Matt Vierling

Vierling earned a spot on the Phillies' Opening Day roster last season and remained there for most of the year, spending less than a month in the minors. He filled the short side of a platoon in center field throughout the season, paired with Odubel Herrera, Mickey Moniak and eventually Brandon Marsh. He also spent a bit of time in the infield, making five starts at third base and a pair at second. Altogether, he was a useful bench piece for the pennant-winning Phillies, but he may not have a future as anything more than that. In 357 trips to the plate, he slashed .246/.297/.351, adding six homers and seven steals. If you're looking for encouraging signs, you could point to his 19.6 K% and 85th percentile hard-hit rate, but those came as the Phillies tried to limit his exposure to tough righties. He recorded a 110 wRC+ against southpaws but struggled to a 63 wRC+ against right-handers, and Detroit seems likely to also limit him to a platoon after acquiring him from Philadelphia. However, the Tigers have significantly less talent in the outfield, so he'll have a much clearer path to an everyday role in 2023. Read Past Outlooks