Detroit Tigers Opening Day roster projection 3.0: Who makes the team?

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Our final Detroit Tigers Opening Day roster projection

We've got about a week of spring training left. The Detroit Tigers are finalizing their Opening Day roster. Some decisions have already been made, while others still need some thought.

This will be our third and final Opening Day roster projection. We're starting to get a pretty good idea of what this roster is going to look like, but the last two or three spots are going to be really close to call.

Keep in mind that this projection and the actual Opening Day roster will likely look different. I am obviously not one of the decision makers for the Detroit Tigers. This is just based off what I've seen and what these players have done in the past.

It sounds like the roster will be set next Monday, so some players are running out of time to make an impression. Let's begin our final Detroit Tigers Opening Day roster projection.

Catcher: Eric Haase and Jake Rogers

Haase and Rogers are undoubtedly the two best catchers on the roster. They've both swung the bat pretty well this spring, and Rogers is fantastic defensively as an added bonus. There's not much else to say here.

Infield: Spencer Torkelson, Jonathan Schoop, Javier Baez, Nick Maton, Cesar Hernandez, Andy Ibanez

Thankfully, the days of wondering whether Tork would even make the Opening Day roster are over. He has crushed the ball for the last two weeks, and has started to get rewarded for it after some bad luck to start. He even hit his first home run of the spring late last week. If this keeps up, we could see a breakout season from the former No. 1 overall pick.

Javy Baez will be the shortstop, like it or not. Nick Maton appears to have the third base job on lockdown. Second base is a little muddier, but I think Schoop will get it despite a subpar spring and WBC performance.

The interesting part comes with the last two spots. Cesar Hernandez is a switch-hitter who's swung the bat well this spring. I think he gets a spot pretty comfortably.

That leaves one more spot, and I'm going to go with Andy Ibanez. It's a shame he got injured before the WBC even began, because the Tigers really haven't seen much of him. But then again, who are else are they going to give this spot to? Ryan Kreidler? Zack Short? I gave this spot to the latter in the last projection, but I just can't bring myself to do it for this final projection.

It really seems like the Tigers like Ibanez. It has seemed that way for the entirety of camp. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt, and I think the team will too.

Outfield: Riley Greene, Austin Meadows, Matt Vierling, Kerry Carpenter

Greene, Meadows, and Vierling are all locks. Vierling appears to have gotten over a knee sprain he suffered a couple weeks ago. Not much to say about the starters.

The question has always been about the fourth outfield spot between Akil Baddoo and Kerry Carpenter. It's been neck-and-neck the entire spring. Neither one of them wanted to step up and take the spot.

I went back and forth on this, but in the end, I gave it to Kerry Carpenter. As much as I love Baddoo's ability to create chaos, I like Carpenter's power just a bit more. If he gets hot, he can always platoon with Miggy at DH. If he struggles, they can send him down and bring Baddoo up.

DH: Miguel Cabrera

Oh, you want me to elaborate? Well, he can't physically play any other position except maybe first base. He probably won't play very much. The Tigers will probably have multiple guys DH. There.

Starting rotation: Eduardo Rodriguez, Spencer Turnbull, Matthew Boyd, *Michael Lorenzen, Matt Manning

*if injured, insert Joey Wentz

E-rod, Turnbull, and Boyd are all locks. I am very excited about Turnbull. He could be in for a breakout season. The questions now lie in both the fourth and fifth spots.

Michael Lorenzen was scratched from his most recent spring outing with tightness in his groin. The team has described it as mild. It is unknown whether he'll make his final start of the spring. If this is something that lingers, he could start the year on the IL, which would open up another spot in the rotation.

The latest update does sound promising. Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reported that Lorenzen is already feeling better, so we'll see what happens. If Lorenzen isn't ready for Opening Day, pencil in Matt Manning and Joey Wentz as the No. 4 and No. 5 starters, respectively.

After a near-disastrous first three starts this spring, Manning's last two have been much better. He still has some kinks to iron out, such as his fastball command and general consistency, but I think he's done just enough to warrant a spot regardless of Lorenzen's status.

Bullpen: Alex Lange, Jose Cisnero, Jason Foley, Mason Englert, Trey Wingenter, Garrett Hill, Chasen Shreve, Tyler Alexander

Let's start with the locks. Alex Lange, Jose Cisnero, Jason Foley, and Rule 5 pick Mason Englert are all "on the bus," as they say. Foley was throwing 98 mph sinkers earlier today, so I'd say he's ready. Englert may not have the velocity, but he has good stuff and pinpoint command.

The last four spots are where things get interesting. I'm still shocked by the demotion of Miguel Diaz, who didn't allow a run this spring. However, Trey Wingenter has really good stuff, though he can be a bit wild. He got the start in place of Lorenzen earlier this week and punched out two in an inning of work. He makes the team.

I also think Chasen Shreve has earned the role of the lefty specialist. He has a nasty splitter. That leaves two spots remaining.

The first of which I have going to Tyler Alexander. He also got off to a rough start, but has rebounded a bit. I think he'll make the team out of camp, but will be on a short leash.

The last spot was tough to nail down, but I went with Garrett Hill. He got off to a fantastic start this spring, but has struggled mightily as of late. His velocity has been way up, but struggles a bit with his command at times with all of his pitches.

Still, Hill has 13 strikeouts in 10.2 IP compared to seven in 8.2 IP for Beau Brieske, who just misses out. He'll likely be one of the first arms to get the call in the event of an injury or underperformance.

Again, it's very likely that this projection is wrong in a few spots. This is just what I think the roster will look like. Once the roster is set, we'll do an Opening Day lineup projection as well as a win total projection. The regular season is upon us.

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