Detroit Tigers DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene (elbow) is progressing in his rehab, according to Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press. Greene underwent Tommy John surgery on his non-throwing arm back in September and has been rehabbing and training at the team's complex in Florida. He's been hitting, playing catch, and doing some defensive drills, per Petzold. Greene should be on track to start on Opening Day, barring any setbacks, which is an excellent sign for both the Tigers and fantasy managers. After getting off to a slow start last season, the 23-year-old caught fire in July and August before getting hurt. He finished the season with a stellar .288/.349/.447 batting line to go along with 11 home runs, 37 RBI, and seven stolen bases over 378 at-bats. He will be a trendy name in fantasy drafts this spring, especially if he can remain healthy from now through spring training.

Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal has avoided arbitration by way of a one-year, $2.65 million contract. Flexor tendon surgery pushed Skubal's 2023 season debut back to July 4 but he was arguably the best pitcher in baseball from there on out. The 27-year-old worked to a 2.80 ERA across 15 starts and 80 1/3 innings, the sixth-best ERA mark among qualified pitchers in that time. However, Skubal's 2.00 FIP and 3.3 fWAR from July 4 on were both easily the best figures in all of baseball. Tyler Glasnow finished second in both areas with a 2.60 FIP and 2.6 fWAR. Finally, his 28.4% K-BB% was the third-best mark in baseball after his return. As a result, his fantasy stock has risen meteorically and he should be a top draft target this spring.

As of right now, the likely favorite to start at third base on Opening Day for the Detroit Tigers is Matt Vierling, whom the team acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies last offseason. With a weak free-agent market for hitters, the Tigers seem content to let their internal options battle it out while also keeping the runway clear for young hitters like Colt Keith and possibly Jace Jung to make their big-league debuts in 2024. Last year, Detroit's third basemen ranked 28th with a .624 OPS and 27th at minus-0.3 bWAR. Vierling played 35 games at the hot corner in 2023 but had a pedestrian .261 average and 96 OPS+. The Tigers will be hoping he can start elevating and pulling the ball more to dig into more of his power. If the 27-year-old struggles, Detroit has plenty of other options in Andy Ibanez, Zach McKinstry, Nick Maton and Ryan Kreidler. Ibanez is more comfortable at second, but he's deserving of more playing time after posting an .891 OPS after June 2.