Detroit Tigers vow a fast start to season in 4th year under A.J. Hinch: 'We've done our work'

CHICAGO — To paraphase an old adage: A team can't win the division in the first month of the season, but it sure can lose it.

The Detroit Tigers have been on the losing end of the first month in each of manager A.J. Hinch's three seasons. Different players, different executives, same result. Bad starts sunk the Tigers in each of the past three seasons, but the past is in the past. If there's any chance of winning the American League Central in 2024, the first month can't be a repeat of the franchise's recent history.

On the eve of Opening Day, Hinch said he believes the Tigers are prepared to win Thursday's game against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

"We've done our work," Hinch said Wednesday, sitting in the visitor's dugout at Guaranteed Rate Field while his 26 players took the field for a workout. "You have to earn your readiness. You can't just show up and put in your six weeks and expect to be ready. You have to actually have attention to detail. You have to actually do the work. Our guys have done that. I think the effort and the attention to detail has been exceptional. And now the real games begin."

HIM: How Tigers' Tarik Skubal matured into an Opening Day ace

A recap of the bad starts in the past three seasons: 8-19 in April 2021, 7-13 in April 2022 and 10-17 in March/April 2023. The Tigers posted winning records in the second half in 2021 and 2023, but the delayed winning in those seasons put the Tigers in too deep of a hole to contend for the AL Central crown.

If there was ever a year to start hot, it's this one.

The Tigers are fully healthy and play four teams that missed the playoffs in their first 11 games: the White Sox for three games in Chicago, the Mets for three games in New York, the Athletics for three games in Detroit and then the Pirates for two games in Pittsburgh. (Compare that to last season, when the Tigers opened with nine games against eventual playoff squads in their first 12 games — and went 3-9.)

One challenge: All 11 of those games will be played in cold weather.

The Tigers don't play in warm weather until April 22 — the 23rd game of the season — against the Tampa Bay Rays at the indoor Tropicana Field. The pitchers project to anchor the team by keeping games close, but the hitters remain the biggest unknown with a bevy of developing youngsters.

The hitters can't afford to go cold early on.

"But it's also cold for the other team," said first baseman Spencer Torkelson, who heated up in the second half of last season and launched 31 home runs in 159 games. "We're playing in the same conditions."

Only two Tigers — left-hander Tarik Skubal and right-hander Casey Mize — were on the Opening Day roster in both 2021 and 2024. Skubal, who posted a 2.80 ERA with 102 strikeouts in 15 starts last season after recovering from flexor tendon surgery, is the Opening Day starter against the White Sox.

He expects to set the tone for the new 162-game season.

"That's the goal, to be 1-0 after Opening Day," Skubal said. "If you're 1-0 versus 0-1, hopefully, 1-0 turns to 2-0 and then we have a much better April than in seasons past. That sets up the rest of the season."

Most of the players haven't been around for the bad starts in each of the past three seasons. Veteran outfielder Mark Canha, who has emerged as a quiet leader in the clubhouse, is new to the roster this season.

His perspective on the Tigers in 2024 is encouraging.

"I like that there's a focus," Canha said. "It's attention to detail, playing good baseball and going out every day in these (spring training) games and getting something out of it. It's what I've been all about my whole career. I'm glad to be here."

At the beginning of spring training, second-year president of baseball operations Scott Harris was asked how he planned to make sure the Tigers would get off to a fast start in the regular season.

He answered confidently.

"By having a really competitive camp," Harris said.

The Tigers had a competitive spring training, especially among the pitchers. Mize and Reese Olson beat out Matt Manning for jobs in the rotation; Alex Faedo and Joey Wentz beat out Beau Brieske for jobs in the bullpen.

That's not including the ongoing competition for playing time at third base between utility players Gio Urshela, Matt Vierling, Zach McKinstry and Andy Ibáñez, plus the competition for high-leverage roles in the bullpen. Even Parker Meadows, an elite defender in center field, is competing to prove he can hit against big-league pitchers.

"I think that's really helped us," said Mize, who missed last season recovering from elbow surgery and back surgery. "This hasn't been an easy, go through the motions camp. Everybody has to be on their game and provide value pretty quickly. I think that's going to help us get off to a better start than we have in the past."

Exact playing time will be determined by performance.

But everyone will play.

The 26-man roster is built for Hinch to create and exploit matchups — including platoon, pinch-hit and defensive replacement advantages — to find wins in the margins. Another year of versatility is nothing new to 10 of 13 position players.

Just like last season, players who don't start the game will typically find their way into the action by the end of the game. Expect to see three different third basemen throughout the three-game opening series against the White Sox. Every player knows their strengths, and every player needs to be ready.

"It's a different type of everyday player," Hinch said, "but it's very valuable. We have terrific guys who are willing to do anything for our team, and what I think helps is the full transparency. There's no hidden message. Even when I pinch-hit, it's about the player who's coming off the bench and the strength that he has."

The chess match is important, but ultimately, the Hinch-led Tigers believe winning games in March, April and beyond comes down to playing a clean brand of baseball — not making noticeable mistakes.

It's all about the details, such as advancing from first base to third base on the bases and taking advantage of double-play opportunities on defense, among many other nuances. Hinch preached clean play throughout spring training, and his players responded by paying attention to the details in practices and games.

The Tigers expect the winning product from spring training to translate to the regular season, beginning Thursday against the White Sox. If that happens, there won't be any concerns about a slow start this time around.

"We've earned the right to say we're ready, and now we have to go play," Hinch said. "It doesn't mean everything is going to go perfectly. It doesn't mean we're going to play flawlessly. But you have to accomplish a lot in those six weeks. If you look at the finish line too soon, you miss a lot of work in the process. And this team didn't do that."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers looking for rare strong start to 2024 season