Heading into the 2022 season, there was a lot of optimism about the Detroit Tigers in the city.
They had spent money to bring in Eduardo Rodriguez, Javier Baez, Andrew Chafin, and other players; and there were two rookies good enough to make the entire city dream: Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene.
Only one of them had a passable 2022 campaign, Greene, and he just received an award recognizing him as the best and most impactful player on the team.
“Riley Greene has been voted Tiger of the Year by members of the Detroit chapter of @officialBBWAA. He’s the second rookie to win award, joining Mark Fidrych in 1976,” Tigers insider Jason Beck tweeted.
Riley Greene has been voted Tiger of the Year by members of the Detroit chapter of @officialBBWAA. He's the second rookie to win award, joining Mark Fidrych in 1976.
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) November 4, 2022
Greene just turned 22, and while he was about average as a hitter, he showed a lot of promise.
A Passable Season, With Lots Of Room To Grow
In 418 plate appearances (he opened the year on the injured list with a fractured foot) Greene slashed .253/.321/.362 with five home runs and a 98 wRC+, the league average being 100.
It took him just 93 games to be the fourth-best Tigers position player in Wins Above Replacement, or WAR, with 0.9.
That really speaks more about the Tigers than about himself, to be fair: the team vastly underachieved, finishing with an ugly 66-96 record.
Baez was bad, Torkelson was even worse, and injuries derailed what was left of the roster, at least the promising or good players.
It was rough to witness.
Greene, however, is expected to keep maturing as a hitter and the franchise is in his hands.
He is a five-tool outfielder with much more room to improve than what he has shown.
The Tigers will have no choice but to remain patient with their prospects hoping for a full breakthrough relatively soon.
NEXT: Video Edit Shows Hilarious Javy Baez Strikeout