The Tigers Need to Find More Offense on the Bases in 2027

One of the more overlooked aspects of the Detroit Tigers' disappointing 2026 season was their inability to generate additional offense through baserunning.

Detroit finished with just 58 stolen bases, the second-lowest total in Major League Baseball, ahead of only the Houston Astros. The Tigers were also caught stealing 23 times, producing a success rate of approximately 71.6%.

For a team that frequently struggled to create consistent scoring opportunities, those numbers provide another area for improvement entering 2027.

The Tigers have spent much of the past several seasons emphasizing versatility, defensive positioning and matchups. However, their approach on the bases has not always complemented those priorities, particularly when the lineup has lacked consistent power production.

The arrival of younger players late in the season offered a glimpse of what a more aggressive approach could look like.

Detroit stole 18 bases in September, accounting for approximately 31% of its season total. While that was a relatively small sample, it demonstrated that the roster possessed more baserunning potential than its full-season statistics suggested.

Kevin McGonigle led the Tigers with 12 stolen bases. His ability to reach base consistently and create opportunities with his legs provides Detroit with an additional offensive weapon beyond his production at the plate.

The emergence of younger, more athletic players should create opportunities for the Tigers to improve in this area without changing their entire offensive philosophy.

However, simply increasing stolen-base attempts is not necessarily the answer.

Detroit needs to become more efficient when choosing when to run, particularly considering that the value of a stolen base depends on the game situation, the hitter at the plate and the likelihood of advancing successfully.

Using the conventional break-even framework, a stolen-base success rate of roughly 70% to 75% is often required for attempts to provide positive expected run value, although the precise threshold changes depending on the situation.

Detroit's 71.6% success rate was therefore not particularly encouraging.

The club's struggles extended beyond stolen bases.

According to Statcast, Detroit finished with minus-4 Baserunning Runs, tied for 22nd in baseball. That represented a significant decline from the previous three seasons, when the Tigers posted positive marks of plus-6 or better each year.

Baserunning value includes more than stolen bases. Taking an extra base on a single, advancing on a ball in the dirt and recognizing when an opposing outfielder is positioned to prevent advancement can all influence an offense.

Those situations become particularly important for teams that do not consistently produce multiple extra-base hits in the same inning.

The Tigers should also consider how their lineup construction influences baserunning opportunities.Players with strong on-base skills can create more opportunities for aggressive baserunning, but the hitters behind them need to make those opportunities worthwhile.

An extra base provides limited value if the following hitters consistently strike out or fail to put the ball in play.

The Tigers have already begun making changes to their coaching staff, including the reported departure of first-base coach Anthony Sanders after one season. Sanders was brought in partly because of his experience with baserunning instruction, although assigning Detroit's disappointing results entirely to one coach would ignore several other factors.

The personnel on the field ultimately determine how aggressively a team can run, and Detroit's roster became younger as the season progressed.

The organization now has an opportunity to evaluate whether those changes should produce a different offensive approach in 2027.

That does not mean the Tigers should attempt to become one of baseball's leading stolen-base teams overnight.

An improvement from 58 stolen bases to something closer to the league's middle tier would be useful, provided the team also improves its success rate and overall decision-making.

More importantly, Detroit should focus on eliminating unnecessary outs while creating additional scoring opportunities.

A team that finished 76-86 cannot reasonably expect improved results simply because its younger players gain another year of experience. There are areas where the organization can make relatively modest improvements that could translate into additional runs over a full season.Baserunning is one of them.

The Tigers will continue looking for ways to add offensive production through player development, lineup adjustments and potential acquisitions. But producing more runs does not always require another expensive hitter.

Sometimes the opportunity involves making better decisions with the players already on the roster.

Detroit has more athleticism entering 2027 than its 2026 stolen-base total suggests. The challenge now is converting that athleticism into meaningful offensive production.