In any established team, there’s always a guy. You know what I mean, the “guy.” He’s the most recognizable face on the team, the one you see hanging on a 100-foot-tall banner outside the stadium. He’s the one whose name is synonymous with the franchise for years and years. He may not even be the best player on the team, but there’s a good chance he might have already signed a mammoth extension.
Right now, the Tigers don’t have a franchise “face.” In the past, the club has had icons like Justin Verlander or Miguel Cabrera, guys whose names you might spot a thousand times over on any given night at Comerica Park (heck, you probably still will for another decade).
This past season we saw a new crop of talent really start to show itself, and it begs the question: who is the next face of the franchise? Which player will become to person who comes to mind first when you think of the team? Will it be Riley Greene? Perhaps Akil Baddoo? Spencer Torkelson or Matt Manning?
It’s probably too early to guess, as the team has only just begun to grow into what it will be for the next decade or so, but now is a great time to get your picks in and we’ll check back in five years to see how right or wrong we were.
If you’re feeling especially passionate about a specific player, feel free to go long-form in a FanPost!