Brett Callahan’s first taste of the majors gave the Tigers something to think about, and maybe something to build on for 2027.
The 13th-round pick wasted no time making noise in Detroit. On the first pitch he saw, he ripped a two-run triple.
Two days later, he turned a 97.8 mph fastball from Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Braxton Ashcraft into his first Major League home run. Statcast measured that shot at 110.3 mph, and through his first three games with the Tigers, Callahan already had two extra-base hits after opening the season at Double-A.
The rest of the line was rougher. He finished his first MLB stint at .211/.288/.324 with 27 strikeouts in 80 plate appearances. Still, that brief look was enough for Detroit to keep working with him and to identify a clear target for 2027.
The path forward is pretty straightforward: if Callahan can trim the swings that leave him in pitchers’ counts, his mix of power and speed could turn an injury fill-in into a real regular.
MLB Pipeline noted that Callahan squared up his batting stance before his breakout in the minors and became more selective early in 2026. The results showed up at Double-A Erie, where he hit .268/.374/.504 with 12 home runs in 60 games.
After a June move to Triple-A Toledo, the production changed shape but not pace at the plate. He hit .271/.351/.338 with one homer in 36 games, according to MiLB.com.
The underlying splits point to where Detroit might want to start. Against right-handers, Callahan hit .279/.403/.476, while he posted .250/.290/.383 against left-handers, according to Baseball Savant.
He also drew 39 walks in 278 plate appearances versus righties, compared with seven in 138 against lefties. That matters because his best stretch came when he was getting on base often enough to let his speed play.
He stole 29 bases between Erie and Toledo.
That same formula showed up in the big leagues, even in a tiny sample. Against Ashcraft, Callahan took a curveball for a strike and then got the fastball he was waiting for over the plate. The question for 2027 is whether he can keep that kind of selectivity when pitchers stop giving him the pitches he wants.
Defensively, Callahan played both outfield corners in the majors, which gives manager A.J. Hinch some flexibility if he wants to get him starts against right-handed pitching.
The obstacle is the depth chart. Riley Greene and Max Clark are already in the outfield mix, and the Tigers reinstated Kerry Carpenter, Parker Meadows, Wenceel Perez, and Matt Vierling from the 60-day injured list in their Nov. 2 roster moves.
If that crowd pushes Callahan back to Toledo to open the year, regular at-bats there would give him another chance to prove the approach can hold. In Detroit, though, his speed could earn him a quick bench role as the club leans more into baserunning under new first-base coach Kyle Hudson.
The bigger opening may be in right field. If Callahan keeps getting on base and keeps driving the ball against righties, Hinch could give him a stretch of starts there. That would give the Tigers a real chance to see how much of the hitter they saw at Erie can carry over to Detroit.
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The vote was nearly unanimous, with McGonigle collecting 28 of 30 first-place votes, and the honor carries more than bragging rights for Detroit. Along with the hardware, the Tigers also pick up an extra draft pick and bonus pool money for the 2027 amateur draft, a useful boost for a club that has already seen one of its rising talents turn a strong first impression into a franchise-wide benefit. [Read more 🡒]