Detroit Tigers: Which Tigers do you want on your fantasy team?

Miguel Cabrera

Rotoballer Rank: 81 Target Round: 9

Despite being one of fantasy baseball’s biggest disappointments last year, Miggy remains a hot commodity in all fantasy formats. At 35 years old and coming off the worst season of his career, it is understandable that fantasy owners may be hesitant to spend a high draft pick on Cabrera. However, Cabrera is absolutely worth the investment starting around the seventh round.

In 2017, Cabrera quite literally limped to a .249 average with 16 home runs and 60 RBI. He played the entire season injured, and was going through personal issues as well. While that’s not an excuse for his performance, it is an encouraging sign that Miggy may return happier and healthier in 2018, with much better results to boot.

That makes him a great gamble in rounds 7-10 in all fantasy formats. FanGraph’s STEAMER projects Miggy to hit .289 with 24 home runs and 80 RBI. While that kind of production is still lower than what Tigers fans are used to, it is still very useful in fantasy baseball.

Miggy’s fantasy value will hinge largely on how the rest of the Tigers offense performs, which is cause for concern. He will likely be protected in the lineup by breakout slugger Nicholas Castellanos, which should help Miggy score more runs. However, the top of the lineup may struggle without veteran Ian Kinsler. That will limit Miggy’s opportunities for RBI’s, which in turn hurts his fantasy value.

Factor all of that in when you are considering Cabrera for your fantasy team. It’s okay to have sentimental value picks, but avoid reaching for Miggy in the first few rounds. If he falls into the 7-10th round range, owners should happily snatch him up and hope his health helps him return to form.

Fantasy team name idea: Gettin’ Miggy with it.