Detroit Tigers Shortstop Ranked Among Best Rookies in Baseball

The Detroit Tigers are having an excellent season, as they are battling the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Divisional Series. 

In 2024, the Tigers surprised everyone with their amazing run in the second half of the campaign. Detroit was one of the best teams after the MLB Trade Deadline, and that made their second half of the season even more surprising considering they were sellers. 

One of the most notable players that they traded was starting pitcher Jack Flaherty. The big right-hander was having an excellent season for the Tigers, and he was sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

In exchange for the talented right-hander, Detroit received shortstop prospect Trey Sweeney. The young shortstop ended up having a much better impact than could have been imagined after taking over as the starting shortstop. 

Recently, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report highlighted the Top 50 rookies of 2024 and Sweeney came in ranked 50th. 

“The Tigers acquired Sweeney in the deal that sent Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers at the trade deadline, and he took over as the team's everyday shortstop after Javier Báez was lost for the season to a hip injury. He hit .218/.269/.373 with four home runs and 17 RBI in 119 plate appearances and provided plus defense (4 DRS, 2.6 UZR/150) at a premium position.”

While Sweeney might not have been the best hitter for the Tigers, he was a very strong fielder in an important defensive position. Having a strong defensive middle of the infield is very important for a pitching staff, and Detroit has found a very good defensive shortstop. 

As the team prepares for next season, it will be interesting to see what they do at the position, as Javier Baez is owed a ton of money, but hasn’t performed up to expectations. Sweeney’s ability to improve as a hitter will be important if he is going to want to be the shortstop for the Tigers starting in 2025. 

In the minor leagues this season, the young prospect hit .267 with 15 home runs in mostly the Dodgers’ farm system this campaign. 

While Detroit might have wished that they held on to Flaherty knowing what they know now about their season, having a player like Sweeney being able to come in and contribute right away for them in the stretch run is a good sign that they got a nice return. 

As the Tigers head into 2025, the shortstop position will be an interesting one to monitor, as Sweeney could end up staying as the starter next year.