Detroit Tigers Newsletter: It's a 21-Fun Salute at Comerica Park this week

How to describe the distance between outfielders Riley Greene and Julio Rodriguez?

Let’s start with Madonna and Beyoncé.

Not as cultural touchstones, though, merely as temporal ones: Madonna, the pride of Bay City, had the No. 1 song on the Billboard Top 100 (“Music”) on Sept. 28, 2000 — the day Greene was born in Orlando, Florida. Beyoncé, meanwhile, and the rest of Destiny’s Child, had the No. 1 song (“Independent Women”) three months later when Rodriguez was born on Dec. 29, 2000, in Loma de Cabrera in the Dominican Republic.

Feeling old yet? Just wait.

Not quite 22 years later, the two will cross paths in a big-league park for the second time — they were teammates on the AL squad in last year’s Futures Game at Coors Field in Denver — and the first time in the majors, as the Seattle Mariners visit the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Tuesday-Thursday.

Hello and welcome to the 21-Fun Salute Newsletter

Rodriguez, of course, is the budding face of the franchise in Seattle; in just 111 games, he already has 21 homers, 23 steals, a second-place finish in July’s Home Run Derby and potentially the most lucrative contract in MLB history. (It’s a complicated deal, but he’s definitely locked up through 2030 for a minimum of $210 million guaranteed; with incentives and options, the deal could climb to $470 million through 2039. And you thought Miguel Cabrera’s contract lasted forever…)

Greene, meanwhile, is quietly having a solid, although not headline-grabbing (outside of Detroit) rookie season. His five homers and 12 doubles, albeit with 82 strikeouts in 258 at-bats, is kinda what you’d expect from a 21-year-old, especially one who missed two months with a broken foot. Debuting in June, he walked a ton that month with almost no power. In July, he didn’t do much of anything at the plate. And in August, he’s not walking much, but the power is coming around (with a .425 slugging percentage that’s second on the roster this month).

In short, if Rodriguez is the flashy Chick-fil-a that debuts to huge fanfare with an established menu and lines around the block, Greene is the neighborhood diner that just opened up — still working on its menu from week to week, but getting better all the time.

In a better world — or just a happier world for Tigers fans — we’d be hyping up this week’s series against the Mariners as a matchup for the future of the American League.

But while the M’s have lived up to their part of the bargain — a 70-58 record, a 2½-game lead on Baltimore for a wild-card spot and a starring role for Rodriguez — the Tigers … well, you know.

We mean, hey, the Tigers have a 2½-game lead … on Oakland to avoid the worst record in the American League. 70 wins … well, that’s a tough ask this season, with only 34 games to go. But they still have Greene, whose season — while not as electric as Rodriguez’s has been — still ranks among the better rookie campaigns by a position player 21 or younger.

Only 12 position players in Tigers history have played at least 60 games in their rookie season at 21 or younger. Those seasons range from the awful (Omar Infante, who posted a .536 OPS in 69 games for the 2003 Tigers — he got better and so did the Tigers) to the awesome (Heinie Manush, who hit .334 and struck out just 21 times in 109 games for the 1923 Tigers). There was even a season in when the Tigers had two 21-and-unders: 1978, when 21-year-old Lou Whitaker won the AL Rookie of the Year Award with a .285/.361/.357 slash line and 20-year-old Alan Trammell finished fourth in the ROY voting with a .268/.335/.339 slash line. (Whatever happened to those guys?)

And yeah, we’re gonna keep hitting that “21 or younger” qualifier; players who appear as fully formed superstars at 21, such as Rodriguez, Mike Trout or Albert Pujols, are the exception, rather than the rule. Just 262 21-and-under MLB position players since World War II have had a rookie season with at least 60 games played; Greene’s OPS+ (OPS adjusted for ballpark and for league average) of 100 is tied for 92nd, right behind Whitaker’s 101 and ahead of 63.7% of the set. (Rodriguez’s OPS+ of 129 ranks 21st, and Atlanta Braves center fielder Michael Harris’ mark of 135 ranks 15th; it’s a very good year for 21-year-old center fielders.)

So although so much has gone wrong for the Tigers — including having to wait until mid-June for Greene’s debut — we still get this series, featuring two of the top young center fielders in the game for years to come. And that’s worth enjoying, even if it does send us back down a rabbit hole of Madonna and Destiny’s Child jams between now and Tuesday night.

What about Riley’s pal, Tork?

Big-league rosters expand by a hitter and pitcher beginning Thursday, which would give the Tigers a chance to recall Spencer Torkelson. But has he earned it? The first baseman — born Aug. 26, 1999, the No. 1 song on his birthday was Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle” — has a .261/.393/.455 slash line this month in Triple-A Toledo, and a .947 OPS over the past week. But is he the only Mud Hen the Tigers are considering? The Freep’s Evan Petzold dug into the candidates for promotion in the season’s final month here.

Jung at heart

While we’re down in the minors, let’s head to the west side of the state, where the Tigers’ top pick in 2022, Jace Jung, already has three weeks of experience in High-A with the West Michigan Whitecaps. (Jung, by the way, is six days younger than Greene; the No. 1 song on his birthday was also Madonna’s “Music.”) Saturday night brought Jung’s first pro homer, and Our Man Petzold was on the scene for the No. 12 overall pick’s celebration. Click here to find out what the Tigers’ timetable for Jung’s development is.

Turn ahead the clock

As we noted earlier, there are just 34 games left this season (and seven of them are against the M’s, thanks to a season-ending four-game set in October in the Pacific Northwest). That means it’s time to start looking ahead to next season, as well. MLB released its 2023 schedule last week, and Our Man Petzold broke it down. (Spoiler, the Tigers’ annual trip to Seattle comes in July — immediately after the All-Star Game there.) Click here to find out why the first six weeks of the schedule could be brutal, and why the final month might be equally pleasant.

Short-term solution?

Among the many questions facing the Tigers next season: What position will Javier Báez play? Just two seasons after winning the NL Gold Glove at short, Báez leads the AL in errors (20), prompting some to wonder if a move to second base is in his future sooner, rather than later, according to Our Man Petzold. (To be fair, he also led the NL in errors in 2021, albeit with only 24, and he leads the AL in putouts at short this season with 163.) So what does Báez think about a position switch? Click here to find out. (The No. 1 song on Báez’s Dec. 1, 1992 birthday: Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.”

Rogers' return

Another position in flux in 2023: Catcher, especially since Jake Rogers, still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, won’t be ready in time for the end of this season. What’s the holdup? Rogers is swinging the bat fine, but he has yet to be cleared to throw fully, Our Man Petzold reports. Click here to find out why manager A.J. Hinch says, “It's very much up in the air." (Rogers’ b-day No. 1: Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It” — missing Madonna’s “Take a Bow” by a week.)

3 to watch

But what about this week? Here are three Tigers to keep an eye on:

WILLI CASTRO: He’s learning the outfield on the fly, and runners are learning that the hard way.

MATT MANNING: The 24-year-old has a 2.40 ERA this month, with another start set for Tuesday.

EDUARDO RODRIGUEZ: In two starts since his 3-month absence, he has allowed one run. Start No. 3 comes Thursday.

Mark your calendar!

Rodriguez isn’t the only wunderkind visiting Comerica Park. Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and the Royals hit town for a three-game set on Friday-Sunday. Witt, the No. 2 overall pick in 2019 (three spots ahead of Greene) just missed the cutoff for our 21-and-under group, as he turned 22 on June 14. (The No. 1 song on HIS birthday: “Maria Maria” by Santana.) He’ll grab some Rookie of the Year votes, too, with a .252/.293/.442 slash line that includes 18 homers, 21 doubles and six triples, plus 26 steals.

Happy birthday, Kerry!

While we’re talking rookies, Kerry Carpenter turns 25 on Friday. (No. 1 on his birthday: “Mo Money Mo Problems” by The Notorious B.I.G. and Puff Daddy.) Carpenter debuted with a bang, hitting two homers in his first five games, then slumped for a bit before finding his offense again Saturday in Texas: His 3-for-5 night with two doubles gave him a .486 slugging percentage, the best among Tigers in August.

Other Tigers birthdays this week: John Hicks (33 on Wednesday), Ramon Santiago (43 on Wednesday), Hideo Nomo (54 on Wednesday), Nate Robertson (45 on Saturday), Luis Gonzalez (55 on Saturday), Doyle Alexander (72 on Sunday).

TL;DR

Perhaps the most productive rookie season by a Tiger 21 and under belongs to Greene’s distant, distant predecessor in the leadoff spot, Donie (pronounced DOE-nie) Bush. The shortstop led the AL in games played (157), runs scored (115), walks (88) and sacrifice bunts (52) while slashing .273/.380/.314 (it was a different era, for sure) to pile up 6.5 WAR for the AL champs. His salary that year: $2,500, the equivalent of $72,167 in 2022.

But as to the question we know you have, if you’ve read this whole newsletter: No, we don’t know what the nation’s No. 1 song was on his birthday in Indianapolis — Oct. 8, 1887. It was a little before Madonna’s time. We think.

Contact Ryan Ford at rford@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @theford.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers Newsletter: Riley Greene, J-Rod bring 21 fun to town