Tigers Outfielder's Unique 2022 Season Is Over

He came into the season as a completely unheralded non-prospect, a 19th-round draft choice. He finished as the best hitter in the minor leagues, and had a nice 31-game run with the Detroit Tigers. Now, unfortunately, Kerry Carpenter's season is over.

Kerry Carpenter is done for the year with a left lumbar strain. But he was one of the coolest stories in baseball this season. He went from unheralded prospect to the best hitter in the minors. Then he posted a 125 wRC+ in 31 MLB gameshttps://t.co/Nv7QCjzrVn https://t.co/e4Y2Sz8IHP

— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) September 29, 2022

A left lumbar strain has done in Carpenter for the 2022 campaign. He came into the season off a Double-A year in which he hit a middling .262 with a .752 OPS, and wasn't really on the Tigers' radar. 

But Carpenter absolutely destroyed it in Double-A and Triple-A this season, hitting a combined 30 HR, with 75 RBIs, a .313 average and a 1.025 OPS. That earned the 25-year-old a promotion to the big leagues in early August. 

His debut in The Show went quite well, as he hit .252 with a .795 OPS, along with 6 home runs in 31 games. And by one metric, wRC+, where 100 is average, he registered a 125 — meaning he was 25% better than the average big leaguer. 

A.J. Hinch on Kerry Carpenter's outlook for next spring: "He's going to be competing for a job. I think we can confidently say he's put himself on the map and earned his way up here."

— Evan Woodbery (@evanwoodbery) September 29, 2022

Tigers manager AJ Hinch confirmed that Carpenter has won himself recognition for a role on the team next season. "He's going to be competing for a job. I think we can confidently say he's put himself on the map and earned his way up here."

Photos: Brian Sevald-USA TODAY Sports, Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports