Lose enough baseball games for a long enough period of time, and eventually you will put together enough young talent that you will have an exciting brand of baseball. The Tigers have assembled quite a crew of exciting young talent over the last few years. Here are a few that should start to stand out in 2024, and earn their stripes.

Colt Keith

Colt Keith has been a name that has been talked about in high regard in Detroit for a couple of years now. The second/third baseman has been nothing short of promising. He got some important AAA experience in 2023 playing 67 games for the Toledo Mud Hens.

During his time in Toledo, he hit .287 with 13 home runs and 51 RBIs. His average did take a small hit down from .325 over 59 games in AA, but that is to be expected when you move on to big league ready arms. Plus .287 is no slouch of a hitter.

Keith also provides a solid defensive side to his game, turning in a .955 fielding percentage between second and third base, and being about twice as efficient when playing second. With a little fine tuning and big league coaching, Keith should prove to be a solid mainstay in Detroit’s infield.

Keith will be a massive compliment to the electric defense Baez provides should we choose to stay with him long term. The infielder should be a pillar in Detroit’s infield for years to come.

Tyler Holton

Detroit has somehow pieced together relatively good bullpens over the last few years. That’s despite being a very poor baseball team and having significantly below average relievers.

For some reason, there was always a “next man up” mentality in the pen, and someone was always there to step up and take over. Even with that, Detroit has had a decent amount of turnover as far as true relievers go. What Detroit needs is a guy willing to step up and be a steady resident of the bullpen who isn’t going anywhere.

Perhaps a guy who has gone under the radar in talks of young exciting talent, Tyler Holton could prove to be that piece of the puzzle for Detroit moving forward.

Holton pitched 85.3 innings over 59 games in 2023 and posted a solid 2.11 ERA. He also had a very promising 74 strikeouts to his only 18 walks. Especially with a starting rotation who has had some significant injury problems, we need a reliever to step it up and take over as someone we can always count on to get the job done.

I expect Tyler Holton to get more looks this season and to take on a bigger role with the team. I truly believe he could be the answer to the bullpen question the Tigers have had the last couple of years.

Parker Meadows

Parker Meadows is probably the guy who is getting the most buzz around the Detroit social media spaces. Maybe fans are just hoping he can come in and be everything we thought his brother Austin Meadows was going to be and could have been. Either way, he is going to be extremely exciting to watch this season.

We only got to see a tiny amount of Parker Meadows at the tail end of last season. Since that time, he has had another off season and spring training to refine his skills and prepare himself for the expectations placed upon him. Although his numbers in the minors aren’t what some guys have posted, they aren’t the worst either.

I believe, just like so many other Tigers’ fans, that Parker Meadows has the ability to surpass what his brother was able to accomplish during his time in the Bigs. Which includes a 30 home run season.

There is a lot of competition for a spot in the Tigers’ outfield which should push all the players looking for a spot to take their game to the next level which is just what we need. I expect Hinch to use that competition to his advantage and to get the most of of these guys come the regular season.

The 2024 season should be full of surprises when it comes to these young guys looking to prove themselves and earn their stripes as a Detroit Tiger. The only thing we can hope for as fans is that they all piece it together in enough time to make a push for a division title.

By: Goldie (@xGoldie5 on X)

Stats courtesy of baseball-reference.com

Photos courtesy of Getty Images