X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2014 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep - Detroit Tigers Hitters Review

By Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA (Ian Kinsler) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
What Appears In This Article? hide

 

The Detroit Tigers finished 2013 second in runs and RBIs, and first overall in batting average. They also finished seventh in home runs. To state the obvious, this team was one of the most fantasy relevant teams and that will not be changing much for 2014. The Tigers only have one offensive superstar in Miguel Cabrera, and losing Prince Fielder hurts, but they still have several players worth drafting.

 

2014 Detroit Tigers - Hitters Preview

1B/3B Miguel Cabrera - .348/44/137/103/3

By Keith Allison (Flickr: Miguel Cabrera) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Miguel Cabrera had another fantastic season in 2013. Even though he did not get another triple crown, the season was every bit as good as 2012. This is the best pure hitter in the league and he is in his prime. He will be moving across the diamond to first base this year, but he should be eligible at third base in any standard league, making him the best player at the position by far. He turns 31 in April of 2014, so its possible his numbers could slide a little bit. Even then he will still put up huge numbers and he should be one of the first two players off the board along with Mike Trout.

Draft Projection - 1st Round (Top 2 overall) 2014 Projection - .327/38/129/105/2

 

DH Victor Martinez - .301/14/83/68/0

Martinez started off terrible last year. This was likely a result of him coming off a major injury forcing him to miss all of 2012. If you stuck with him after the first two months, you were rewarded with a fantastic 2nd half where Martinez hit .361 after the all-star break. Martinez is a tough player to project in 2014 because he will now be 35 years old and its hard to see how much his skills are declining because of the fact he missed all of 2012 and then improved over the course of 2013. He did play 3 games at catcher last year so if that makes him eligible in your league it definitely increases his value. After much deliberation, I've decided to be fairly optimistic for Martinez. He has hit .300 or better in each of his past 4 full seasons and I think any decline this year will be countered by the fact that he isn't coming off major injury which should lead to similar numbers.

Draft Projection - 11th to 13th rounds 2014 Projection - .294/15/86/71/0

 

OF Austin Jackson - .272/12/49/99/8

In 4 full seasons, Austin Jackson's batting average has been all over the place. Is he a contact hitter or not? Most likely 2013 was a realistic middle ground for Jackson. The other disappointing stat for Jackson was his decrease in steals. The Tigers were actually last in stolen bases and stolen base attempts last year. This is one category where new manager Brad Ausmus should have a clear impact. While I don't know what his philosophy is, it's likely that the Tigers can't be more conservative on the basepaths than last year. This bodes well for Jackson, who has also seen an uptick in power the last two seasons. At best he is an average starting fantasy outfielder with positive contributions in runs and SBs. Still at his draft position, he could definitely be worth the gamble as your 4th outfielder.

Draft Projection - 14th to 15th rounds 2014 Projection - .275/14/60/105/16

 

2B Ian Kinsler - .277/13/72/85/15

By Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA (Ian Kinsler) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The biggest addition to the Tigers this year, Kinsler has been fairly consistent the post few years though he is trending downward. There is one major red flag with Kinsler this year: Over the course of his career he has been significantly better in Texas. Beyond that, Comerica Park has been one of Kinsler's worst stadiums, hitting just .200 with a .627 OPS in 140 ABs there. Its a small sample size so you have to hope he can reverse that trend, but the bigger trend of playing much worse away from the Ballpark in Arlington is definitely a concern. I remain somewhat optimistic that he will be able to put up similar numbers to his previous 3 years. At 2nd base that keeps him as a middle-tier starting player.

Draft Projection - 5th to 6th round 2014 Projection - .273/17/78/88/12

 

OF Torii Hunter - .304/17/84/90/3

As you can see by their stats, Hunter was quite a bit better than Jackson last year. Unfortunately for Torii, he is also 38 and the sabermetric statistics indicate he is due for some regression. Before hitting .300+ in each of the last two seasons, Hunter had never done  that before in his career. It is very likely he is going to see a big decrease in batting average, and with it will go a lot of the other numbers. Probably worth adding as an end of the bench guy, but I would not recommend relying on Hunter or expecting numbers similar to the last two seasons.

Draft Projection - 19th to 21st rounds 2014 Projection - .274/11/73/78/4

 

OF Rajai Davis - .260/6/24/49/45

You're one stop shop for steals, Rajai Davis! A true one category player, Davis moves to the Tigers this year. The fact that the Tigers added Davis is a sign they are serious about improving their steal numbers under Brad Ausmus. He is 33 but he is coming off his most successful baserunning season yet with 45 steals in 51 attempts. He was third in the league last year despite everyone else in the top 5 having significantly more at bats. If you find yourself lacking speed at the end of the draft he is absolutely worth a pickup. With mediocre Andy Dirks and Don Kelly the other two players vying for time as the left fielder/primary backup, Davis should see plenty of time to nab 30 bases at least with a decent chance for more.

Draft Projection - 22nd to 24th rounds (end of draft) 2014 Projection - .267/3/31/48/36

 

That wraps up the list of projected 2014 Tigers hitters that I see as draftable. To touch on the rest of the crew quickly, Nick Castellanos did have 18 HRs in the minors last year, but he also hit .276. at the major league level, and that will not translate into fantasy relevance for this year. Do not draft Jose Iglesias expecting anything near his .330 batting average with the Red Sox last year. He is a career .257 hitter who is starting for his defensive abilities only, so don't buy this fools gold in 2o14. Alex Avila had a great season in 2011, but the rest of his career indicates that is a fluke and there should be  better options available later in the draft. That covers the hitters of the Tigers, be sure to look for my piece on the pitchers soon!

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nick Senzel8 hours ago

Expected To Miss 3-4 Weeks
Jon Gray8 hours ago

To Start On Sunday
Justin Steele8 hours ago

Likely To Go On Injured List
Anfernee Simons10 hours ago

Out Against The Heat
Max Kepler10 hours ago

X-Rays Come Back Negative On Max Kepler
Keldon Johnson10 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Justin Steele10 hours ago

Has Left-Hamstring Tightness
Matisse Thybulle10 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Davis Bertans10 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Friday
Jusuf Nurkic10 hours ago

Questionable Against Oklahoma City
Dario Saric10 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Noah Clowney11 hours ago

Probable For Nets Friday
Jonathan Kuminga11 hours ago

Questionable For Warriors Friday
Jerami Grant11 hours ago

Considered Doubtful For Friday
Dennis Smith11 hours ago

Jr. Probable For Friday
Lauri Markkanen11 hours ago

Questionable Against Houston
Toumani Camara11 hours ago

Will Not Play Friday
Justin Steele11 hours ago

Exits Thursday's Start
Richaun Holmes11 hours ago

Out Versus Pistons
Cameron Johnson11 hours ago

Out Against Chicago On Friday
Luka Doncic11 hours ago

On The Injury Report For Friday
David Bednar11 hours ago

Still Dealing With Lat Injury
Deandre Ayton11 hours ago

Is Questionable For Friday
Rudy Gobert11 hours ago

Might Miss Friday's Game
Tyus Jones11 hours ago

Unavailable For Friday
Zeke Nnaji12 hours ago

Ruled Out Against Minnesota
Jaden Ivey12 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Rhys McKee12 hours ago

Searching For First UFC Win
Anthony Edwards12 hours ago

Uncertain For Friday Night
Chidi Njokuani12 hours ago

Drops Back Down To Welterweight At UFC Atlantic City
Kyle Nelson12 hours ago

An Underdog Again At UFC Atlantic City
Bill Algeo12 hours ago

Eyes Sixth UFC Win
Joaquin Buckley12 hours ago

Gets Ranked Opponent At UFC Atlantic City
Vicente Luque12 hours ago

Gets Short-Notice Opponent At UFC Atlantic City
Eduardo Rodriguez13 hours ago

Could Throw Off Mound In 5-7 Days
Max Kepler13 hours ago

Leaves On Opening Day With Injury
Nick Senzel13 hours ago

Suffers Broken Thumb
Jason Foley13 hours ago

Earns The Save For Tigers
Tarik Skubal14 hours ago

Tosses Six Scoreless Innings On Opening Day
Corbin Burnes14 hours ago

Pitches A Gem On Opening Day
Royce Lewis14 hours ago

Exits With Quad Injury
Max Scherzer16 hours ago

Throws Bullpen Session
Clayton Kershaw16 hours ago

"Ahead Of Things" Timetable-Wise
Walker Buehler16 hours ago

Ahead Of Schedule
Corey Seager16 hours ago

Active On Opening Day
Oneil Cruz16 hours ago

Batting Sixth On Opening Day
Bryan Reynolds18 hours ago

In Opening Day Lineup
Jordan Romano20 hours ago

Not Expected To Be Out Long
Aaron Ekblad21 hours ago

Returning To Panthers Lineup Thursday
Nikita Kucherov21 hours ago

Establishes New Career High With 42nd Goal
Shane Pinto21 hours ago

Collects Career-High Four Points
Valeri Nichushkin21 hours ago

Nursing A Lower-Body Injury
Samuel Girard21 hours ago

Battling An Illness
J.K. Dobbins21 hours ago

Visiting With Chargers On Thursday
Oskar Sundqvist22 hours ago

To Miss Rest Of Season With Torn ACL
Ethan Bear22 hours ago

Enters Player Assistance Program
Mark Hubbard2 days ago

Coming Off A Career Performance
Davis Thompson2 days ago

Looking To Pay Off A Stellar Run Of Ball-Striking
Akshay Bhatia2 days ago

Coming Into Houston With Confidence
Thorbjorn Olesen2 days ago

Still Trying To Find Footing On U.S. Soil
Patrick Rodgers2 days ago

Fighting Inconsistencies Heading Into Houston
Malik Nabers2 days ago

Shines At Pro Day
Carolina Panthers2 days ago

Jadeveon Clowney Signing Two-Year Deal With Panthers
Wyndham Clark2 days ago

Battling Back Injury Ahead of Houston Open
San Francisco 49ers2 days ago

Talanoa Hufanga Expected To Return At Training Camp
Jayden Daniels2 days ago

Raiders To Meet With Jayden Daniels
Tank Bigsby2 days ago

Jaguars Want Tank Bigsby More Involved
Josh Reynolds2 days ago

Signs Two-Year Deal With Broncos
Doug Ghim2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Houston Open
PGA2 days ago

Cameron Davis Seeking Consistency Ahead Of Houston Open
Thomas Detry2 days ago

A Gamble At Houston Open
Ryan Fox2 days ago

Lacks Upside Heading Into Houston Open
Andrew Novak2 days ago

Will Be Chalk At Houston Open
Josh Doan2 days ago

Scores Twice In His NHL Debut
Filip Forsberg2 days ago

Makes History In Big Comeback Win
Jamie Benn2 days ago

Scores In Fifth Consecutive Game
Sidney Crosby2 days ago

Collects Three Points Versus Carolina
Artemi Panarin2 days ago

Continues Scoring Tear With Three Assists
Joey Daccord2 days ago

Shuts Out Ducks
Sahith Theegala2 days ago

Showing Consistency This Season
Wyndham Clark2 days ago

Working Toward Star Status
Scottie Scheffler2 days ago

Heads To Houston At His Best
Sam Ryder2 days ago

Putting The Lights Out Of Late
Joel Dahmen2 days ago

All Systems Go For Joel Dahmen In Houston
Kurt Kitayama2 days ago

Ready For Houston Debut
Ben Griffin2 days ago

Finding Form Heading To Houston
Taylor Moore2 days ago

Continues Made-Cut Streak Heading To Houston
Adam Svensson2 days ago

Hoping For Consistency In Houston
Taylor Montgomery2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back In Houston
Amon-Ra St. Brown2 days ago

Discussing Extension With Lions
Jared Goff2 days ago

Lions Discussing New Deal
J.K. Dobbins2 days ago

Cleared For Football Activities
Los Angeles Rams3 days ago

Tre'Davious White To Join Rams
PIT3 days ago

Sam Poulin Recalled From AHL
Jack Quinn3 days ago

Could Return Wednesday
Scott Mayfield3 days ago

Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery
TOR3 days ago

Mitch Marner Skates On His Own Tuesday
Trevor Zegras3 days ago

To Return Tuesday
Justus Annunen3 days ago

Inks Two-Year Extension
Nick Chubb3 days ago

Expected To Start Load Running Next Month
D'Andre Swift3 days ago

Bears View D'Andre Swift As Receiving Weapon
Cordarrelle Patterson3 days ago

Signing With Steelers
Sam Howell3 days ago

Seahawks Believe Sam Howell Can Be A Full-Time Starter
Tennessee Titans3 days ago

L'Jarius Sneed Agrees On Four-Year Contract With Titans
Dak Prescott3 days ago

No Indication A Deal Is Coming For Dak Prescott
Calvin Ridley3 days ago

To Have Big Role In Tennessee
Josh Jacobs3 days ago

To Be Used More In Passing Game
Brandon Saad3 days ago

Gets Another Goal In Monday's Loss
Logan Thompson3 days ago

Stretches Winning Streak To Three Games
Pittsburgh Steelers3 days ago

Cameron Heyward Expected To Be Healthy For Training Camp
Zach Wilson3 days ago

Jets Could End Up Keeping Zach Wilson
Amanda Ribas4 days ago

Takes Decision Loss
Rose Namajunas4 days ago

Snaps Losing Streak
Edmen Shahbazyan4 days ago

Scores Vicious Comeback Knockout
AJ Dobson4 days ago

Knocked Out In The First Round At UFC Vegas 89
Fernando Padilla4 days ago

Gets Back On Track With Submission Win
Luis Pajuelo4 days ago

Submitted In UFC Debut
William Byron4 days ago

Dominates For Victory At COTA
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Grabs Another Solid Finish At COTA
Chris Buescher4 days ago

Texas Native Chris Buescher Finishes Eighth At COTA
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Kyle Busch Confronts Christopher Bell Following A Top-10 Finish At COTA
Justin Haley4 days ago

Disqualified After Strong COTA Run
Martin Truex Jr4 days ago

. Rounds Out Top Ten At COTA
NASCAR4 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Worms Way Up To Sixth At COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen4 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Comes Down to Earth After Mediocre COTA Run
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Ran Well at COTA as Usual Despite Late-Race Fade
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Furious Charge Falls Just Short at COTA
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Scores Strong Finish of Fifth at COTA
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Finishes 16th at COTA After Lackluster Performance
Billy Quarantillo5 days ago

Suffers Submission Loss At UFC Vegas 89
Youssef Zalal5 days ago

Gets Submission Win In Return To The UFC
Cameron Saaiman5 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Vegas 89
Payton Talbott5 days ago

Scores KO Win At UFC Vegas 89
Justin Tafa5 days ago

Drops To .500 In The UFC
Karl Williams5 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Kyle Larson5 days ago

Is One Of The Optimal DFS Options For COTA
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Should Denny Hamlin Be Rostered For DFS Lineups At COTA?
Kaz Grala5 days ago

Is A Serviceable DFS Play For COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen5 days ago

Will Start 12th In First COTA Cup Start
Todd Gilliland5 days ago

Is A Sneaky DFS Play With Upside For COTA
William Byron5 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win At COTA
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Is A Comfortable DFS Play For COTA
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

the Favorite to Win at COTA
Ty Gibbs5 days ago

Looking for First Career Win at COTA
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Kyren Williams - Fantasy Football, Waiver Wire Pickups

2024 NFL Free-Agency Winners and the Fantasy Football Impact- Part III

Throughout the NFL's offseason, many players see their fantasy football values fluctuate based on their movement and personnel decisions by their respective teams. Throughout this series, we have identified 12 players who have seen their fantasy football value increase over the free-agency period. The final big fantasy football value movement will come after the NFL... Read More


UFL DFS PICKS, FANTASY FOOTBALL, DRAFTKINGS, FANDUEL

UFL DFS Value Plays: Week 1 Bargain Bin for DraftKings Including E.J. Perry, CJ Marable, Jace Sternberger, more

Welcome to the Week 1 edition of RotoBaller's UFL DFS Bargain Bin, where the goal is to touch on some potentially mispriced players in DraftKings' Week 1 UFL contests. Each week during the UFL 2024 season and postseason, I’ll give you my thoughts on where there may be some value spots to exploit for DraftKings'... Read More


2024 NFL Draft: Bold Predictions and Potential Surprises for Round 1

Football never sleeps at RotoBaller! With the 2024 NFL Draft fast approaching, we're digging into what might transpire on draft night. RotoBaller analyst LaQuan Jones previews the 2024 NFL Draft and makes some BOLD Predictions about possible surprises and potential landing spots for the first round of the draft. Win MORE in 2024 with RotoBaller!... Read More


George Pickens - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Early Look At Wide Receivers In 2024 Fantasy Football Drafts

The upcoming NFL Draft is less than a month away. While everyone is excited for the NFL Draft, fantasy players are looking forward to the regular season. While we won’t have meaningful NFL football for months, it’s never too early to prepare for your fantasy football drafts. Last year, the fantasy football world saw multiple... Read More


Spencer Rattler, College Football Transfers

Underrated Rookie Draft Targets - Early 2024 Sleepers for Dynasty Fantasy Football

We are a month out from the NFL Draft, meaning if you are here, you are probably looking for draft content and reading up on prospects. You probably have all of the information you need on stud prospects like Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison Jr. That’s not what you’re here for.  Rookie draft season for... Read More


Breece Hall - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Free-Agency Winners and the Fantasy Football Impact - Part II

The NFL's offseason, including trades and free agency, can strongly impact a player's fantasy football value. This effect can be positive or negative. For this series, we're focusing on fantasy football players who have seen their fantasy value increase. This can occur via a player's direct movement, such as a trade or signing with a... Read More


UFL RANKINGS, FANTASY FOOTBALL,

UFL Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 1: QB, RB, WR, TE Rankings and Analysis (2024)

It's finally here: the UFL season is set to kick off with two games on Saturday, March 30 and two games on Sunday, March 31. Saturday's games will be broadcast on Fox Sports while Sunday's matchups will be on ESPN. The most anticipated Week 1 matchup pits the 2023 USFL champion Birmingham Stallions against the... Read More


Jared Goff - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Will the Lions Extend Jared Goff's Contract This Offseason? 2024 NFL Outlook

Jared Goff's career in Los Angeles didn't take off like many expected after his appearance in Super Bowl LIII, and he was traded to the Lions for Matthew Stafford. Goff's first season in the Motor City was terrible, but he has completely turned things around over the last two seasons. In 2022, he almost led... Read More


Kyle Pitts - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Free-Agency Winners and the Fantasy Football Impact - Part I

Free agency symbolizes the start of a new NFL season. It's the first opportunity for NFL clubs to start addressing their weaknesses and considerably impacts how the upcoming season plays out. Just as free agency can improve or worsen a team's outlook, a player's fantasy football value is also impacted. Free agency marks the real... Read More


Malik Nabers - Fantasy Football Rankings, College FB, WR, NFL Draft Sleepers

Coach Knows Ball: Malik Nabers 2024 NFL Draft Film Breakdown of LSU WR

Welcome to Coach Knows Ball, an NFL Draft series analyzing the top prospects in the 2024 class. I'm a college football coach with nine years of NCAA experience and have been scouting NFL Draft prospects for over 15 years. This series will give a deep dive into the film of some of the top players... Read More


Avoid These Running Backs in 2024: Fantasy Football Outlook

Football never sleeps at RotoBaller! The staff is already looking ahead to the 2024 season to help our readers get the jump on their competition. RotoBaller analyst LaQuan Jones discusses five Running Backs that you should AVOID in 2024 fantasy football drafts. Win MORE in 2024 with RotoBaller! Be sure to tune into RotoBaller Radio... Read More


Brock Bowers - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers, NCAA College Football, Prospects

Brock Bowers 2024 NFL Draft Stock Update – When Will the Georgia TE Be Selected?

Georgia tight end Brock Bowers was arguably the top tight end in college football over the past few years. Bowers was outstanding his freshman year, totaling 56 receptions for 882 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. Unfortunately, his production slightly slipped in 2022 as defenses started to game plan for the star tight end. Bowers had... Read More


Xavier Worthy 2024 NFL Draft Stock Update – When Will the Texas WR Be Selected?

Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy has been one of the top pass-catchers in college football over the past few years. The explosive receiver was outstanding his freshman year, totaling 62 receptions for 981 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. Unfortunately, his production slipped in 2022. Worthy had 60 receptions for 760 receiving yards and nine touchdowns... Read More