It's Opening Day For The Detroit Tigers!

Your Motor City Kitties, the Detroit Tigers, open their regular season on Thursday afternoon when they face the Chicago White Sox on the road at GuaranteedRate Field.

Tarik Skubal gets the honor of starting on Opening Day for Detroit. And expectations are up this year. The last .500 season or better for the Tigers was waaaay back in 2016. That was when they were in the American League Wild Card race until the final day of the regular season.

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The fact that even though the team finished 78-84, they finished SECOND in the AL Central behind the division-champion Minnesota Twins. That has the hopes of Tigers fans raised in 2024.

Here's why you should be excited:

THE TALENT IS GOOD HERE...FINALLY

It's taken a few years, but the overall level of talent is better than it has been in nearly a decade. Just take a look at the starters they have now:

Starting pitcher: Tarik Skubal

Catcher: Jake Rogers

1st Base: Spencer Torkelson

2nd Base: Colt Keith

3rd Base: Gio Urshela

Shortstop: Javier Baez

Center Field: Parker Meadows

Left Field: Riley Greene

Right Field: Kerry Carpenter

Outside the lack of offense with Baez, that's a pretty good starting lineup top open the season with.

BARRING INJURIES, THE STARTING PITCHING SHOULD BE GOOD

The Tigers added two starting pitchers via free agency this offseason. Kenta Maeda (who they got from the Minnesota Twins), and Jack Flaherty (who they signed away from Baltimore). Combine them with the aforemetioned Skubal, Casey Mize (who returns from Tommy John surgery), and Reese Olson and you have a pretty good five-man rotation.

But there are two main concerns, IMO...

JAVIER BAEZ'S LACK OF OFFENSE

You and I have more plate discipline than Javy Baez does. He hit only .222 in 136 games last season with 125 strikeouts. And he was even worse this spring (.143). Ryan Kreidler was not happy about being sent down to Toledo, but Baez's 4 years and $98 million left on his contract are why Baez is starting, and Kreidler is in Toledo.

If Baez keeps struggling at the plate, the Tigers may just have to eat the money, release him, and move on.

CAN MANAGER AJ HINCH (PICTURED ABOVE) RUN A MAJOR LEAGUE PITCHING STAFF?

Contrary to the Detroit media and fans think, I don't think so. His insistence to baby these starting pitchers actually contributed to the 10+ injuries the team had last season among the pitchers. He thinks bullpens are more important than good starting pitchers. And that is maddening to many purists. Will it cost them a playoff berth this season?? Possibly.

Plus, his condescending attitude towards the media (and by extension, the fans) doesn't help him. People don't like know-it-alls, and he comes across as one, IMO. If this team fails, will he be able to deal with legit criticism? I say no.

But what do you think? Let us in the comments!