As of right now, the likely favorite to start at third base on Opening Day for the Detroit Tigers is Matt Vierling, whom the team acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies last offseason. With a weak free-agent market for hitters, the Tigers seem content to let their internal options battle it out while also keeping the runway clear for young hitters like Colt Keith and possibly Jace Jung to make their big-league debuts in 2024. Last year, Detroit's third basemen ranked 28th with a .624 OPS and 27th at minus-0.3 bWAR. Vierling played 35 games at the hot corner in 2023 but had a pedestrian .261 average and 96 OPS+. The Tigers will be hoping he can start elevating and pulling the ball more to dig into more of his power. If the 27-year-old struggles, Detroit has plenty of other options in Andy Ibanez, Zach McKinstry, Nick Maton and Ryan Kreidler. Ibanez is more comfortable at second, but he's deserving of more playing time after posting an .891 OPS after June 2.