Detroit Tigers 2025 fan survey results: Optimism is on the rise

DETROIT — This is what progress looks like. This is what happens when your team is coming off a playoff run.

This time two years ago, only 9 percent of survey respondents said they were “very confident” the Detroit Tigers were heading in the right direction. A year ago, that number jumped to 29.7 percent.

This year? We had 37.7 percent of fans say they were very confident in the team’s direction. Just as telling, 52.9 percent of fans expressed they were at least “somewhat confident” in the team’s direction.

With a team coming off 86 wins, a Cy Young Award winner in Tarik Skubal, an All-Star in Riley Greene and more young talent in the majors and the farm system, the days of anger and apathy are over. The question now: Can the Tigers take things to the next level and become real contenders? 

Here’s a closer look at how the fans feel about Scott Harris, A.J. Hinch and more.

How would you rate Scott Harris as president of baseball operations?

Last year, 8.6 percent of fans voted Harris as excellent. The fact that the percentage has nearly doubled speaks to the rapid improvements the Tigers have made in less than three years under his guidance.

There is more work to do, and plenty of people hoped to see the Tigers add more to the major-league roster this past offseason. But the MLB team seems competitive, and the farm is as talented and deep as it has been in a long time. Very quickly, the Tigers went from an organization behind the curve in data and tech to a big-brain organization that is progressive and on top of where the game is going.

Doesn’t mean there won’t be challenges ahead. Doesn’t mean Harris won’t get criticized if the MLB team doesn’t meet expectations this season. But hard to deny all the good that’s been done. 

How would you rate A.J. Hinch entering his fifth season as manager?

Hinch has carried a favorable public opinion for the majority of his time as Tigers manager. That speaks to his baseball acumen and his adept communication skills. But what did it take to elevate him from “very good” to “excellent”? It seems a playoff berth did the job.

Hinch received a 25.5 percent “excellent” rating and 56.6 percent “very good” rating last season. After managing last season’s “pitching chaos” and getting the most out of a young team, almost the entirety of voters hold a high opinion of Hinch.

MLB Network ranked him as baseball’s best manager in February, and he received my vote for AL Manager of the Year. Now, like Harris, Hinch must prove he can help build a perennial winner in Detroit. 

How would you rate Chris Ilitch as team chairman and CEO?

Interestingly, Ilitch’s “very good” rating jumped from 9.1 percent last year to 18.2 percent this year. Again, this is what making the playoffs will do. Had the Tigers signed Alex Bregman, Ilitch would have had a real chance to make more meaningful gains in his public perception. But the mere fact the Tigers offered Bregman a competitive six years and $171.5 million may have played well with some fans.

Most teams tout their infrastructure improvements, but you can’t argue that Ilitch has invested in the Tigers’ facilities and tech in a way that helps the whole organization be competitive.

The Tigers may never be a luxury tax team like they were under Mike Ilitch. Plenty of fans still expressed frustration with Ilitch’s spending in later answers. But on the curve of MLB owners, “average” is probably a fair answer here.

On a scale of 1 to 5, how committed is Tigers ownership to winning?

No coincidence these answers are similar to the overall opinion of Ilitch. Fans want to see owners who pump money into the on-field product and who care about teams the way they do. 

Who’s your Tiger?

I was surprised a Cy Young season didn’t provide a bigger bump for Skubal, who earned 23.2 percent of this vote last season. 

Greene still holds the crown, but his percentage of the vote dropped from 36 percent last season. As more players, such as Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling, have emerged as fan favorites, the variety of responses picked up notably this season.

No player fell harder than Spencer Torkelson, who went from 22.6 percent of the vote last year to only 1.8 percent this season. 

How would you grade the Tigers’ offseason?

Signing Alex Bregman or somehow acquiring another star hitter was likely required for the Tigers to receive an “A” for their past offseason. Reuniting with Jack Flaherty was nonetheless a big move, and the signing of Gleyber Torres perhaps hasn’t gotten enough public love. Otherwise, the Tigers added bullpen help in John Brebbia, Tommy Kahnle and again signed Andrew Chafin. There are also mixed reviews on the addition of the oft-injured, 36-year-old Alex Cobb on a $15 million deal.

Did you want the Tigers to sign Alex Bregman?

Not everyone agrees on the particulars, but most fans wanted Bregman. Here’s a sampling of some write-in responses:

“Yes, I would have gone to $186 million or turned to another bat sooner.”

“To an extent. I didn’t have a hard limit on terms or years but wanted a shrewd deal.”

“I wasn’t all-in on Bregman but wanted to push harder to improve the team.”

“My wants are irrelevant. I feel the Tigers have a near-zero chance of signing a star batsman unless they reconfigure the stadium.”

Tarik Skubal is under team control through 2026. How do you want the team to handle the Skubal situation?

This issue is only going to become bigger in the coming year. In a way, it’s a crucial point for the franchise, and it could be one of the biggest decisions of Harris’ tenure. Even if the Tigers made a wonderful offer, it’s entirely likely Skubal, as a Scott Boras client, will be advised to test his market in free agency after the 2026 season.

A few write-in responses:

“Don’t try to re-sign him as his max-effort-every-pitch style spells more arm trouble in his future.”

“Spend as much as you can to compete in Skubal’s two remaining years. If not competing in ’26, then trade him and let incoming youth integrate in.”

“Obviously, I want him extended, but I know who his agent is and how he operates with all his guys. So hopefully, MAYBE we can get Tarik locked up before the Dodgers give him $1B.”

“Extend him if the young players show they are ready to compete now. Trade him if they are further away than we thought.”

“I want whatever Harris & Co. deem to be the best decision. Full trust.”

Realistically, how do you think the Tigers will handle the Tarik Skubal situation?

Fans want Skubal extended. But if it’s not possible … will the Tigers trade him at a point where they can get real value in return? Or might they prefer simply to compete in 2026, give Skubal a qualifying offer and receive draft-pick compensation if he goes elsewhere in free agency?

Here are a couple of takes from the survey:

“Ilitch will screw it up.”

“The Tigers will attempt to extend him, but ultimately it’s up to Tarik. It takes two to tango.”

“I think they will try to extend him, but Scott Boras will push hard for free agency. They would likely have to make an extraordinary (and possibly ill-advised) offer to keep him from testing the market.”

Other than Tarik Skubal, is there a player you would like to see offered a long-term contract extension?

The discussion around extending Riley Greene is interesting. Outside of Skubal, he’s the player most worthy of a big deal. But what would it take for both sides to make a deal happen? Given Greene’s injury history as a still young player, it’s likely the Tigers will want to see him healthy for a full season before even considering handing out a long-term contract. But given that Greene is already an All-Star with a 4-WAR season under his belt, his value may only continue to rise. We’re already at the point where Greene could command a nine-figure deal. But can he stay healthy? And what would his asking price ultimately be? 

“I want to say Greene,” one fan wrote, “but he has to prove that he’s not Grady Sizemore before committing long-term.”

Wrote another: “Well, obviously the answer is Riley, but when it’s time, let’s do what we did for Colt Keith next for Max Clark.”

How confident are you that the Tigers are headed in the right direction?

Here’s what The Athletic’s Keith Law wrote when he ranked the Tigers’ farm system No. 7 earlier this year: “This has to be the best Tigers system I’ve ever written up, probably the best since their minors had guys like Justin Verlander, Curtis Granderson, Cameron Maybin and company 20 years ago. They’re drafting better and developing better, they’ve made some very shrewd trades.”

How confident were you about the direction of the Tigers this time last year?

Only 10 percent of people selected “unsure” in last year’s poll. But the number of people who felt unsure in retrospect highlights how much we’ve learned about this club over the past year. Another year of developing pitching and making shrewd trades serves as evidence the Tigers know what they’re doing. Greene and Skubal taking big steps forward and the farm system rising up the ranks contribute to people feeling more solid in their opinions of the team.

What is your confidence level in the 2025 starting rotation?

Tigers starters ranked fourth in the majors with a 3.69 ERA last season. And yes, the term “starter” was used loosely over the final two months last year.

This year’s rotation, on paper, has a chance to be even better with Skubal and Flaherty back as a 1-2 punch, Reese Olson as a solid No. 3 with greater upside, and Jackson Jobe likely to enter the mix. There’s also plenty of depth in Kenta Maeda, Casey Mize, Brant Hurter, Keider Montero, Ty Madden and more.

It might be tough for the Tigers to replicate last season’s pitching success. That’s just how baseball goes sometimes. But the Tigers certainly have the talent to form one of the league’s best rotations once again.

What is your confidence level in the 2025 bullpen?

Bullpens are fickle by nature. Last year’s relief group ranked fifth with a 3.55 ERA and was particularly dominant in the second half. This season, the bullpen might be pushed to induce more swings and misses and garner more strikeouts. That’s a big reason the Tigers brought aboard pitchers such as Kahnle and Brebbia while hoping others like Beau Brieske continue to emerge. As good as the bullpen was, last season’s relievers combined to rank only 24th in strikeout rate.

What is your confidence level in the 2025 lineup?

This feels like the key question with this team, and it makes sense that very few fans have a ton of confidence in the lineup. We know the Tigers have young hitting talent. We also know young hitters can be volatile. Much like last spring, Harris is not blind to this notion.

“I will say, for all those blessings, also our youth is a little bit of a curse,” Harris said this spring. “There are going to be bumps this year. We know there are going to be bumps this year. But again, it’s a group that’s a year older, a lot of winning under their belt. And we think that they’re going to come together and continue to build momentum and a positive trend line.”

Which Tigers prospect excites you the most?

Jobe has not been perfect this spring. He’s still searching for the best ways to put away hitters with two strikes. He’s been prone to give up loud contact like he did in Thursday’s spring training outing. But Jobe’s sheer stuff is still off the charts. Whenever he pitches in Comerica Park this season, there should be good crowds on hand.

How would you rate Tigers TV broadcasts last season?

For as much as the Tigers have improved on the field, they’ve arguably made an even bigger jump in the broadcast booth. Last year, only 1 percent of fans voted the Tigers’ TV broadcast as excellent. What’s the difference? Well, the Tigers parted with Matt Shepard as the play-by-play broadcaster and brought in star announcer Jason Benetti. That goes a long way, and last year’s broadcasts were undeniably livelier, smarter and more fun. Andy Dirks, too, has become a hit in the booth and will be doing even more games on TV this year. 

While the Tigers face TV uncertainty in the coming years, like most teams, it’s no coincidence the likes of Benetti and sideline reporter Daniella Bruce are employed by the team/Ilitch Sports and Entertainment rather than FanDuel Sports Detroit.

How would you rate Tigers radio broadcasts in 2024?

The Tigers’ radio broadcast always grades out highly. Dan Dickerson is one of the best in the game, and more stability with color analysts like Bobby Scales and Dan Petry should only help the product this year.

It’s also cool that the Tigers have expanded their Spanish-language broadcast to include all 81 home games.

How many games do you think the Tigers will win in 2025?

Despite the good vibes around the team, the PECOTA projection system has the Tigers winning only 79 games. FanGraphs projects the Tigers will win 82 games.

Will the Tigers make the playoffs again in 2025?

In what could be a tight AL Central, there might not be much room for error if the Tigers again want to get into the playoffs. It is not difficult to see this team beating the projection systems. But it’s also notable that few fans felt confident about the Tigers winning 90-plus games.

How long will it take before the Tigers win their next World Series?

The Tigers haven’t won the World Series since 1984. The fact that they came close but never finished the job in the early 2010s tells you all you need to know about how hard winning a ring is. The Tigers seem to be on a good path to fielding consistently competitive teams. Only six teams — Guardians, Brewers, Padres, Mariners, Pirates and Orioles — have longer World Series droughts than the Tigers right now.

On a scale of 1 to 5, how much do you enjoy the game experience at Comerica Park?

Funny enough, no one wrote anything about looking forward to the ultra-expensive seats coming in the new Home Plate Club.

In a sentence or two, describe your feelings about attending games at Comerica Park

A few noteworthy responses:

“It’s still infuriating how far back the upper deck is compared to the lower deck. They also could do a better job highlighting the history of the franchise throughout the concourse.”

“It is outstanding. Tons of places to park, great beer options, decent food and good restaurants/bars within walking distance, not a bad seat I’ve been in yet. Just wish more of the people there were there for baseball, but it’s fine.”

“It’s fine. It’ll never be Tiger Stadium, so we (I) have to stop comparing it to The Corner. It’s fine.”

“It does not have a warm, cozy feeling. Needs a full house to have excitement.”

“It’s so pricey! I love the Tigers, and it’s a nice park, but I can’t afford the food or merchandise or even the seats. The cost is stopping me from going to 2-3 more games a year.”

“A very fun environment with great food. Still my favorite place to watch a game. But the crowd can be lackluster, though. Living in NYC, I see lots of games at Yankee Stadium where the crowd hangs on every pitch all year. Even Citi Field is more in-tune than Comerica.”

Describe your feelings on the state of the team and its future in a sentence or two.

“Definitely headed in the right direction. Last year was an overachieve, need to keep building smart.”

“Like the Pistons and the Lions, the Tigers have in place an excellent front office that has assembled a roster of promising young players.”

“I believe the Tigers have finally caught up to many of the best organizations in baseball. The hirings of A.J. Hinch and Ryan Garko by Al Avila started the renaissance. The addition of Scott Harris by Chris Ilitch was the final piece, and I feel this organization is now building a franchise that will be competitive for years to come.”

“Good coaching, exciting prospects. Extend Skub and get a bat soon and I’m all in.”

“I like where we are at with young talent, but at some point, money will have to be spent or we are just developing players for the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees to acquire later via trade or free agency.”

Many people wrote simply, “Optimistic.”

(Photo of Kerry Carpenter: Junfu Han / USA Today Network)