Tigers Will Love ESPN Opening Day Power Rankings

The Detroit Tigers' rebuild has lasted well over seven seasons now and fans have to be getting anxious to see their favorite team return to the playoffs. Last year's squad showed some flashes of greatness and it has led to a well earned spot in the top 20 of ESPN's latest MLB power rankings.

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— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) April 4, 2022

Detroit Tigers Power Rankings

The Tigers check in at No. 18, which is third among AL Central teams and on the brink of playoff contention. Keep in mind Detroit was ranked near the bottom of the league heading into the 2021 season. A combination of solid free agent signings and young talent has caused a major jump.

Manager A.J. Hinch's squad has to improve at the plate if it wants any shot of playing past September. The addition of shortstop Javier Baez will be a huge help given he racked up 87 RBIs in 2021. The impact of prospects Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene may be the most important, though.

Torkelson has been named the starting first baseman and has showcased elite power throughout his minor league career. The 22-year-old posted a .935 OPS across three levels last season. Meanwhile, Greene has the speed to stretch doubles into triples, but will need to recover from a foot injury first.

It's worth noting that free agent singing Eduardo Rodriguez has posted a dominant 45-19 record over the last three seasons. He joins a starting rotation that also features a pair of 24-year-old hurlers in Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal. Helping bring out the best in them should be a key goal for Rodriguez.

Youth is dangerous in today's league and the Tigers have the potential to shock some people in 2022. Detroit currently has odds set at +5500 to win the World Series, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.