2025 Fantasy Baseball: Matt Vierling Profile, Preview, Predictions
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Matt Vierling comes off his best season in the majors, but he remains a below-average option in the fantasy market. With a few more home runs and a better slot in the batting order, his bat would be viable in deep formats.
Matt Vierling three-run shot! pic.twitter.com/gUuBH8jtz8
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 1, 2024
OF – Matt Vierling, DET (ADP – 380.6)
In 2022 and 2023 with the Phillies and Tigers, Vierling hit .255 with 104 runs, 16 home runs, 76 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases over 804 at-bats. His RBI rate (12) and average hit rate (1.448) have been in a weak area over his first three seasons in the majors. When Vierling was given a bump in playing over the final two months in 2023, his swing (.249/30/3/18/1 over 189 at-bats) didn’t look worthy of being a full-time player in the majors.
Detroit gave him the best opportunity last season, leading to career highs in almost every stat. Despite his success, Vierling only had one productive month (.306/13/5/21 over 85 at-bats). He scored double-digit runs every month while failing to reach that level in RBIs in April (7), June (5), July (9), August (8), and September (7). The Tigers gave him 395 of his at-bats (518) in the top third of their lineup.
His strikeout rate (21.3) was league average while walking 7.2% of the time. Vierling posted his best average hit rate (1.647), thanks to an improved fly-ball rate (37.8) and HR/FB rate (10.6). He ranked 89th in exit velocity (89.8 mph) and 101st in hard-hit rate (40.9).
Fantasy Outlook: Detroit has a developing young lineup with less room for Vierling to play in the infield in 2025. His lack of power (but improving) and overall ceiling is a strike for his major-league value as a corner outfielder. In addition, I can’t see him earning meaningful at-bats near the top of the Tigers lineup. In my eyes, Vierling offers below replacement stats in the fantasy market, making him an injury cover only in deep formats.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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