Who Will be Next Detroit Tigers Face of the Franchise in 2027?
The Detroit Tigers may not make the playoffs in 2024, but this season is showing that they are closer to breaking out of their rebuild than many people thought they were. Anchored by ace starting pitcher Tarik Skubal, this is a team on the rise.
Skubal is putting together a Cy Young-worthy 2024 campaign. He is leading the majors in several statistics and proving to be one of the best young pitchers in the sport.
Naturally, it would be fair to call Skubal the face of the Tigers. But, he is under team control only through 2026. Until a long-term deal is put in place, calling him the face of the franchise for 2027 is tough.
That is why Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report went in a different direction for Detroit. This is a team full of talented young players who are getting their first taste of the major leagues this season.
Colt Keith, Wenceel Perez and Dylan Dingler all made their major league debuts this season. Parker Meadows and Kerry Carpenter are two more very talented players early in their careers with plenty of promise.
However, none of them were selected as the face of the franchise for the Tigers in 2027. That distinction was bestowed upon outfielder Riley Greene, who has been great in 2024.
“Outfielder Riley Greene has steadily improved over his three years in the majors, hitting .264/.357/.485 for a 132 OPS+ with 21 doubles, 17 home runs, 51 RBI and 3.8 WAR while earning his first All-Star selection,” Reuter wrote.
Greene has not been in the lineup for Detroit since July 25th as he deals with a hamstring injury. But, when he is healthy, he has been arguably the team’s most consistent producer at the plate.
Turning only 24 years old in September, Greene isn’t even close to his athletic prime yet. There is still a lot of baseball to be played, as he looks to be one of the pillars to usher in the next great era of Tigers baseball.
There are other names to keep a close eye on who could be in the running for face of the franchise down the line as well. Top pitching prospect Jackson Jobe has star potential for a dominant one-two punch with Skubal.
Along with Keith, the team called up top prospect Jace Jung, who will be making his major league debut. Further down the line, outfielder Max Clark, the No. 3 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, has all of the tools to become a star and the face of a franchise kind of player.
KENNETH TEAPE
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.