Detroit Tigers: Projecting the 60-Man Roster

The 2020 MLB season is officially back in action. After some miserable negotiations between the MLBPA and the owners, baseball has announced that they will embark on a 60-game season, set to start on July 24. The players will report to “Spring Training 2.0” on July 1, but an even more intriguing date for fans will be this upcoming Sunday, June 28. On that day, teams must inform the MLB which 60 players will be a part of their organization for the upcoming year, with that number including the active roster and the newly created “taxi squad”, which serves as the 2020 version of minor league rosters.

 We decided to take a stab at determining who the Tigers’ 60-man roster would be. While some of these seem to be a no-brainer, others were a tough decision. (Note: All players listed A-Z in their position)

 

Key Decisions to Watch

1. Pitching Health—Michael Fulmer and Franklin Perez have been hampered with repeated injuries over the past few seasons. Do Al Avila and company think that either of these two are healthy enough to carry on the 60-man roster?

2. Aging Veterans or Blooming Youth?—The Tigers have an abundance of infield depth in their farm system. They also have some key veteran players on minor league deals such as Brandon Dixon and Jordy Mercer. Do the Tigers value the major league experience, or will they give the young guns a shot?

3. What do the Tigers do about Jordan Zimmerman?—The aging veteran pitcher has struggled with both performance and health over the majority of his contract in Detroit. Will the Tigers keep him around, or will the shortened season serve as the perfect opportunity to let him go?

4. Service Time—With the season using a prorated service time and salary count, will the Tigers allow the younger guys to get some experience during the course of the season? It should be all hands on deck to win now in Detroit, as anyone has a chance in a 60-game campaign, but we will see what Al Avila has in mind.

 

Pitchers (30)

Alex Faedo

Alex Wilson

Anthony Castro

Beau Burrows

Bryan Garcia

Buck Farmer

Casey Mize

Daniel Norris

Dario Agarazal

David McKay

Gregory Soto

Ivan Nova

Joe Jimenez

Joey Wentz

John Schrieber

Jordan Zimmerman

Jose Cisnero

Kyle Funkhouser

Matt Manning

Matthew Boyd

Michael Fulmer

Nick Ramirez

Paul Richan

Rony Garcia

Sandy Baez

Shao-Ching Chiang

Spencer Turnbull

Tarik Skubal

Tyler Alexander

Wladimir Pinto

Thoughts: Although thirty pitchers may seem excessive, when you consider the heavy work that the bullpens will take on in such a compact schedule, the need for relievers will be crucial. It would also not be surprising to see the Tigers opt for someone like Hector Santiago or Tim Adleman, both under contract in Toledo, for more experienced bullpen help instead of some of the young guns.

 

Catchers

Grayson Griener

Eric Haase

Jake Rogers

Austin Romine

 Thoughts: I think the intriguing decision here for Detroit is how many catchers to carry. It seems like the magic number is four. Kade Scivicque is a potential selection as well, but with these four players on the 40-man roster already, it shows they are the preferred top four. Perhaps a deep sleeper would be 2020 draft pick Dillon Dingler, who has received high praise for his bat. Being a part of the taxi squad would allow him to gain valuable experience with high-level talent for the next few months.

 

1st Base

CJ Cron

Frank Schwindel

Miguel Cabrera

 Thoughts: Cabrera and Cron are locks to make the 25-man roster, and I think that Frank Schwindel should at the least be a part of the 60-man squad. His ability to also play catcher should serve as a benefit for him, and he is a guy who has played in six games at the major league level. After hitting .271 at the minor league level with 16 home runs and 70 RBI, he is a player that the Tigers should continue to develop and have available in case of injury.

 

Infielders

Dawel Lugo

Isaac Paredes

Jeimer Candelario

Jhonathan Schoop

Jordy Mercer

Kody Clemens

Niko Goodrum

Sergio Alcantara

Spencer Torkelson

Willi Castro

Thoughts: There is a lot of young talent in the rest of the infield for Detroit that is just waiting to burst out. With Schoop, Goodrum and Candelario favorites to start in the infield, the competition and depth of the rest of this bunch will make sure they are on their toes the entire season. The real highlight for Tigers fans of course is #1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson, who could get some high quality opportunities to face big-league arms in simulated games and scrimmages as a member of the taxi squad. There are opportunities for many of these players to develop with major league instruction this summer.

 

Outfielders

Cameron Maybin

Christin Stewart

Daz Cameron

Derek Hill

JaCoby Jones

Jorge Bonifacio

Riley Greene

Travis Demeritte

Troy Stokes Jr.

Victor Reyes

 Thoughts: The Tigers have a set starting outfield in Stewart, Jones and Maybin. With guys like Demeritte, Reyes and Stokes battling it out for the fourth outfielder spot, those three should all be on the roster as well. Cameron, Hill, and Greene will have their shot at being part of the outfield of the future, and the way that Riley Greene played during Spring Training 1.0 all but seals his spot on this team. Finally, Bonifacio provides a veteran player on the taxi squad in the event of multiple injuries.

 

Utility

Brandon Dixon

Harold Castro

Thoughts: Harold Castro is poised to play a variety of positions over the 60-game campaign, much like we saw in 2019. As for Brandon Dixon, how can you not bring along your utility man that led the team in Home Runs last season?

 

Who Just Missed the Cut?

Position Players Just Off the List: Nick Quintana, Kade Scivicque, Bryan Packard, Andre Lipcius, Dylan Dingler, Parker Meadows, Wenceel Perez

There are just too many talented position players to fill out a 60-man roster with them all. While they will all get the chance to prove their worth in due time, they lose out to veteran players such as Brandon Dixon and Jorge Bonifacio who could give the team major league experience in the case of an injury. Dingler and Scivicque could both be sleeper picks to make the team, depending on the number of catchers Detroit wants to carry, but with our projection of four catchers paired with three on Detroit’s major league roster already, they both just miss the cut.

 

Pitchers Just Off the List: Franklin Perez, Zach Hess, Hector Santiago, Tim Adleman

Perez still has a long way to go in recovering from injury. If the Tigers believe in his health, then perhaps they would have him on their 60-man roster. The alternative of getting him workouts and bullpens, while leaving the roster spot for another bullpen arm for the Major League club in a condensed schedule could be a valuable solution.

When it comes to Zach Hess, he had a great season at West Michigan in 2019, but he was only at Low-A. He could have been on track for a big moving year through the system, but I think he is too far off to make the taxi squad, when someone like a Shao-Ching Chiang can provide immediate depth at the major league level after two seasons in AAA.

As for Santiago and Adleman, those two players have high-level experience. They could be selected if the Tigers are looking to stock up on relief options, but they may instead want to carry the young guys to give them a chance to develop in the scrimmages.