Tigers 60-man Roster Projection

There is a lot for Tigers general manager Al Avila to consider as he puts together his initial roster for the truncated 2020 MLB season. He needs to find a balance between development of key young players, putting as competitive a team on the field as he can, and also having players who can step in when the injury bug bites.

For those that haven’t followed, the Tigers will be able to have 60 players for baseball purposes – 30 initially on the active roster (which will gradually go down to 26 after a month), and the remainder residing on a taxi squad that serves as the replacement pool of players. It’s essentially your Triple-A team, but that Triple-A team has to be self-sustaining and won’t be able to pull from another roster – if you want to add someone to the 60-man roster, you’ll have to release or trade someone to open up the roster spot to make that happen.

Another important point is that while the roster can go up to 60, the Tigers don’t necessarily need to start with all 60 – it’s quite possible Avila submits 50 or 55 names and waits to see how ramp up goes and if there are injuries or other holes on the team before filling the remainder of the roster.

Here is an initial look at who might be on the 60-man roster for the Tigers.

Pitchers

The Tigers will want a bunch of arms in camp, but what will get most Tigers fans excited is the probable additions and Major League debuts of Casey Mize and Matt Manning. It is also highly possible that Tarik Skubal, Alex Faedo, Beau Burrows and (if healthy) Kyle Funkhouser will also make their debuts as well. The other watch point will be Michael Fulmer who has been cleared to resume full baseball activity. I would not expect Fulmer to be on the initial active roster, but he should pitch early in the year. Right now, we’re projecting 28 pitchers on the 60-man roster with 11 starters and a handful of other pitchers that could start if needed. But the roster as constructed below is clearly setup that and when a starter is needed, Mize, Manning or Skubal would be in line to get the call.

Starters

1. Matthew Boyd
2. Ivan Nova
3. Jordan Zimmerman
4. Daniel Norris
5. Spencer Turnbull
6. Tyler Alexander
7. Casey Mize
8. Matt Manning
9. Alex Faedo
10. Tarik Skubal
11. Michael Fulmer

Swingman

1. Hector Santiago
2. Rony Garcia
3. Dario Agrazal
4. Shao-Ching Chiang

Bullpen

1. Buck Farmer
2. Joe Jimenez
3. Gregory Soto
4. Bryan Garcia
5. Jose Cisnero
6. David McKey
7. Nick Ramirez
8. John Schreiber
9. Zac Houston
10. Ethan DeCaster
11. Kyle Funkhouser
12. Beau Burrows
13. Sandy Baez
    
    

Catchers

Whether or not to the Tigers need add a fifth catcher to the group is up for debate, but with so many games being played, the ability for a team to bring a taxi squad catcher with them on the road even if not active, and the taxi squad itself needing catchers as well having five would be the most logical. After the first four, there’s a good debate between Scivicque and Cooper Johnson (#26 on the TigsTown Top 50), but settled on Scivicque because he has more experience (minors) and would be better suited to stepping into a MLB game if an emergency arose.

1. Austin Romine
2. Grayson Greiner
3. Jake Rogers
4. Eric Haase
5. Kade Scivicque
   
   

Infielders/DH

This group was the most settled with the exception of third base before spring training was shut down. The, at least temporarily, expanded rosters will allow both Dawel Lugo and Jeimer Candelario to claim a spot. I would expect fifth-ranked prospect Isaac Paredes to also make his debut this summer.

1. Miguel Cabrera
2. CJ Cron
3. Brandon Dixon
4. Jonathon Schoop
5. Harold Castro
6. Niko Goodrum
7. Willi Castro
8. Jordy Mercer
9. Jeimer Candelario
10. Dawel Lugo
11. Isaac Paredes
    
    

Outfielders

The outfield had some serious competition for the fourth and fifth spot in spring and the competition should pick back up. This group should see the debut of Daz Cameron and possibly Derek Hill. The 60 game schedule will be critical for guys like Christin Stewart and Travis Demeritte as they need to prove they belong in the long term plans for the Tigers.

1. JaCoby Jones
2. Christin Stewart
3. Cameron Maybin
4. Victor Reyes
5. Travis Demeritte
6. Troy Stokes
7. Jorge Bonifacio
8. Daz Cameron
9. Derek Hill
10. Jake Robson
    

Stash

The remainder of the spots are players who are projected to be put on the 60-man roster, but have little expectation of playing them in an MLB game this season. All of the minor league players need the development. These six however, are more critical for the Tigers future success. Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene and Parker Meadows could form the future heart of a Tigers batting order,  while Wenceel Perez and Kody Clemens need to show they can put it all together and be a viable part of the middle infield competition in future years. Franklin Perez simply needs a healthy year and some innings under his belt. The headliner from the Verlander trade hasn’t been able to stay healthy since coming to Detroit. He needs competitive innings if he is going to have any chance to reach his ceiling.

1. Spencer Torkelson
2. Riley Greene
3. Franklin Perez
4. Parker Meadows
5. Wenceel Perez
6. Kody Clemens