With the Super Bowl behind us, we’re days away from pitchers and catchers reporting. Yes, it’s the start of the baseball season, when the 30 teams that comprise Major League Baseball take to the sunny outposts of Arizona and Florida to prep for the regular season.
So, what’s in store in Michigan sports betting for the state’s MLB team, the Detroit Tigers?
This spring, Detroit will look to find its form early on, as the franchise seeks to halt a nine-year playoff drought. ESPN BET Michigan lists the Tigers at +350 to win the AL Central (ranking behind the Minnesota Twins at -115).
The talk of baseball made us wonder: Which MLB team has done the best job at drafting and keeping talent in their city?
Utilizing FanGraphs.com, BetMichigan.com – you source for Michigan sportsbook apps - found the number of players on each MLB team that was homegrown (drafted or signed) on their projected 40-man roster for the upcoming season.
MLB Teams with Most Homegrown Talent
Tigers Fare Well on Homegrown Talent
Of the players on the Tigers’ 40-man roster, 19 were drafted by the club. That gives them a percentage of 47.5% when it comes to homegrown talent, which ranks in a tie for 7th with the Twins and San Francisco Giants.
The Cleveland Guardians (25 players), Colorado Rockies (24 players), Houston Astros (23 players), Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels (21 apiece) lead the way when it comes to the number of homegrown players on their respective 40-man rosters.
For Detroit, that homegrown talent includes Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, Parker Meadows, Tarik Skubal and Akil Baddoo — who all figure to play a large role in the Tigers’ attempted renaissance from AL Central cellar dweller to playoff contender in 2024.
Of that homegrown group, Greene posted the highest WAR total in 2023, at 1.9, followed by Skubal (1.3 WAR), Torkelson (0.8) Baddoo (0.6) and Meadows (-0.1).
It’s never to early to think of a strategy to bet on Major League Baseball. A key part of the plan should be Michigan sports betting promos.
