Baseball is officially back: MLB teams will begin the season with “Spring Training 2.0” on July 1.
As always, the beginning of a new season brings hope and excitement to fan bases around the league. In a 60-game season, however, there may be even more to excite Tigers fans.
The Tigers’ Spring Training 2.0 roster is currently comprised of 58 players (potentially leaving room for No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson), with plenty of big names that made the cut.
The roster is as follows:
Pitchers: Tim Adelman, Dario Agrazal, Tyler Alexander, Nolan Blackwood, Matthew Boyd, Beau Burrows, Anthony Castro, Shao-Ching Chiang, Jose Cisnero, Alex Faedo, Buck Farmer, Michael Fulmer, Kyle Funkhouser, Bryan Garcia, Rony Garcia, Zack Godley, Joe Jimenez, Matt Manning, David McKay, Casey Mize, Daniel Norris, Ivan Nova, Franklin Perez, Nick Ramirez, Hector Santiago, John Schreiber, Tarik Skubal, Gregory Soto, Spencer Turnbull, Jordan Zimmermann
Catchers: Dillon Dingler, Grayson Greiner, Eric Haase, Brady Policelli, Jake Rogers, Austin Romine
Infielders: Sergio Alcantara, Miguel Cabrera, Jeimer Candelario, Willi Castro, C.J. Cron, Brandon Dixon, Niko Goodrum, Dawel Lugo, Jordy Mercer, Isaac Paredes, Jonathan Schoop, Frank Schwindel
Outfielders: Jorge Bonifacio, Daz Cameron, Travis Demeritte, Riley Greene, Derek Hill, JaCoby Jones, Cameron Maybin, Victor Reyes, Christin Stewart
Utility: Harold Castro
There is a lot to digest here, but the first thing that most Tigers fans will notice are three names on the pitching side of this list: Casey Mize, Matt Manning, and Tarik Skubal.
Mize was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft from Auburn University and has dominated during his time in the minors, throwing a no-hitter in his first career start at the Double-A level.
Manning was the Tigers’ first-round pick in 2016. He had a very strong campaign last season, winning 11 games and posting a 2.56 ERA with the Erie Seawolves.
Skubal was the diamond in the rough of this group, seeing as he was a ninth-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. He has since become one of the most promising prospects in the Tigers’ organization, flying through the minors and posting a 2.42 ERA in 24 starts last season.
2019 first-round pick Riley Greene is also on the roster.
While these young prospects are unlikely to break camp with the team, their potential presence on the team’s 20-man taxi squad is intriguing. If the Tigers get off to a fast start, they could potentially be called up for a late-season playoff push.
With the roster now available, here’s my prediction for the Tigers’ opening day lineup:
LINEUP
LF: Cameron Maybin
2B: Jonathan Schoop
DH: Miguel Cabrera
1B: C.J. Cron
SS: Niko Goodrum
3B: Isaac Paredes
CF: Daz Cameron
C: Austin Romine
RF: JaCoby Jones
ROTATION
Matthew Boyd
Michael Fulmer
Jordan Zimmermann
Spencer Turnbull
Ivan Nova
