Detroit Tigers 2019 Season Preview: Fantasy Analysis
Contents
Detroit Tigers 2019 Season Preview
2018 Record: 64 – 98
Projected 2019 Record: 68 – 94
2018 Recap & 2019 Team Outlook
Detroit is another AL Central team going through a rebuild, and were close to losing 100 games last season. They will be close again. Miguel Cabrera missed basically all of last season, and projects to come back to be a slightly worse version than his normal self. Let us remind you that is still above average. Around Cabrera and Castellanos you have a lot of young names or journeymen just collecting a pay check.
The Tigers don’t have a major prospect to get excited about right now, which is never a good thing for a team trying to draw viewership and compete. The staff is also in mediocre shape, as Jordan Zimmermann is your Opening Day starter. Michael Fulmer is already having injury problems.
Overall Detroit is not a team that we can project for many wins, nor be a team that is all that fun to watch. If names like Niko Goodrum and Jeimer Candelario pick it up, then we might have an offense that is at least respectable.
2019 Storylines
The Tigers will bring back their superstar centerpiece, Miguel Cabrera. Coming in fully healthy, the big question is what production will he give. The power has been dropping the last few seasons, but Cabrera is still a dangerous hitter.
Detroit had a trade request handed in from Nick Castellanos at the beginning of the season. They did not meet his demands, and we will need to see if this affects his time in Detroit.
This offense isn’t going to be great, but they might be pesky and tough to beat for the average arm. Out of the three bottom barrel teams in the AL Centra, Detroit might have the most upside. They will be an interesting watch from a rebuild point of view over the next few seasons.
2019 Starting Pitchers
Michael Fulmer was looking to return after missing most of 2018. He has had an injury prone career to start, and 2019 is no different. He will open up the season on the IL, dealing with elbow soreness.
Jordan Zimmermann never brought his NL stuff over to Detroit, and it is hard to expect him to get that back. He has a below average fastball, and his slider is hit and miss. He will turn out a few good starts, but other than that he is going to have subpar numbers when the season is over.
Matt Boyd is an interesting breakout name. He has some decent strikeout stuff, and missed bats last season. With an increased velocity, he is a name to keep an eye on.
The Tigers added Matt Moore and Tyson ross to finish out their rotation. Ross is a slider heavy arm that struggles with left-handed bats and walks. Moore has been a gas can the last few seasons, and isn’t a name to consider for fantasy purposes anymore.
2019 Relief Pitchers
Shane Greene is going to enter as the seasons closer, but projects for over a four ERA. He does project for over 25 saves, so if you are in need of saves late in a draft, he is your guy.
The once highly touted prospect, Daniel Norris, is now in the bullpen full-time. He continues to struggle as a starter, and they are looking to move him into a one-two inning guy.
Detroit has a rough bullpen, and with the starters likely not going too deep, they are going to have a tough time as a whole keeping runs off the board.
2019 Hitters
With Detroit getting Miguel Cabrera back, the lineup looks better on paper. He isn’t a power bat anymore, but still is one of the best contact hitters in baseball. Still expect him to sport an above average OBP and 20-25 HR if healthy.
Nick Castellanos has been excellent the last few seasons, and is the main power bat in the lineup. He did demand a trade at the beginning of the season, so it will be interesting to see if he carries everything over this season.
The Tigers signed Josh Harrison, who is a decent contact hitter. He is going to leadoff, and I like this move for the Tigers. Names like Jeimer Candelario and Niko Goodrum are the two names with the biggest upside.
Projected Starting Lineup
- Josh Harrison
- Christin Stewart
- Nick Castellanos
- Miguel Cabrera
- Jeimer Candelario
- Niko Goodrum
- Grayson Greiner
- Jordy Mercer
- Mikie Mahtook
Noteworthy Fantasy Pitchers
None
Noteworthy Fantasy Hitters
Nick Castellanos – Despite Miguel Cabrera coming back, Nick Castellanos has held down the fort as the better bat in Detroit. It is a rough team around him, and he made his feelings known to be traded, but he stays in Detroit. Castellanos has the best power on the team, and best shot at hitting 30+ HR and driving in 90+ RBI.
