noti.group’s Mark W. Sanchez previews the AL Central:
1. Detroit Tigers
O/U wins: 85.5
Key player: Framber Valdez. There is best-in-baseball potential for a rotation that already housed probably the best pitcher in baseball in Tarik Skubal. If Valdez is the consistent Cy Young candidate he was from 2022-24, the Tigers would have the best 1-2 punch in the majors. If the 32-year-old is on the downslope — his ERA slipped from 2.91 to 3.66 last year — and if the character concerns that dogged him in free agency prove well-founded, his $115 million pact could go south quickly.
Player who’ll need to step up: Riley Greene. Yes, the Tigers can hope for a bit more from a 25-year-old who has been an All-Star the past two seasons and blasted 36 homers last year. In a lineup filled with good-not-great hitters, Greene has the highest ceiling and could challenge for MVP votes. Detroit also will hope that Greene, whose defensive numbers tanked last year, bounces back to grow into an all-around star.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
