In December 2024, Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch set the goal for the 2025 season in a few simple words.

“We want to win the AL Central,” Hinch said.

The Tigers failed to accomplish their goal, collapsing with 13 losses in their final 16 games to squander a 15½-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians in the Central. The Tigers finished 87-75 to squeak into the playoffs with the final wild-card berth, defeated the Guardians in the AL wild-card series, then were eliminated by the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS in five games.

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Even though they fell short, in the regular season and the playoffs, I’m giving the Tigers – on an A-F scale, with “C” being average – a “B” overall for the 2025 season.

Here’s the report card on how that grade breaks down:

Hitting: B+

The Tigers ranked 12th among the 30 MLB teams with a .730 OPS, and 11th with 4.68 runs per game.

That’s a top-15 offense for the first time since 2016, thanks to above-average performances from their young position players: Kerry Carpenter, Dillon Dingler, Riley Greene, Colt Keith and Spencer Torkelson. Five of nine lineup spots produced above average, though shortstop, third base, center field and designated hitter were below average.

The addition of second baseman Gleyber Torres — an on-base machine on a one-year contract — stabilized everything. He carried the Tigers in two key categories that define a healthy offense: walk rate (13.5%) and strikeout rate (16.1%).

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To take the next step, though, the Tigers must reduce their strikeout rate, which was the root of their late-season collapse. The Tigers ranked 27th with a 23.9% strikeout rate, ahead of only the Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Angels. It didn’t help that Greene had a 30.7% strikeout rate, setting a franchise record with 201 strikeouts (and striking out in all but two of his 23 games in September). The Tigers ranked 14th with an 8.4% walk rate – not nearly high enough to offset their strikeout problem.

Pitching: C

The Tigers ranked 17th among the 30 MLB teams with a 3.97 ERA. The starting rotation ranked 11th with a 3.91 ERA, while the bullpen ranked 17th with a 4.05 ERA. Only five of the 39 players who pitched in at least one game were clear positives: starters Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize and relievers Troy Melton, Will Vest and Kyle Finnegan.

Everyone else fell short of expectations.

Skubal anchored the Tigers with a 2.21 ERA across 195⅓ innings over 31 starts. The Tigers had a 21-10 record in Skubal starts (and a 66-65 record in non-Skubal starts). The pitching staff would’ve had a 4.25 ERA without Skubal, compared to a 3.97 ERA with Skubal — a gap that separates average from below average.

The bullpen turned out to be the biggest problem, ranking 24th with a 4.45 ERA in the final 118 games after a dominant first 44 games. The Tigers acquired Finnegan at the trade deadline to form a closer tandem with Vest, but they failed to add enough quality depth behind that high-leverage duo. Additionally, the Tigers accidentally made their rotation worse at the trade deadline by acquiring Chris Paddack and Charlie Morton, as the rotation’s 4.98 ERA over the final 52 games ranked 27th.

Defense: C

The Tigers ranked ninth among the 30 MLB teams with plus-36 defensive runs saved, but the infield graded below average at three of four positions, and the outfield graded below average at all three positions.

Here’s the performance at each position:

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The top three defenders on the leaderboard: Dingler (plus-6 at catcher), Andy Ibáñez (plus-4 at second base) and Zach McKinstry (plus-4 at shortstop). The bottom three: McKinstry (minus-8 at third base), Trey Sweeney (minus-5 at shortstop) and Greene (minus-5 in left field).

Center field was the biggest problem, beginning in spring training when Parker Meadows — expected to be an elite defender — suffered a nerve injury that forced him to miss the first 60 games. When Meadows returned, he posted minus-1 defensive runs saved across 468 innings in center field.

Coaching: A-

A.J. Hinch is still waiting to win AL Manager of the Year for the first time.

The 12-year MLB skipper received votes in six of his first 11 seasons, placing second in 2015, third in 2017, fourth in 2018, fifth in 2019, seventh in 2021 and, most recently, third in 2024.

In 2025, Hinch spent most of the season as the favorite to win the award — until the Tigers collapsed in September. The collapse opened the door for John Schneider (Toronto Blue Jays), Dan Wilson (Mariners) and Stephen Vogt (Guardians) to contend for the award; the finalists will be announced in November.

Hinch remains one of the game’s best tacticians, dominating the chess match against other managers with pinch-hitters and pitching changes to maximize a flawed roster. One decision could be questioned for years to come, though: What if Hinch had sent Skubal back to the mound for the eighth inning of Game 5 of the ALDS? Not sticking with his ace led to the Tigers’ elimination from the postseason.

Several members of Hinch’s coaching staff won’t return for the 2026 season.

Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers grades: Hitting, pitching, defense, coaching in 2025