Let’s face it. It has been a very difficult season for the Detroit Tigers and their fan base. Not only did the team come up (way) short in the win column but they said goodbye to a couple of great players (Justin Verlander and J.D. Martinez) along the way.
That being said, Tigers fans now have something unique to look forward to as the team clinched the No. 1 pick in the 2018 MLB Draft on the final day of the regular season.
Tigers finish 2017 season with a 5-1 loss to Twins and a 64-98 record. They'll pick first in next year's MLB Draft.
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) October 1, 2017
Heading into Sunday, the Tigers trailed the San Francisco Giants by one game for the worst record in baseball. Since Detroit held the tie-breaker over San Francisco, a Giants win and a Tigers loss on Sunday would give Detroit the No. 1 pick.
Well, the Giants held up their end of the bargain first by picking up a walk-off win over the San Diego Padres 5-4 and the Tigers followed by dropping their finale to the Minnesota Twins.
Both teams finished the regular season with a 64-98 record with the Tigers trailing the Cleveland Indians by 38 games in the American League Central.
As we know, the 2018 Detroit Tigers will look much different than they did heading into the 2017 season. General manager Al Avila has made it clear the team is entering a rebuilding phase and you can be sure the young guys will get a chance to earn their stripes.
2017 is in the books for this Detroit team, but that does not mean we cannot cheer for some of the former Tigers who have earned a right to play in the MLB postseason, including Verlander and Martinez.
