The Detroit Tigers barely have fantasy baseball value — here's how to take advantage
The Tigers have been a terrific fantasy streaming target all season. After all, Detroit sits last in baseball with a .593 OPS and their total runs scored (162) are 37 less than that of any other team.
But this club has taken things to a new low in June. Check out these recent Tigers statistics:
· The club scored zero or one run in four of their 10 June games.
· Their .507 OPS this month is 117 points lower than that of any other team.
· They have scored more than three runs in just two games this month, and they have not scored more than five runs in any game.
· Incredibly, the Tigers have hit just one June homer.
Right now, the Tigers are the softest landing spot that can be found for opposing starting pitchers, with the odds of a poor start being very low. Looking ahead, here is some quick-hitting advice on pitchers who are set to face Detroit this week.
Start your pitchers against the Tigers
Monday: Lance Lynn returns from the IL to make his first start of the season. While it is normally risky to use starters for their first outing after a long layoff, Lynn should be active in every league.
Tuesday: Dylan Cease is a set-and-forget starter who could have one of his best outings.
Wednesday: The White Sox have yet to name a Wednesday starter. I’ll consider adding anyone who starts this game and has an expected pitch count over 75.
Thursday: Martin Perez has been surprisingly effective this year but was hit hard last time out. His matchup against Detroit means that he should stay active in all leagues.
Friday: Jon Gray is available in roughly 70 percent of Yahoo! leagues. He has been inconsistent of late but can be streamed for this matchup.
Saturday: This is likely where I draw the line. Taylor Hearn (5.40 ERA, 1.66 WHIP) is 98 percent available, but I wouldn’t stream him outside of 15-team leagues.
Sunday: Dane Dunning has trended in the wrong direction lately, but I would still use him against Detroit. He is available in 88 percent of leagues.
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The flip side of Detroit’s struggles is that their hitters are leaving fantasy managers high and dry:
The Yankees hit 18 home runs this week. The Tigers hit zero.
— scott pianowski (@scott_pianowski) June 12, 2022
Here's a few pieces of advice regarding Tigers position players.
Tiger hitters aren't doing any better than their pitching
Javier Baez (2B/SS, 84 percent rostered) needs to be dropped in many leagues.
Factoring in his 2022 production (.543 OPS) and career-long success (.770 OPS), his roster rate should be around 40 percent. He should be dropped in all 10-team leagues and many 12-team formats. Given the poor results from his supporting cast, Baez will struggle to compile runs and RBIs even when his bat heats up.
Austin Meadows (OF, 65 percent): Meadows should have a similar roster rate to Baez. The lefty slugger hasn’t been completely awful this year (.663 OPS) but also has zero homers and doesn’t steal bases.
Spencer Torkelson (1B, 30 percent): First base is arguably the deepest position in fantasy and Torkelson has a .586 OPS. He should be cut in all non-keeper mixed leagues.
Robbie Grossman (OF, 24 percent): Grossman helped me win multiple 2021 leagues but I’m taking the “L” on him this year. Go ahead and cut him in all mixed leagues.
Riley Greene (OF, 41 percent): This is the one Tigers position player who is rostered at the correct rate. Greene has five-category potential and should join this underachieving lineup as soon as he finishes his rehab assignment. In fact, he should be their leadoff hitter in short order.