Dillon Dingler's Rise to Tigers' Star Catcher

0:00On April 23rd, Dylan Dingler went from a glove first catcher prospect to a legit star for the Detroit Tigers. Drafted in the second round back in 2020, he battled high strikeout rates in the minors that capped his outlook at Backup Status. But now at age 27, he's slashing balls with a solid bat and elite defense, racking up wins above replacement that put him among the top. Catcher's league wide. Early on, Dingler whiffed over 30% in AA and Triple A, dropping him in prospect rankings from top 100 to outside the list. Injuries didn't help in 2023, but last year in Triple A, he cut strikeouts to 20.3%, walked 10% of the, time, and slowed 17 homers with a 145 weighted runs created plus. Fans and scouts are buzzing over his gold glove win at catcher in the American league, top tier framing, blocking, and arm strength. Offensively, he posted a tolerable 23.5% strikeouts with 14 homers and a 109 weighted runs created plus as a rookie.

1:04That combo earned him 5 wins above replacement per fan graphs over 174 games. This season, in 83 played appearances, Dingler's strikeout rate dipped to 16.9%, walks ticked up to 6% and, he's hitting with 95th percentile barrel and hard hit rates. Contact rates jumped from 67% in AA to 78.5% now, showing real swing improvements. Pictures might tighten up, throwing fewer strikes like the 47.8% zone rate so far, but Dingler's package strengthens. Detroit's young core, with guys like Kevin McGonagall and Max Clark, plus payroll flexibility to build around him long term. Baseball news, powered by AI, this is MLB News Today. I'm Corey with the story.