Tigers' Hitters Fantasy Baseball Preview | Riley Greene, Gleyber Torres, Colt Keith, Kerry Carpenter, Spencer Torkelson and More

It's time for another fantasy baseball team preview! We'll open the day by looking at the Detroit Tigers - we'll cover hitters first and pitchers in another story later.

We've covered the Marlins (hitters and pitchers), Blue Jays (hitters and pitchers), Brewers (hitters and pitchers), Astros (hitters and pitchers), Cubs (hitters and pitchers), Royals (hitters and pitchers), Dodgers (hitters and pitchers), Rangers (hitters and pitchers) , Nationals (hitters and pitchers), Orioles (hitters and pitchers), Reds (hitters and pitchers), Red Sox (hitters and pitchers), Mets (hitters and pitchers), Twins (hitters and pitchers), Giants (hitters and pitchers), Athletics (hitters and pitchers), Pirates (hitters and pitchers), Mariners (hitters and pitchers), Rockies (hitters and pitchers), Rays (hitters and pitchers), Braves (hitters and pitchers) and White Sox (hitters and pitchers) already.

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Top Fantasy Hitters

There's a few Detroit hitters on the ADP list so far.

The first is Riley Greene, who is going at pick 128.38 on average. He's followed closely by teammate Gleyber Torres (131.75).

Colt Keith (188.67), Parker Meadows (190.5) and Kerry Carpenter (195.5) are other borderline standard league picks. 

Greene has dealt with several injuries over his career, but has been pretty good when out there.

He played in 137 games last season, hitting .262 and getting on base at a .348 clip. Greene added 24 homers, 74 RBIs, four stolen bases and 82 runs scored.

Those 137 games were a career high for him, which is part of the reason why he isn't going any earlier in fantasy drafts. Greene's fantasy ceiling is much higher than that pick, which makes him a fine pick around that ADP in my eyes. He can be one of your final fantasy outfielders, and if he gets in at least as many games as 2024, Greene should be a draft steal.

Torres is getting ready to play his first game as a member of the Tigers after spending the past seven years with the Yankees.

Torres played in 154 games last season, finishing with a .257 average and .378 on-base percentage. He also had 15 homers, 63 RBIs, four stolen bases and 80 runs scored.

Most of those numbers were lower than marks he posted in 2022 and 2023, so maybe a change of scenery will do him well. The second baseman definitely took a hit to his fantasy outlook after leaving New York, but if he hits leadoff like expected, Torres should perform pretty well with several good hitters behind him.

Torres is one of the last fantasy second basemen on the ADP list who I'd consider an everyday starting option. I'd feel most confident with Torres as my second option though, or by taking another 2B in the last few rounds after Torres.

Keith is listed as a second baseman, but should gain first base eligibility quickly because he should start everyday at that position.

Keith flashed some potential in his 148-game rookie season in 2024. He had a .260 average and .309 OBP, along with 13 homers, 61 RBIs, seven stolen bases and 54 runs scored.

He's expected to bat fifth, which is a good fantasy spot for him. With extra position versatility coming, I love the idea of taking Keith late in drafts. He could be a possibility if you took Torres, or took a gamble on another 1B or 2B. I think Keith will be a starting option in all leagues most of the season, and think he's pretty undervalued to kick off this season.

Meadows is dealing with an injury right now, so his draft stock has been falling quickly. He's likely to open the season on the injured list.

Meadows played in 82 games last season, hitting .244 and getting on base at a .310 clip. He had nine homers, 28 RBIs, nine stolen bases and 39 runs scored.

He'll be a solid fantasy option when he's back healthy, but he's really not worth holding onto in standard leagues until he's healthy, so I'd say to skip him in standard league drafts and then pick him up when he's ready to go. He's a better deep-league option unless he improves his numbers across the board.

Carpenter is going late in standard league drafts (or not at all) because of durability concerns.

He's played over 115 games just once since debuting in 2022. In 87 games last season, Carpenter had a .284 average and .345 OBP, along with 18 homers, 57 RBIs, no stolen bases and 37 runs scored.

You can see plenty of fantasy production in those numbers, but health is holding him back from being a must-draft fantasy player. I do like taking a gamble on him late in standard league drafts, especially if you need a little more outfield help. He's an everyday starter when in the lineup, and can simply be dropped if he gets hurt again. Another thing to note is that he could platoon, and if he does, he's just a deep-league option and standard league streamer in a pinch.

Other Starting Options

According to FanGraphs, Spencer Torkelson is the Tigers' projected cleanup hitter and primary designated hitter.

He struggled across 92 games last season, hitting .219 and getting on base at a .295 clip. Torkelson had 10 homers, 37 RBIs, no stolen bases and 45 runs scored. 

He strikes out a ton and hits for a low average, but if he sticks in the MLB, he's worth watching because of the power he possesses. He's a better deep-league option to kick off the season, but could get some standard league run when he's hot at the plate.

Wenceel Perez and Jake Rogers are other projected daily starters. Trey Sweeney and Jace Jung are platoon guys with Javier Baez and Andy Ibanez, while Dillon Dingler is the backup catcher and Zach McKinstry is the other bench bat.

Perez could lose his starting role when Meadows or Matt Vierling are back from their injuries. Perez had a .242 average, .300 OBP, nine homers, 37 RBIs, nine stolen bases and 51 runs scored last season, so there's at least some deep-league appeal when he's consistently starting.

Rogers played in 102 games last season, hitting .197 and getting on base at a .255 clip. He had 10 homers, 36 RBIs, a stolen base and 43 runs scored. If the 29-year-old struggles, maybe Detroit would turn more to the 26-year-old Dingler.

Sweeney and Jung might be better deep-league options to kick off the season, but they could be standard league options if the team is facing a string of right-handed starters. I doubt Ibanez or Baez are even decent deep-league assets if they end up platooning.

McKinstry might lose his roster spot when Meadows and Vierling are back. Speaking of Vierling, he's expected to miss the start of the season. In 144 games last season, Vierling had a .257 average, .312 OBP, 16 homers, 57 RBIs, six stolen bases and 80 runs scored, so he could get some standard league love if he keeps those numbers up when he's back in action.

Top Prospects

Max Clark is ranked sixth on the top-100 prospect list, but his ETA isn't until 2027. Kevin McGonigle is ranked 28th, but also with a 2027 ETA.

Bryce Rainer is ranked 52nd and has a 2028 ETA. Thayron Liranzo's ETA is 2026 and he's ranked 81st. Josue Briceno is ranked 94th and has a 2027 ETA.

Jung, Hao-Yu Lee, Sweeney and Justice Bigbie are some of the team's top-30 prospects with 2025 ETAs.

Clark is an outfielder who has a .269 average and .374 OBP across 130 minor league games so far. He also has 11 homers, 34 stolen bases, 94 RBIs, 93 runs scored, 82 walks and 119 strikeouts.

McGonigle is a middle infielder with 95 minor league games under his belt. He has a .310 average, 412 OBP, six homers, 50 RBIs, 30 stolen bases, 67 runs scored, 64 walks and just 38 strikeouts.

Rainer was the 11th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. He hasn't played in the minor leagues yet.

Liranzo is a catcher and first baseman with 256 minor league games played so far. He has a .254 average, .381 OBP, 45 homers, 159 RBIs, six stolen bases, 167 runs scored, 180 walks and 276 strikeouts.

Briceno is another option at first base and catcher. In 139 minor league games, Briceno has a .283 average, .367 OBP, 13 homers, 76 RBIs, 84 runs scored, five stolen bases, 65 walks and 99 strikeouts.

Jung played 34 MLB games in 2024, hitting .241 and getting on at a .362 clip. He has a .259 average, .377 OBP, 44 homers, 158 RBIs, nine stolen bases, 143 runs scored, 175 walks and 262 strikeouts across 253 minor league games.

Lee is a second and third baseman. He has played 250 minor league games. He has a .288 average, .372 OBP, 28 home runs, 146 RBIs, 46 stolen bases, 150 runs scored, 112 walks and 206 strikeouts.

Sweeney had a .218 average and .269 OBP, along with four homers, 17 RBIs, 11 runs scored, two stolen bases, seven walks and 32 strikeouts in 36 MLB games last season. In 350 minor league games, Sweeney had a .254 average, .356 OBP, 51 homers, 190 RBIs, 75 stolen bases, 247 runs scored, 202 walks and 369 strikeouts.

Bigbie has a .283 average and .361 OBP across 380 minor league games so far. He also has 28 homers, 194 RBIs, 18 stolen bases, 200 runs scored, 149 walks and 301 strikeouts.

Eliezer Alfonzo, Eddys Leonard and Justyn-Henry Malloy are three more players age 25 or below who are in big league camp with Detroit this season.