Tigers’ projected lineup ranked 29th in MLB, topping only Orioles’

The Detroit Tigers are a long way from finalizing their lineup for the 2020 season. But based on where things stand now, ESPN ranks the Tigers’ lineup 29th in the 30-team MLB.

ESPN projects the most common starting lineup to look like this:

1. Niko Goodrum, SS

2. Jonathan Schoop, 2B

3. Miguel Cabrera, DH

4. C.J. Cron, 1B

5. Jeimer Candelario, 3B

6. Christin Stewart, LF

7. Victor Reyes, RF

8. Austin Romine, C

9. JaCoby Jones, CF

Schoop, Cron and Romine are new Tigers free-agent additions.

The teams were ranked (pay site) based on projected 2020 production in these categories: strikeout percentage, walk percentage, power, speed and balance (how well a lineup matches up against both lefties and righties).

“It's a nasty confluence of factors,” says ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle. “The Tigers' base lineup projects to strike out the most of any of these groups, while walking less frequently than all but one team and ranking third-to-last in isolated power. It can't be easy to put together a roster with that particular combination of factors. The future will be better. It has to be.”

The Tigers struck out an MLB-record 1,595 times last season. They earned 391 walks, and only the Chicago White Sox had fewer (378).

The Tigers, who won an MLB-worst 47 games, are ranked by ESPN above only the Baltimore Orioles, who won 54, second-worst in MLB. The top three lineups are the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets.