Detroit Tigers: 5 players in danger of losing their roster spot heading into final week of camp

This story was updated Saturday, March 18 at 3:28 p.m. to replace Rony Garcia with Will Vest. We had previously overlooked that Garcia had already been optioned to Triple-A.

These Detroit Tigers have a very important final week of spring training coming up

Spring training is beginning to wind down. The Detroit Tigers' roster is starting to take shape. However, there are still some spots up for grabs. Quite a few players are still jockeying for position.

This is where things start to intensify. The final week of spring training is where spots are won and lost. One outing or at-bat, one way or the other, can change things dramatically. The people that make decisions for the Detroit Tigers are watching closely.

This is a big week for several players on the fringe of the Opening Day roster. Here are five players that need to have a big week in order to have a chance at heading to Tropicana Field on March 30.

OF Kerry Carpenter

The first two players on this list are fighting for the fourth outfield spot, something we talked about earlier this week, so we won't spend too much time on them. We'll begin with Carpenter, who will either need to start hitting bombs at an insane rate like he did in the minors last season or dramatically improve his defense to get a spot on the roster.

Carpenter can turn on a fastball and send it a long way, but he'll also be way out in front on offspeed pitches and breaking balls. He's always sitting dead red, which isn't inherently a bad thing, but he hasn't shown the ability to adjust to slower pitches.

He also doesn't draw a ton of walks, which is not something that Scott Harris will like. Combine those two things with his subpar defense, and it doesn't look good for this chances at the moment. There's still time, but will it be enough? We're about to fine out.

OF Akil Baddoo

Baddoo is the other player vying for that fourth outfield spot, and he has other skills that Carpenter does not provide, such as his speed and ability to draw a walk. He's coming off possibly his best game of the spring yesterday against the Yankees, in which he walked and homered.

He needs to have more games like that if he wants to beat out Carpenter for that last outfield spot. I would say he holds a slim lead right now, but things can shift quickly over the next week.

Good Akil Baddoo wreaks havoc. He gets on base, is always a threat a steal a bag, and can ambush you and take you deep if you aren't careful. Bad Akil Baddoo is tough to watch. Baddoo still has a lot of work to do to prove that 2021 wasn't a fluke, but he can start by having a big final week of spring training.

RP Will Vest

Vest was pretty reliable out of the bullpen last year. He even notched a save. He got hit around a bit in the second half of the season, but he was dynamite in the first half. However, spring training has not been kind to him.

He has an ERA of 24.00 in three innings pitched, allowing eight runs on as many hits. He's struck out three and walked two. He allowed six runs in one of his outings. That's not great.

I don't think we can assume that Vest's spot in this bullpen is safe, especially when guys like Miguel Diaz and Trey Wingenter have had great springs. He has options remaining, so they can stash him in Toledo and he can come up whenever he's needed.

Vest still has a lot to offer. He has a nice mid-90s fastball and a wipeout slider. We just need to see that same consistency that he showed during the first half of the 2022 season.

SP Matt Manning

Manning needs to have a big season in 2023. It's time to see what the former first-round pick can do. Unfortunately, he's gotten off to a rough start in spring training.

His first three starts were particularly bad. His velocity was down and he had no command. It looked like he was destined for Toledo. However, in yesterday's start against the New York Yankees, he looked much better.

He didn't allow a run in 3.2 IP, struck out four and walked one. Perhaps more importantly, his velocity was back up to 95 mph on his fastball, though he still had trouble locating it. His secondary stuff looked the best it has all spring as well. His slider was particularly effective.

That was a very promising outing for Manning and one that he desparately needed. If he struggled again, it would have almost certainly meant that he was going to start the season at Triple-A. With that being said, I think he needs to not only replicate that performance, but build upon it.

He's likely going to get one more start before the start of the regular season. He needs to locate his fastball more precisely. That was the one thing from yesterday's outing that could stand to improve.

Yesterday was by far the closest to good Matt Manning that we had seen all spring, but further refinement is still needed. Hopefully we see more progress in his next start.