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.

An unheralded prospect who was thrust into MLB action last season, Vierling logged better numbers in the majors (.324/.364/.479 slash line in 77 PA) than at Triple-A (.248/.331/.359 slash line in 236 PA). His .420 BABIP and 0.20 BB/K support the notion that he was playing way over his head in a small sample against big-league pitching. The Phillies' depth chart seems incomplete at the time of the lockout, so while Vierling looks like he would be in line for playing time as things currently stand, that is unlikely to be the case by the time Opening Day arrives. He projects as a replacement-level player in his age-25 season, and he would need regular work to compile enough counting stats to be relevant in most fantasy formats.