by Holly Horning
There are less than 2 weeks left until Opening Day and opinions about the Tigers still remaining in camp are starting to gel. For most of these players, we’re seeing enough of them to make educated decisions about their value on the roster.
Many of the positions have already been determined but there are still legitimate battles going on in starting pitching, the bullpen, infield and outfield. But there are still a number of players on the cusp of making the roster. It’s not a given that someone who made it last year will make it again this year due to increased competition.
So which of those players right on the edge am I rooting for to make the roster for Opening Day? I’ve got my top 5 who are not locks – but should be.
1. ALEX FAEDO – He completely reinvented himself during the off-season and it shows. He’s got the best WHIP after Tarik Skubal. Oh, and more K’s than any other pitcher in camp.
2. ANDY IBANEZ – He’s a plus defender and only the best hitter in Lakeland so far. The Tigers are going to need both his bat and glove this year, esp. in the iffy infield.
3. RYAN KREIDLER – He was a plus defender back in 2022 (derailed in 2023 w/2 surgeries) and hitting .286/.483/.429/.911 this spring. I simply don’t see the Tigers playing Javy Baez much in 2024 given his continued decline and even more shocking spring training. Kreidler offers both a solid glove and bat.
4. REESE OLSON – He’s the baby-faced assassin. After 1 bad outing, he’s been on fire and locating his pitches as well as Tarik Skubal. Unlike Casey Mize, there’s no rust to knock off.
5. MATT MANNING – He’s in the middle of refining his delivery and arsenal. His overall stats are currently on the higher side but he’s got one of the best WHIPs out of all the starting pitchers. After Maeda and Flaherty, he’s got more of a veteran presence than any other SP which is desperately needed given that the rest of the starting rotation is very inexperienced.
Is there another player on the verge of making/not making the roster that you’d like to see at Comerica on Opening Day?
Don’t see your comment? Comments are limited to a maximum of 3 sentences.
Please make sure to check out the other rules for posting under the link
at the top of the page in order for your comments to be published.
What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?
- The Javy Baez watch is only becoming more urgent because of the team’s overall ST performance at the plate.
Why should you follow Totally Tigers https://twitter.com/totallytigersbb on Twitter?
- We tweet out breaking news before it’s published in the sports pages. The best news from the best sources.
- Want more than 1 Totally Tigers fix every day? How about throughout the day?
Totally Tigers 