The Detroit Tigers are looking to squeeze all they can out of Miguel Cabrera and are banking on their youth stepping up. The Tigers picked up shortstop Javier Baez in free agency and are counting on Spencer Torkelson and Casey Mize to usher in the new era for Detroit. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Tigers with +750 odds to win the AL Central which is the third-best in the division.
Detroit Tigers projected starting lineup
- Akil Baddoo (LF)
- Robbie Grossman (CF)
- Javier Baez (SS)
- Jeimer Candelario (3B)
- Miguel Cabrera (DH)
- Jonathan Schoop (2B)
- Spencer Torkelson (1B)
- Victor Reyes (RF)
- Tucker Barnhart (C)
Baddoo and Grossman at the top will give the Tigers chances to get speedy players on base for their powerhouse lineup. You could probably take lineup spot No. 3 all the way to No. 7 and interchange it without limiting the potential of the hitters. If Torkelson lives up to the hype, he won’t stay batting seventh for long. The only concern for this Tigers lineup is that if someone misses time with injury, they aren’t very deep.
Projected rotation
- Eduardo Rodriguez
- Tarik Skubal
- Casey Mize
- Michael Pineda
- Matt Manning
Youth wins out in this rotation as well. Pineda serves as their veteran arm, but in the back-end of the rotation, he will be tasked with eating up innings. Skubal, Mize and Manning are the heart of this rotation and the future is bright for the trio. They aren’t expected to dominate from day one, but they are showing promise and can use this season to develop. If they can stay healthy, this Detroit rotation will surprise teams.