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The Detroit Tigers have played a quality brand of baseball in 2025. Detroit currently sits in first place in the American League Central division with a 33-19 record. At the moment, the thought of the Tigers reaching the World Series is not completely far-fetched. However, there is one player who needs to step up in order for this ball club to continue to establish itself as a legitimate contender.
The Tigers traded Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2024 campaign. Detroit re-signed the right-handed starting pitcher this past offseason, though. After recording a 3.17 ERA between LA and Detroit in 2024, the Tigers were hopeful that Flaherty could pitch at an ace-caliber level once again in the '25 season.
There is plenty of time for Flaherty to still have a good season. He has not pitched well through his first 10 outings, however.
Jack Flaherty's difficult start to 2025 season with Tigers
Flaherty, a 29-year-old, currently holds a 4.39 ERA across 53.1 innings pitched. He has also struck out 64 hitters in his 53.1 innings of work.
For context, Flaherty pitched in exactly 55.1 innings with the Dodgers in 2024 after the trade. He turned in a respectable 3.58 ERA during that span. Despite pitching in a bigger market and an extremely talented division, Flaherty found success.
In 2025, though, that has not been the case. It should be noted that the American League Central has quietly been one of the better divisions in the sport this year. Four of the five teams in the division are currently over .500, so it isn't as if Flaherty is struggling in a weak division.
His team has managed to play well despite the circumstances. The Tigers need a reliable veteran pitcher to lead the way, however. If Flaherty cannot be that for them, then perhaps Detroit will consider adding a quality veteran starter at the trade deadline.
Fans react to Flaherty's 2025 performance
Fans are not exactly thrilled about the way Flaherty has thrown the baseball in 2025 so far.
“It amazes me how Jack Flaherty is still pitching in the league,” one fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“Jack Flaherty is f**king horrendous. Not even a valuable arm at this point,” another fan added.
With frustration continuing to emerge, one has to wonder if Flaherty will be able to turn things around.
Will Flaherty figure things out with Tigers?
There are some encouraging underlying numbers that suggest Flaherty could get back on track in 2025.
He is striking out 29.1 percent of all opposing batters, a mark that is better than his 27.5 percent strikeout rate. The Tigers pitcher is also limiting hitters to a .225 batting average. In Flaherty's strong 2024 season, batters hit just .223 against him.
His line-drive and fly-ball percentages are also both better than his career averages. So what exactly has gone wrong?
Opponents are simply hitting the ball hard against Flaherty. No, that isn't just a guess. Flaherty's 40.1 hard-hit percentage against is the highest mark of his career. Overall, Flaherty has recorded a 36.3 hard-hit percentage during his time in the big leagues.
If Flaherty can find a way to begin causing weak contact on a more consistent basis then he should be fine. He is still striking hitters out and Flaherty isn't letting opponents hit the ball in the air too often.
There is reason to believe that Jack Flaherty will find his footing with the Detroit Tigers in 2025. However, he has work to do.
