# Detroit Tigers know one thing is certain in 2026: They’re in great shape at catcher
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Sometimes, you get the best perspective on a player not from their teammates, not from their own manager, but from the one in the other dugout.
So, let’s start this story about Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler by focusing on what it’s like to play against him.
“Dillon has one of the best arms of any catcher in the big leagues,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said on Sept. 30 before the Tigers played the Guardians in the wild-card round at Progressive Field. “He’s a phenomenal defender.”
Now it’s important to keep something in mind. Vogt played 10 years in the MLB, and he was a two-time All-Star who primarily played catcher. So his perspective carries a different kind of weight in any discussion about catchers. “I love watching Dillon Dingler catch,” Vogt said. “It’s really fun.”
Again, it’s important to remember something important. Dingler just finished his first full season in the big leagues, and he is already considered one of the best. He has been named one of three finalists for the American League Gold Glove Award along with Toronto’s Alejandro Kirk and Boston’s Carlos Narvaez. The winner will be announced Sunday, Nov. 2.
“He’s one of the young, exciting catchers in our game,” Vogt said.
It starts with ‘presence’
In my view, Dingler was the single most encouraging thing to come out of the 2025 season for the Tigers because he was so consistent at the plate, not to mention behind it. It’s easy to see him being a foundational piece for this organization for years to come at a critical position.
In 2025, Dingler hit .278 with 13 homers and a 3.1 WAR – the highest of any position player for the Tigers. Only Tarik Skubal, who is expected to win his second straight Cy Young award, had a higher WAR (6.6 WAR).
It’s almost hard to remember now but Dingler came into this season with just 27 games of MLB experience. During the 2024 MLB postseason, Dingler sat on the bench watching Jake Rogers catch every inning.
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So what makes Dingler so good?
“I’m obviously biased because I’m an ex-catcher,” Hinch said. “I believe in presence. I believe in stability. And what a pitching staff needs is the guy behind the plate that they know what they’re going to get regardless of the ups and downs and the offensive site. What he’s given us on the offensive side is exceptional. Our pitchers trust him. You have to earn that. You can’t just show up, be a big leaguer, put on a big league uniform and get that. Inevitably, you have to go out and do it.”
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One of his strengths is his interaction with pitchers. They’ll be the first to tell you.
“He’s been great,” Skubal said Sept. 29. “Outstanding behind the plate. Obviously, with the bat in his hand, he’s been really good this year. He can do a lot of things. He can throw. He can back pick. He can get you out of tough situations when you’re on the mound. He calls a great game. He’s right there with you, battling with you every single pitch. As far as a pitcher, that’s all you can really ask for behind the plate.”
Casey Mize praised Dingler for his work ethic.
“I think the preparation is the biggest thing, but confidence as well,” Mize said on Sept. 10. “It’s just a collaboration, you know. I know he’s really prepared, so I trust a lot of what he does. But if there’s something we need to make any game adjustments on, we do that in the dugout as well. So, it’s a good partnership throughout the game and throughout the season."
But maybe, Jack Flaherty brought up the most interesting idea.
How Dingler can handle each pitcher differently.
Even someone who runs as hot as a burning ember.
“He’s got a lot of patience with me and I appreciate that,” Flaherty said.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“I can be a fiery individual when I’m pitching and not necessarily directed at anybody, a lot of it is directed at myself,” Flaherty said. “I kind of run a little bit hot and have some discussions and he’s taken it and he listens and he hears the message. He doesn’t care the way that it comes out. I appreciate that out of him.
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He looked disappointed and exhausted but was already thinking about 2026.
“Obviously, last year we broke onto the scene a little bit with the great run we had, but we had higher expectations,” Dingler said. “We had a really good team. We had pretty much the same team and added some great parts to it. Obviously, we always strive further than what we’ve accomplished from the last season. So it’s going to be the same thing going on next year.”
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He had caught all 15 innings and he struggled to find the right words thinking about 2026.
Then, he found them.
“There’s going to be a lot more expectations for next year,” he said. “That’s going to start as soon as we get back together. It’s going to start in the offseason, but it’s going to really, really set in the first time we come together in spring.”
And when they come together in the spring, one thing is certain.
The Tigers are in great shape at catcher.