Betsided

Detroit Tigers Are The MLB Dark Horse This Season

By Reed Wallach

Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson gets in position vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates at LECOM Park
Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson gets in position vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates at LECOM Park / Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Everyone wants to be early on the trendy team to outperform expectations this baseball season. You know, the Seattle Mariners of last season who nearly shocked the baseball world and nearly made the postseason ahead of blue chip teams like the Red Sox and Yankees.

Well, let me introduce to the young, upstart Detroit Tigers, who are poised to make noise in the AL Central behind manager A.J. Hinch, a more veteran cast to pair with one of the brightest prospects the game has to offer in Spencer Torkelson.

Here are a few reasons to be bullish on the Tigers chances in 2022, with a look at their full serving of odds from WynnBET Sportsbook.

Detroit Tigers Odds for 2022 MLB Season

  • Win Total: 79.5
  • AL Central: +700
  • AL Pennant: +2500
  • World Series: +4000

Offseason Moves to Compliment Youth Movement

Part of the reason to be bullish on the Tigers is not only that the team played 68-61 ball from May 8th on, but that the team invested in their roster this season. There's a ton of optimism around the club as they welcome in prospects Spencer Torkelson (infield) and Riley Greene (outfield) to go with some proven veterans.

The Tigers brought in star shortstop Javy Baez to give the team some power in the middle of the order. The team also signed left hander Eduardo Rodriguez to anchor a budding rotation that has young pieces like Matt Manning and Tarik Skubal as well as veterans Spencer Turnbull and Michael Pineda.

It's also worth noting the team signed a former gold glover in Tucker Barnhart to shore up the team's leaky defense.

Overall, this team made some necessary signings to bring some legitimacy on the mound, in the field and at the dish to go with their young studs like Tolkerson and Riley Greene.

AL Central Outlook

The White Sox are the proven commodity in the division with a loaded lineup and a ton of pitching talent such as Lance Lynn. But what if the team battles injuries? The team flamed out quickly in the AL postseason and a slow start can set the South Siders behind an upstart Tigers team quickly.

The Twins did sign Carlos Correa to a lucrative contract, but the team is short on pitching to seriously contend for an AL Central crown. When betting into this market, I would much rather bet on the Tigers upside than the Twins.

Yes, the Tigers are not as talented as the White Sox, or have the name brand of the Twins, but with youth and veterans mixed on a roster with a fantastic manager that showed progress in his first season with the club, I think there's reason to bet the Tigers to be in the playoff mix come September.

Overall, the ceiling of this team is quite high so I think it's worthwhile to take a shot on the Tigers to win the AL Central at +750.

Before baseball season starts, make sure to check out the BetSided team's best bets for the Final 4!

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