Tigers Fantasy Baseball Draft Preview | Tarik Skubal, Spencer Torkelson, Kenta Maeda, Riley Greene, Alex Lange and More
Discussing the top fantasy players from the Detroit Tigers as the 2024 season approaches.
The fantasy baseball season is closing in quickly. FantasySP has published a number of articles relating to 2024 fantasy baseball draft prep and will continue to do so through the start of the MLB season.
Recently, we’ve been looking at things on a team-by-team basis. We’ve covered several teams already, and those articles can be found at the links below:
American League - Texas Rangers (hitters and pitchers), Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros (hitters and pitchers), Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays (hitters and pitchers), Cleveland Guardians
National League - Los Angeles Dodgers (hitters and pitchers), Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Atlanta Braves (hitters and pitchers), Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers
Now, we’ll take a look at the Detroit Tigers.
Get ready for draft season! Check out our Mock Draft Simulator, Average Draft Position list and Draft Genius!
Top Fantasy Pitchers
The top Detroit player off fantasy draft boards, according to FantasySP Average Draft Position data, is Tarik Skubal. He ranks 51st with a mark of 56.57.
Skubal is set to serve as the team’s No. 1 starting option after a strong 2023 showing. He went 7-3 with a 2.80 earned run average over 15 starts, striking out 102 batters over 80 1/3 innings.
It’s been a couple seasons since Skubal was able to make nearly 30 starts, so there’s some durability issues. I get the hype around him with the strong ERA last season, but after only seeing it for one season, I’m not a fan of taking him that early in fantasy drafts. You’d be counting on him to be a No. 2 or 3 starter for you, and while it’s definitely doable, I’d prefer not to take that big a risk that early. If he falls a couple rounds, then I’d be all for adding him.
Kenta Maeda is the next Tiger on the ADP list, ranking 199th with a mark of 172.24.
Maeda returned to the mound in 2023 after missing all of 2022. He made 21 starts for the Minnesota Twins, going 6-8 with a 4.23 ERA. He struck out 117 batters over 104 1/3 innings.
Maeda should slot into the middle of the team’s rotation. Durability is an issue again, but at this point of the draft, the payoff beats any risk you might take on. He’s a nice depth arm for fantasy purposes.
Reliever Alex Lange is next up, ranking 221st with a mark of 182.3.
Lange is set to be the team’s closer this season after earning 26 saves a season ago. He went 7-5 with a 3.68 ERA over 67 games and 66 innings. He struck out 79 batters along the way.
If you miss out on some of the top fantasy closers, Lange is a sneaky good option late in drafts. Jason Foley would likely fill in for Lange if he’s out with an injury or needs a rest.
The rest of the Tigers on the ADP list are hitters, but there’s several more Detroit arms to mention.
Jack Flaherty, Matt Manning and Reese Olson are the projected starters alongside Skubal and Maeda.
Flaherty made 29 appearances (27 starts) for the St. Louis Cardinals and Baltimore Orioles a season ago, combining for 144 1/3 innings pitched. He went 8-9 with a 4.99 ERA and stuck out 148 batters.
Manning made 15 starts for Detroit in 2023, finishing with a 5-4 record and 3.58 ERA. He struck out 50 batters over 78 innings.
Olson made 21 appearances in his first MLB action. He went 5-7 with a 3.99 ERA and 103 strikeouts over 103 2/3 innings.
Joey Wentz is another starting option. He was 3-13 with a 6.90 ERA in 2023. Wentz struck out 98 batters over 105 2/3 innings.
With the last four pitchers I mentioned, they are all streaming options for the season. One could get hot for a while, and the FantasySP team will be here to help you identify that player, so check back during the regular season.
Top Fantasy Hitters
Spencer Torkelson is the first Detroit hitter on the ADP list, ranking 150th with a mark of 144.33.
He played 159 games in 2023, finishing with a .233 average and .313 on-base percentage. He collected 141 total hits, 94 RBIs and 88 runs scored. He homered 31 times among his 66 extra-base hits.
The average wasn’t pretty, but his overall numbers were pretty strong. If he can even bump his average to around .250, he’ll be a pretty big draft steal. He’s a borderline 1B starter - I’d personally prefer him as a backup option, or infield/utility starter. Either way, I’d want my other 1B option to be a pretty strong fantasy asset.
Riley Greene is next up, ranking 240th with a mark of 198.8.
Greene got in 99 games in 2023, finishing with a .288 average and .349 on-base percentage. He had 109 total hits, 37 RBIs, seven stolen bases and 51 runs scored. Eleven of his 34 extra-base hits were home runs.
Lack of games played is what is leaving Greene with the ADP he’s currently at. If he gets in a full season, he’ll be a pretty big draft steal, but I wouldn’t take him too much earlier than his ADP. He’s a good backup option or outfield/utility starter, with the chance to really power a fantasy team if he can stay healthy.
Mark Canha is next up, ranking 262nd with a mark of 210.83. He’s expected to play left field for Detroit.
Canha played 139 total games between stints with the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets a season ago. He finished with a .262 average and .355 on-base percentage. He drove in 62 runs, stole 11 bases and scored 51 times. He had 114 total hits, 37 of which went for extra bases (11 homers).
Canha is an interesting fantasy option late in drafts. He posted pretty solid numbers last season, albeit with not much power. He’s a good backup option who could be close to an everyday starter for large portions of the season.
Kerry Carpenter is next up, ranking 283rd with a mark of 225.8.
Carpenter played 118 games last season, finishing with a .278 average and .340 on-base percentage. He collected 116 total hits, 64 RBIs and 57 runs. He homered 20 times among his 39 extra-base hits, along with stealing six bases.
I like the value of drafting Carpenter late, even if he falls into a platoon. There’s not a ton of risk involved with taking a player this late in a draft, and he’s got some decent upside. He’s another depth option who could start for large stretches of the season.
Colt Keith is next up, ranking 308th with a mark of 247.67. He’s the No. 22 prospect in baseball and signed a massive contract extension this offseason.
He’s a career .300 hitter in the minor leagues, and is expected to start the season in the MLB. Keith has some good pop in his bat but isn’t much of a running threat. He’s expected to play second base.
Keith is projected to at least open the season in a platoon, so keep that in mind if you want to draft him. He’s a great pick in dynasty leagues, but is probably better off as a depth option in standard leagues. Keith is worth a late pick, with upside to overtake your top 2B, which is never a bad problem to have.
Matt Vierling is the last Detroit player on the ADP list, ranking 335th with a mark of 294.5
He played in 134 games a season ago and had a .261 average and .329 on-base percentage. Vierling had 125 total hits, 44 RBIs, six stolen bases and 63 runs scored. He homered 10 times among his 37 extra-base hits.
Vierling could have some position versatility in your league after playing all three outfield spots and second and third base a season ago. That would make him a great bench piece capable of filling in at multiple starting slots. There’s not much risk involved with a pick that late, so I’m all for taking Vierling around that ADP.
Parker Meadows, Javier Baez, Gio Urshela and Jake Rogers are the team’s other projected starters. Meadows is projected to hit leadoff, so even if he’s in a platoon, he could be a decent fantasy asset. Baez has struggled in his two seasons with Detroit, but there’s always the chance he gets hot for a couple weeks, so he’s at least worth keeping an eye on. Rogers should be the primary catcher, with Carson Kelly serving as the backup. Andy Ibanez and Zach McKinstry are other projected bench options to start the season.
Jace Jung is another top-100 prospect that’s expected to debut in 2024. He hasn’t played at Triple-A yet, so he could maybe be a mid-summer call up if he excels there.
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