this winter for catching options, as they are going with the combo of Eric Haase and Jake Rogers. Rogers has been known primary for his defense and after missing the entire 2022 season because of Tommy John surgery, his offense, which was perking up a bit before he missed time, is showing early on.

He has an OPS of .837 and, despite the .227 batting average, he has two home runs and a double. His framing skills are helping a staff that needs all advantages it can get.

Outfielder Kerry Carpenter is showing he isn’t just a minor league hero. After hitting 30 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A, he came up and hit six home runs in 103 at-bats. He is already in Top 10 in barrels and making consistent hard contact.

Spencer Torkelson’s batted ball, like Carpenter, suggests a better season than his 2022 campaign. Last season’s offense was one of the worst in team history. While the law of averages suggests the phrase, “It can’t be any worse,” can be applied easy here, there are a few key stats that show their offense is better. Are they a playoff team? Absolutely not, but they will be just a few games better and that is a start.