Detroit Tigers Manager Explains the 'Identity' of His Team

Things are rolling for the Detroit Tigers right now.

Entering Monday's slate, they had the best record in the American League and sat with a two-and-a-half-game lead in the AL Central.

Manager A.J.

Hinch said that he is focused on making sure his young group remains in the present, continuing to get better on a day-by-day basis that will allow them to accomplish their goals of winning the division and getting into the playoffs.

What's been noticeably different about this year's team compared to the 2024 version -- despite having virtually all of the same players -- is the offense has been able to score.

Right now, they are 12th in Major League Baseball with 129 runs.

Last season, they finished 19th in that metric, a sizeable jump that explains how they have gone from securing a Wild Card spot to leading their division and holding the best record in the AL.

How has that come to fruition? Outside of the timely hitting that has taken place, a lot of the run production has been created on the basepaths, choosing to be aggressive when they have the opportunity to put pressure on the opposing team.

"It is our identity.

I think what the Detroit Tigers are about is being opportunistic and being aggressive.

This is not new but our guys are into it.

Every chance we get, we are going to try to apply pressure," Hinch said, per Jared Ramsey of The Detroit Free Press .

Aggressively tagging up in fly ball situations, going from first to third on base hits and understanding where the ball is being thrown from the outfield has allowed Detroit to take the extra 90 feet that has given hitters opportunities to drive in runs.

"Those little, small plays are not small, but they are unnoticeable in the big scheme of things that are in the box score.

But they are incredibly important towards winning," Hinch added.

It seems like every button the skipper has pushed with this group starting in the second half of last season has worked.

Players have bought into the messaging and mentality Hinch wants to see, and it has resulted in the most successful stretch of baseball that's been seen by this franchise in quite some time.

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