Notable Additions: Jack Flaherty, Kenta Maeda, Mark Canha
Notable Losses: Miguel Cabrera, Eduardo Rodriguez, Spencer Turnbull
The Tigers have been a year away for over a couple of years. The Javier Baez signing has been a bust; most of their big-name prospects are taking longer than expected to show up, and they haven’t finished above .500 since 2016. The Tigers finished 78-84 in a dreadful AL Central, so anything is possible. Still, I do not think they have the firepower to be AL playoff contenders yet, but they are close.
Projected Starters
C: Jake Rogers
1B: Spencer Torkelson
2B: Kolt Keith
3B: Gio Urshela
SS: Javier Baez
LF: Mark Canha
CF: Parker Meadows
RF: Riley Greene
DH: Kerry Carpenter
The Tigers 2023 hitting was not good. As a team, they ranked 28th in OPS, 24th in home runs, and 27th in batting average. Looking at this lineup, this should not surprise you. The only player with an OPS above .800 was Kerry Carpenter. Riley Greene was not far behind with a .796 OPS. Javier Baez has been a complete disappointment. In 2 years with the Tigers, Baez hit .230/.273/.361 with 26 home runs and an OPS+ of 62. He has only accumulated a 2.9 WAR and some embarrassing strikeouts. Could he turn it around? Sure, but I need to see more out of him and this batting order before I give them more than a 2/10.
Projected Starting Rotation
Tarik Skubal
Jack Flaherty
Kenta Maeda
Reese Olson
Matt Manning
The Tigers rotation is worth paying attention to. I am a massive fan of Tarik Skubal, I think Maeda and Flaherty are good value signings, and the young duo of Olson and Manning should be a fun watch. The pitching staff of the Tigers is the best part of their team. They were 17th in team ERA last year, and 3 returning starters had an ERA below 4.00. As for Flaherty and Maeda, Flaherty had a 4.99 ERA, and Maeda had a 4.23 ERA. They are both out to prove they still have some gas in the tank. I give the Tigers rotation a 5/10.
As for the Tigers bullpen, Alex Lange had 26 saves with a respectable 3.68 ERA. Jason Foley also had a good year, putting up a 2.61 ERA with a 170 ERA+. Outside of them and Will Vest, I could be more impressed. I give the Tigers bullpen a 3/10.
Sock’s 2 X-Factors
Tarik Skubal: Missing about half of the 2023 season, Skubal returned on July 4th and posted a 2.80 ERA with 102 strikeouts and an 11.4 K/9 over 15 starts. If you’d like a treat for your eyes, look at his baseball-savant page. The only categories not dark red are his breaking run value, hard hit %, and extension. Otherwise, this guy is elite. He should be a 2024 AL Cy Young candidate.
Kerry Carpenter: Carpenter was the Tigers’ hitting MVP last year, hitting .278/.340/.471 with 20 home runs and a team-leading 121 WRC+. His defense was okay, but with Miguel Cabrera’s retirement, Carpenter projects to be the Tigers’ DH for the 2024 season. His strikeout and walk rates are on the lower side; however, he is still a productive hitter and should be for the Tigers in 2024.
Sleeper: Riley Greene: I have always been a fan of Riley Greene, and I think his breakout is around the corner. He just had Tommy John Surgery in his nondominant arm, so his production might take a small hit this year. Regardless, he put up a promising .288/.349/.447 with 11 home runs in 99 games in 2023. His bat is coming around, and he should be a great corner outfielder for years to come in Detroit.
Prospects to Look Forward to
Max Clark: Drafted with the 3rd overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft, Max Clark is coming off one of the most insane high school stat lines I have ever seen. He hit a .646/.808/1.215 in his senior year of high school. Yeah, the kid can hit. His power is still in question, but when your batting average indicates you can get on base 3 times a game, the power can wait. He started slowly in Single-A, but I am confident that the 19-year-old will find his stride.
Jackson Jobe: Selected third overall in the 2021 MLB draft, the Tigers are hoping Jobe can be the next big piece of the Tigers’ rotation. Unfortunately, he has dealt with some injuries. However, upon returning in 2023, Jobe put a 2.81 ERA in 64 innings of work, showing he still has good stuff. He also has good control of his pitches, only posting a 2.3% walk rate last year. It will probably take him a while to get to the majors, but when he does, look out for Jackson Jobe.
GM for a Day
The Tigers need to acquire a slugger to give this lineup a boost. I would sign JD Martinez or Adam Duvall. Even if it is for one year, someone besides Kerry Carpenter must provide more pop to this lineup. Spencer Torkelson also needs to find his bat. If he can’t get comfortable in Detroit, I would also look to trade him.
Projected Finish: 69-93, 4th in the AL Central, 12th in the AL
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