The Detroit Tigers were established in 1894, but took some time to claim their first World Series. They won a trio of AL Pennants from 1907-09 but had to wait until 1935 to finally claim the World Series. They took their second in 1945 and then a third in 1968 and a fourth in 1984. Since that last triumph the Tigers have struggled, they made the ALCS in 1987 but fell and were then out of the playoffs until 2006 when they made the World Series only to lose to the St. Louis Cardinals.
In the early 2010's the Tigers made a big push for another title behind the elite talents of Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera. They made three straight ALCS's, winning the Pennant in 2012 but getting swept by the San Francisco Giants. Now the Tigers are in the doldrums and looking for a spark of hope. Can you take over and return the team to the top of the sport?
Table of Contents
*All stats correct at time of writing
Team Rating
MLB The Show 19 does not provide a team OVR like other games but instead gives each team a ranking within the league. This is useful as it shows you clearly just where a team sits within MLB, but it can be a frustration that you can’t see any gulf in class between the 5th and 6th ranked teams.
The Tigers start Franchise Mode in a lowly 28th place. The strength of the roster is their 7th ranked speed, but after that they are in a lot of trouble. Their contact and power rank 22nd while their defense ranks 25th and pitching is dead last in 30th.
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+ 11Financially the Tigers are in a healthy enough position with a team budget of $132.5 million. A lot of that is tied up in one particularly big contract though. Which means you have to be frugal with your signings and very smart with re-signing players. Who are the guys on the current roster that you will want to build around?
Miguel Cabrera, First Base (88 OVR)
click to enlarge + 11Age: 35
Throws/Bats: R/R
Contract: 5 years/$151 million
Secondary Position: 3B
Hitter Tendency: Whole Field
Best Stats: Contact vs L (89), Discipline (88), Arm Accuracy (88), Contact vs R (84), Clutch (81), Durability (79), Power vs L (71), Vision (69)
Miguel Cabrera signed with the Florida Marlins as an amateur free agent in 1999, getting his MLB debut in 2003, hitting 12 homers with a .268 average in 87 games as the Marlins claimed the World Series. Cabrera immediately announced himself as a serious hitter in 2004, mashing 33 homers and making his first of many All-Star appearances. He kept mashing for the Marlins before getting a trade to the Tigers in 2008. By 2009 Cabrera was a serious MVP candidate and he claimed the AL MVP in 2012 & 2013, claiming the Triple Crown in 2012. He entered the 2019 season with 465 homers to his name.
In The Show 19 Cabrera can still get it done at the plate despite his age. He has good contact skill (84/89) and nice power (67/71) along with impressive discipline (88) and vision (69). He is fine in the field (fielding 59) and has impressive arm accuracy (88). Cabrera is also good in the clutch (81).
Michael Fulmer, Starting Pitcher (85 OVR)
click to enlarge + 11Age: 26
Throws/Bats: R/R
Contract: 1 year/$2.8 million + 3 years arbitration
Pitches: 2-Seam Fastball, 4-Seam Fastball, Slider, Changeup
Best Stats: Velocity (90), Stamina (87), Arm Strength (87), Break (86), BB/9 (70), Control (68), H/9 (68)
Michael Fulmer was a first-round pick for the New York Mets in 2011. In 2015 he was traded to the Tigers and he got his MLB debut with them in 2016, making 26 starts with a 3.06 ERA and 132 strikeouts in 159 innings. In 2017 Fulmer was solid, but he struggled a little in 2018, allowing more walks and hits than ideal and posting a 4.69 ERA in 24 starts.
In The Show 19 Fulmer is a pitcher full of potential. He has good velocity (90) and break (86) as well as the stamina (87) to go deep into games. He has solid control (68) and is good in the clutch (64). He brings two fastballs and a slider that will bite hard. He can avoid walks (70) but struggles to rack up strikeouts (55).
Nicholas Castellanos, Right Field (79 OVR)
click to enlarge + 11Age: 27
Throws/Bats: R/R
Contract: 1 year/$9.9 million
Secondary Position: 1B, 3B, LF
Hitter Tendency: Whole Field
Best Stats: Contact vs L (96), Durability (96), Clutch (89), Contact vs R (74), Power vs L (74), Power vs R (64)
Nicholas Castellanos was a first-round pick for the Tigers in 2010 and got his MLB debut with them in 2013, making just a handful of plate appearances. In 2014 he was an everyday player though, hitting .259 with 11 homers. Castellanos really found his feet in 2017, hitting 26 homers and 10 triples with a .272 average.
In The Show 19 Castellanos brings terrific contact skill (74/96) and nice power at the plate (64/74). He has elite durability (96) and is very good in the clutch (89). He is not good in the field (arm strength 59, fielding 38) but he does have nice speed (61) to take extra bases and reach balls in the field.
Detroit Tigers MLB Roster
There can be fluctuations in player OVR from save to save in The Show 19, but even when there is the underlying stats for the player are consistent. We will start our look at the Tigers MLB roster with the position players and then move on to the pitchers.
| Player | OVR | Age | Position | Bat Hand | Best Contact | Best Power | Fielding | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miguel Cabrera | 88 | 35 | 1B | R | 89 (L) | 71 (L) | 59 | 4 |
| Nicholas Castellanos | 79 | 27 | RF | R | 96 (L) | 74 (L) | 38 | 61 |
| Josh Harrison | 78 | 31 | 2B | R | 70 (L) | 54 (L) | 66 | 50 |
| Jeimer Candelario | 74 | 25 | 3B | S | 76 (L) | 60 (L) | 66 | 54 |
| Grayson Greiner | 73 | 26 | C | R | 53 (L) | 56 (L) | 59 | 45 |
| Mikie Mahtook | 73 | 29 | LF | R | 53 (L) | 54 (L) | 64 | 73 |
| Jordy Mercer | 72 | 32 | SS | R | 67 (L) | 49 (L) | 58 | 58 |
| John Hicks | 71 | 29 | 1B | R | 66 (R/L) | 55 (L) | 59 | 40 |
| Niko Goodrum | 70 | 27 | 2B | S | 62 (L) | 63 (R) | 60 | 81 |
| Christin Stewart | 68 | 25 | LF | L | 56 (R) | 66 (L) | 40 | 50 |
| Bobby Wilson | 67 | 35 | C | R | 42 (L) | 46 (R) | 77 | 2 |
| JaCoby Jones | 66 | 26 | CF | R | 38 (R) | 48 (R) | 84 | 81 |
| Dawel Lugo | 65 | 24 | 2B | R | 55 (L) | 38 (L) | 61 | 72 |
| Player | OVR | Age | Position | Throw Hand | Stamina | Control | Velocity | Break |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Fulmer | 85 | 26 | SP | R | 87 | 68 | 90 | 86 |
| Matthew Boyd | 76 | 28 | SP | L | 77 | 62 | 62 | 86 |
| Shane Greene | 76 | 30 | CP | R | 25 | 64 | 83 | 72 |
| Joe Jimenez | 75 | 24 | RP | R | 24 | 55 | 81 | 90 |
| Jordan Zimmermann | 73 | 32 | SP | R | 79 | 78 | 58 | 70 |
| Daniel Norris | 72 | 25 | SP | L | 69 | 49 | 66 | 78 |
| Tyson Ross | 71 | 31 | SP | R | 70 | 45 | 67 | 78 |
| Blaine Hardy | 71 | 32 | RP | L | 43 | 68 | 44 | 72 |
| Matt Moore | 71 | 29 | SP | L | 69 | 65 | 66 | 69 |
| Louis Coleman | 69 | 32 | RP | R | 24 | 49 | 57 | 87 |
| Victor Alcantara | 65 | 25 | RP | R | 76 | 50 | 75 | 64 |
| Daniel Stumpf | 63 | 28 | RP | L | 21 | 57 | 70 | 56 |
The Tigers MLB roster is made up of 13 position players and 12 pitchers. They make up your 9-man starting lineup and a 4-man bench as well as your 5-man rotation and 7-man bullpen, including the closer.
The offensive from this lineup will come from Miguel Cabrera (Contact L 89, discipline 88), Nicholas Castellanos (contact L 96, clutch 89), and Jeimer Candelario (discipline 78, contact L 76). There isn't too much behind those three, but Josh Harrison (clutch 79, contact L 70), Christin Stewart (power L 66, power R 59), and John Hicks (clutch 67, contact R 66) can produce some runs too.
The best gloves on the roster belong to JaCoby Jones (fielding 84, reaction 83) who is elite in the outfield. Bobby Wilson (blocking 82, fielding 77) is good behind the plate but that's about it. Jeimer Candelario (arm strength 68, fielding 66) and Josh Harrison (reaction 70, fielding 66) are ok, but they won't win a gold glove.
The starting rotation is anchored by Michael Fulmer (velocity 90, stamina 87). He takes the #1 spot in the rotation but is more suited to a #2 right now, however at just 26 Fulmer could easily improve into an ace soon. Matthew Boyd (break 86, stamina 77) and Daniel Norris (break 78, stamina 69) sit in the #2 & #3 slots. Tyson Ross (break 78, stamina 70) and Jordan Zimmermann (stamina 79, control 78) fill out the back end of a rotation that needs some help.
The Tigers bullpen is a bit of a mess. It's held down by Shane Greene (velocity 83, break 72) and Joe Jimenez (break 90, velocity 81). Behind those two is almost nothing. Blaine Hardy (break 72, control 68), Louis Coleman (break 87, velocity 57), and Daniel Stumpf (velocity 70, control 57) are not trustworthy in a close game. You have two long men in Victor Alcantara (stamina 76, velocity 75) and Matt Moore (stamina 69, break 69) that you will need fairly regularly.
Lineups
The Show 19 has 4 lineups for you to set. These are against right-handed starters with and without the DH and against left-handed starters with and without the DH. As the Tigers are in the American League most of their games will be played with the DH.
Against righties with the DH The Show 19 puts 2B Josh Harrison in the lead-off spot, with SS Jordy Mercer and 1B Miguel Cabrera next. RF Nicholas Castellanos hits #4 followed by DH John Hicks, LF Christin Stewart, CF Mikie Mahtook, C Grayson Greiner, and 3B Jeimer Candelario. Without the DH Hicks drops to the bench.
Against lefties with the DH the top 4 stay the same, with Candelario promoted to #5 and Hicks hitting #6 followed by Stewart, Mahtook, and Greiner. Without the DH Hicks again drops to the bench.
These lineups are ok but we can improve on them.
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click to enlarge + 11Against righties Josh Harrison will still lead off, but Nicholas Castellanos will come into #2 followed by Miguel Cabrera. Christin Stewart hits #4 followed by Jordy Mercer, John Hicks, and Grayson Greiner. Jeimer Candelario hits #8 with JaCoby Jones coming in at #9 and playing CF. Without the DH Hicks drops to the bench.
Against lefties things have changed more dramatically. Candelario will lead off followed by Castellanos, Cabrera, and Stewart. Harrison will hit #5 with Hicks next, then Mercer, Greiner, and Jones. Again, without the DH Hicks hits the bench.
Farm System
MLB The Show 19 can have a frustrating farm system. The OVR fluctuations affect Minor League players too, and also their potential which greatly affects how they will develop. Some real life prospects are also missing from the game. There are still some useful prospects in the Tigers farm system though.
Tommy Chiavacci, Closing Pitcher (68 OVR)
click to enlarge + 11Age: 20
Potential: C
Throws/Bats: R/L
Pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Changeup, Slider, Curveball
Best Stats: Velocity (83), Arm Strength (77), Break (72), H/9 (69), HR/9 (65), Clutch (62)
Every bullpen needs a backup plan, and Tommy Chiavacci has a good shot at being a really effective piece of any bullpen, if not a closer in the Majors. His velocity (83) is good already and his break (72) is nice. He has good control (59) for such a young pitcher and is already solid in the clutch (62).
Chauncey Hogsett, Third Base (67 OVR)
click to enlarge + 11Age: 25
Potential: C
Throws/Bats: R/R
Secondary Position: 2B
Hitter Tendency: Pull Hitter
Best Stats: Contact vs L (74), Power vs L (70), Stealing (63), Power vs R (63), Clutch (62), Vision (61)
The Tigers lineup needs some offensive help, and Chauncey Hogsett could help. He can bring good contact (57/74) and power (63/70) to the Tigers almost immediately, and has ok vision (61) and discipline (50). He has nice speed (49) though his fielding (33) and arm strength (46) is not great.
Steve Diaz, Starting Pitcher (65 OVR)
click to enlarge + 11Age: 26
Potential: D
Throws/Bats: R/L
Pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Changeup, Slider, 2-Seam Fastball
Best Stats: Velocity (89), Break (78), Stamina (66), BB/9 (62), HR/9 (61), Clutch (57)
Finding starting pitching is vital to the success of a team. Steve Diaz is in a position to potentially be part of the Tigers rotation. He has terrific velocity (89) and good break (78) already, and is solid in the clutch (57). His control (47) is not as good as it could be, but with some more time in the Minors he could polish it a bit more and really contribute in the Majors.
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