Detroit Tigers DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Detroit Tigers outfielder Parker Meadows has a shot to open the year as the team's starting center fielder. The 6-foot-5 24-year-old appeared in 37 games down the stretch for Detroit last season and slashed .232/.331/.368 with three home runs, 13 RBI, and eight stolen bases over 125 at-bats. He flashed the leather in center field as well. Riley Greene (elbow), who underwent Tommy John Surgery in the offseason is going to shift to a corner outfield spot, with some designated hitter days mixed in, to ease him back into action after his elbow procedure. The emergence of Meadows, particularly on the defensive side, allows the Tigers to comfortably shift Greene, who started 2023 as the team's everyday center fielder. There's a chance that Meadows struggles in spring training or gets off to a slow start to begin the season but the job sounds like it is his to lose. He could be an intriguing late-round OF target, depending on where he slots into the Tigers' lineup.

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said the team is planning for "optionality" at third base in 2024 between Matt Vierling, Andy Ibanez and Zach McKinstry. Prospect Colt Keith, who signed a long-term contract extension last weekend, will play second base and is expected to be an everyday contributor. The 27-year-old Vierling should be the primary third baseman coming out of spring training. The Tigers moved Vierling from the outfield to the hot corner in August of 2023. He's unlikely to be an above-average contributor on offense without hitting for more power. Ibanez, 30, responded to a bad start last year by hitting .294 with 10 homers in his final 87 games. Ibanez, who hits right-handed, and McKinstry set up as natural platoon partners at third base, but McKinstry struggled at the plate in 2023. Prospect Jace Jung could become the team's regular third baseman by the end of the 2024 season.

Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said the team won't shut the door on prospect Colt Keith playing third base in the future, but he will play second base in 2024. "We think Colt can play second and third. We think he has the chance to be an average or better second baseman. We also think it's going to save a little bit of the load on his arm and allow him to play the position really well," Harris said. Detroit signed Keith to a six-year contract extension just last weekend, and he'll be a candidate to make the Opening Day roster out of spring training. The 22-year-old is a bat-first infielder and has established himself as one of the better hitting prospects in the game. He hit .306/.380/.552 with 27 home runs in two minor-league stops in 2023 and will be appealing for his power in fantasy leagues, especially at the second base position.

The Detroit Tigers signed infield prospect Colt Keith to a six-year, $28.64 million contract extension that runs through the 2029 season on Sunday, followed by club options for the 2030, 2031 and 2032 seasons. If all of Keith's options are exercised, the 22-year-old would make $82 million over nine years, which would buy out all of his arbitration years. The Tigers are locking up one of their young prospects early for the long term. Keith is Detroit's top position-player prospect and hit an impressive 13 home runs with an .890 OPS in 67 games after his promotion to Triple-A Toledo. His big extension likely secures him a spot on the team's Opening Day roster in 2024. Keith's defense is nothing to write home about, but if he continues to hit the ball hard like he did in the minors, the Tigers will find a spot for him in their lineup.

The Detroit Tigers and right-hander Casey Mize avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $840,000 deal plus a $3.1 million club option for the 2025 season, according to a source. 2023 was a lost season for Mize as he was rehabbing all year from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. The 26-year-old is fully healthy heading into spring training this year, though, and figures to open the season as a locked-in member of the starting rotation. The former first overall pick in 2018 out of Auburn has a 4.29 ERA (4.95 FIP) and 1.21 WHIP with 56 walks and 148 strikeouts in 39 starts over three major-league seasons so far. Mize could still develop into a strong big-league starter, but his fantasy ceiling will be limited by a likely innings limit in 2024.