Underdog (uhn-der-dawg): noun
1. A predicted loser in a struggle or contest
2. A victim of injustice of persecution
CLEVELAND — When Will Vest went home for the birth of his second child in late August, the Detroit Tigers’ playoff odds were 2.9 percent.
While he was away on the paternity list, Vest texted a group of his hometown friends: “Hey, don’t count us out.”
The Tigers went on to sweep of the White Sox in Chicago. By the time Vest returned on Aug. 29, the Tigers were on a six-game winning streak. The odds spiked all the way to … 3.8 percent.
“So every day,” Vest said, “I would send in that group text what percentage we were at. And, you know, they were kind of laughing at it.”
As August turned to September and as a fun story turned to a serious playoff hunt, the numbers slowly inched upward: 9.8 percent on Sept. 10, 26.9 percent on Sept. 20.
“Once we got to like the middle of September,” Vest said, “it started like getting up there to like 20, 30, whatever, they were just like, ‘Holy crap.’”
In their final series of the season, the Tigers triumphed over the White Sox to seal their improbable spot in the playoffs. After Vest entered the locker room that night, one of the first things he did was grab his phone. He sent another text: 100 percent.
“That was a cool text to send,” Vest said.
Friday in Cleveland, in advance of the American League Division Series, Vest and several of his Tigers teammates wore navy T-shirts with their wild graph of playoff odds commemorated proudly. In the top right corner read a single word: Gritty.
Will Vest modeling the latest Gritty Tigs attire 📈 pic.twitter.com/mhG5xEQJeG
— Rachel Hopmayer (@rachelhopmayer) October 4, 2024
Vest, for anyone who might be wondering, is a hard-throwing right-handed relief pitcher. Once selected in the Rule 5 draft by the Seattle Mariners in 2021 but returned to the Tigers after a difficult first half, Vest has slowly morphed into a key piece of a bullpen that finished the season with the fifth-best ERA in baseball.
Yet like so many of his teammates, he is unknown on the national stage, perhaps still anonymous even to local fans just now hopping back on the Tigers’ bandwagon.
Now that the Tigers are one of the final eight teams competing for a World Series trophy, many might be wondering: Who are these guys? And how did they get here?
For those just now joining the chase, or for a national audience bewildered by seeing the Olde English D in the playoffs, or for anyone who just needs help knowing the difference between Brenan Hanifee and Brant Hurter, here is your 2024 Detroit Tigers dictionary.
Actual stars
Riley Greene (RYE-lee green): LF
1. First-time All-Star in third major-league season.
2. Team leader in most offensive categories.
3. No. 3 or 4 hitter depending on the matchup and who else is in the lineup.
4. Most lit player in two champagne celebrations.
Riley Greene grabbed Tigers owner Chris Ilitch and took him into a champagne bath.
“I’ve always dreamed of doing that,” he said. pic.twitter.com/VCraRgVMqT
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) September 28, 2024
A.J. Hinch (ā jay hinch): Manager
1. Fourth-year Tigers manager, but this is his first with a winning record.
2. Previously spent five years as Houston Astros manager (2015-19), two years as Arizona Diamondbacks (2009-10), and seven seasons as a major-league catcher (1998-2004).
3. Won 2017 World Series with Astros only to be suspended in 2020 for his role in that team’s sign-stealing scandal. Joined Tigers immediately after his suspension ended.
Tarik Skubal (TARE-ick skoo-bul): SP
1. Ninth-round pick from a small town who, at 27 years old, has become arguably the best starting pitcher in baseball.
2. Triple Crown winner, likely Cy Young Award winner, Game 2 ALDS starter after starting Game 1 in the Wild Card Series.
3. Lefty with a fastball that can touch triple digits, a nasty slider and one of the best changeups in the game.
Household names (well, at least if that household is in Detroit)
Kerry Carpenter (KER-ee KAHR-puhn-ter): RF/DH
1. Former 19th-round pick with a great backstory who quietly averaged 30 homers per 162 games in three big-league seasons.
2. Missed two-and-a-half months with a back injury but returned in August. His .932 OPS would have been eighth-best in the majors if he had enough at-bats to qualify.
3. Works with the same offseason hitting coach as Aaron Judge.
Jackson Jobe (Jax-on Jo-be): RHP
Jackson Jobe once caddied for his father at Augusta National. (Lon Horwedel / Imagn Images)
1. Ranked as The Athletic’s No. 10 overall prospect and son of pro golfer Brandt Jobe.
2. Called up on Sept. 24 and made two relief appearances.
3. Surrendered two runs, one earned, in his lone Wild Card Series appearance.
Colt Keith (kohlt keeth): 2B
1. Ranked 36th on Keith Law’s preseason top-100 prospects list. Signed a pre-debut extension in January that guarantees him $28.6 million. Made his big-league debut on Opening Day.
2. Lefty hitter with modest reverse splits and a slightly below-average 97 wRC+.
3. After a brutal first month, hit .285 from May 6 to the end of the season.
Reese Olson (rees OLE-son): RHP
1. Had a 1.92 ERA over his first 10 starts.
2. Second-best starting pitcher after Tarik Skubal. Missed about six weeks with a second-half shoulder injury, now working more as a bulk reliever.
3. A silent assassin.
Jake Rogers (jeyk ROJ-ers): C
1. Everyday catcher known primarily for his defense.
2. The heartbeat of the team.
3. Known best for the mustache.
This guy is straight out of an 80s baseball movie and I love it pic.twitter.com/IFLMDXxGlN
— Clem (@TheClemReport) October 1, 2024
Matt Vierling (mat VEER-ling): INF/OF
1. Has starts at four different positions.
2. Bats anywhere from 1 to 4 in the lineup.
3. Often changes positions mid-game to maximize the team’s defense in the late innings.
4. Acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies in January of 2023, and this was his best full season at the plate. He is the lone Tiger on the postseason roster with previous playoff experience.
Late-season call-ups
Brant Hurter (Brant HURT-er): LHP
1. 6-foot-6 lefty sinkerballer.
2. 2.58 ERA in his first 45 1/3 MLB innings.
3. Known best for his speech after winning the Double-A Eastern League title last season.
Brant Hurter provided one of the best sound bites for @tigersMLreport following the title win by Erie. pic.twitter.com/7ifFS4aIL8
— Rogelio Castillo (@rogcastbaseball) August 4, 2024
Jace Jung (JAY-ce young): 3B
1. Younger brother of Texas Rangers’ third baseman Josh Jung; was drafted 12th overall in 2022.
2. Converted from second base to third base in the second half of last season.
3. Holds his bat at a funky angle.
Ty Madden (Ty MAD-en): RHP
1. 32nd overall pick in 2021.
2. Had a 6.98 ERA in Triple A this season.
3. Called up because of increased strikeouts and decreased walks.
Parker Meadows (PAHR-ker med-ohs): CF
The “baby giraffe” is listed at 6-foot-5, but at times seems even taller. (Junfu Han / Imagn Images)
1. Rookie was demoted in May and injured in July. Returned to the lineup on August 3.
2. One of the game’s best players since his return to the everyday lineup. His 2.1 fWAR ranks 13th in the majors the past two months.
3. Speed and defense are his strengths, though he’s hit well lately.
4. Long and lanky, they call him a baby giraffe.
Trey Sweeney (trey SWEE-nee): SS
1. Made his major-league debut on Aug. 16 and has been the everyday shortstop ever since. (Veteran shortstop Javier Báez, the team’s highest-paid player, has been on the IL since mid-August but was having a brutal season even when healthy.)
2. One of two prospects acquired in the trade deadline deal that sent No. 2 starter Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Once-touted prospects
Spencer Torkelson (SPEN-ser TOWR-kuhl-suhn): 1B
1. No. 1 overall draft pick in 2020.
2. In his third major-league season but was demoted in June with a .597 OPS.
3. Recalled Aug. 1 and had a .781 OPS in the last two months of the regular season.
Casey Mize (KAY-see My-ze): RHP
1. No. 1 overall pick in 2018.
2. Had Tommy John surgery and a back procedure in 2022. Missed 60 days this season with a hamstring injury.
3. Now working out of the bullpen after a 4.36 ERA over parts of four MLB seasons.
Key role players
Beau Brieske (bo briss-KEY): RHP
1. Unheralded late-round draft pick who opened this season in Triple A but has become a versatile and vital piece of the mix-and-match pitching staff.
2. Started 12 games and finished 12 games in the regular season. Got the save in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series and pitched long relief in Game 2.
3. A chief representative of “pitching chaos.”
See also: Sean Guenther and Brenan Hanifee (neither was highly touted as a prospect, both spent much of this season in the minors and became important relievers down the stretch and into the postseason).
Jason Foley (JAY-son FOLE-ey): RHP
Jason Foley: Impressive sinker, more impressive ’90s music taste. (Junfu Han / Imagn Images)
1. Undrafted free agent from Sacred Heart University.
2. The team’s top ninth-inning option. Used his power sinker to help record 28 saves.
3. Comes out of the bullpen to “What is Love” by Haddaway.
Tyler Holton (TIE-ler HOLT-un): LHP
1. Former Arizona Diamondback claimed off waivers before the 2023 season.
2. Versatile reliever who earned seven wins, eight saves and threw 95 1/3 innings.
3. Over the past two seasons, has a better ERA (2.15) than any other MLB pitcher who has thrown more than 150 innings.
4. Also has a notable mullet.
The Tigers bullpen is just every type of guy at any given bar in the Midwest pic.twitter.com/jFLfenP2FK
— Matt Coggins (@MattCoggins) April 22, 2024
Andy Ibáñez (an-dee ee-BAHN-yez): INF
1. Right-handed platoon bat with an .802 OPS against lefties. Primarily a second baseman but can play any of the corners.
2. Hit just .174 in the second half but was so trusted that he batted cleanup in the Wild Card Series opener.
3. Always has a bat in his hand.
See also: Justyn-Henry Malloy (midseason call-up who gets regular starts at DH and in the outfield against lefties), Dillon Dingler (backup catcher called up after the team traded Carson Kelly at the deadline).
Wenceel Pérez (WIN-cehl PEH-rez): RF
1. Switch hitter who made his big-league debut in April and became an outfield regular against righties.
2. Converted from infield in spring training and became a surprise contributor.
See also: Zach McKinstry (left-handed bench bat who can play anywhere).
(Top photo: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)