Detroit Tigers: Looking into the power boost to start the 2020 season

The Detroit Tigers have seen a boost in their power numbers to begin the 2020 season, here’s a look at some of the factors.

In a 60-game sprint season like 2020, statistical leaders, both team and player, come from unlikely sources. For example, the Detroit Tigers are amid the top of the league for home runs, which should be jaw-dropping based on how they performed during the 2019 season.

Even being a season of “unlikely heroes,” hitting twelve home runs over the first six games, says something. The Tigers have shown that they are going to increase the rate at which they hit for power, that has been made clear.

With a start they have had through the beginning of the 2020 season, it looks like the Tigers hitting is coming around slowly but surely. It was known that there would be a boost in power based on offseason moves, but the rate at which balls are flying for the Tigers is much higher.

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The Tigers signed two 2019 Minnesota Twins players, C.J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop, who provide power for the Tigers lineup.

Not to mention, Cron got off to a hot start in the first series against the Reds as he looks to earn a call-back for future seasons.

Keep in mind that the Minnesota Twins hit 307 home runs in the 2019 season, leading all of Major League Baseball in that category.

The Tigers poached two of their hitters who combined for 48 home runs on the season.

Cron would smash 25 longballs, and Schoop would hit 23 big flies for the Twins during the 2019 season. Just for comparison, that is more than any player from the 2019 Tigers roster.

In fact, the Tigers would only see 149 home runs hit during the 2019 season, with Brandon Dixon leading the way with 15 homers. The Tigers hit less than half of the amount than the Twins put up in 2019, but to be fair, they were the worst team in baseball, besides the Miami Marlins in this category.

Here’s a further look at the 2019 boost in power among the Detroit Tigers.

As mentioned above, the Detroit Tigers hit 149 home runs during last year’s 161 games played. Given these numbers, they were averaging 0.93 home runs per game. To shrink these numbers down to 60,  the Tigers would have hit 56 home runs over a 60-game sprint in 2020.

Now, this does not account for a streaky month or anything, just the simple totals divided or multiplied to fit the correct season length. So it is evident that the Tigers did not do much in terms of hitting big flies in 2019, but looking at 2020, things are off to quite the start.

Currently, through six games, the Tigers have hit twelve home runs, which would equate to around 120 home runs on the season, which is insane throughout 60-games. Think about it; this means that the Tigers are averaging two home runs every single game.

That is not going to happen throughout a 60-game season; that pace is too high to be feasible. The Tigers are hot out of the gate and will most likely cool down, but an increase in power is coming, that is certain.

If this were a regular 162-game season, the Tigers would have 32 home runs through 16 games on the season. To offer a comparison to 2019, the Tigers opened up the 2019 season with only seven home runs through their first 16 games.

This pace may just be a hot start, but either way, the Tigers seem poised to have a sizable increase in pop this season, even though it is shortened. While all of this is good news, the Tigers are allowing just as many home runs. The ball has been flying out for the opponents as well.

To remain optimistic, the Detroit Tigers have a chance to make a drastic change in terms of the power in their lineup, even during a 60-game shortened season; if the bats stay hot, they have a chance.