Justyn-Henry Malloy

Malloy saw time at third base, left field and right field at Triple-A last season, but he is a below-average defender at all three spots and fits best at designated hitter. That's a problem on a roster that has a locked in everyday first baseman (Spencer Torkelson) and also projects to include foundational bat-first players like Kerry Carpenter and Colt Keith. Malloy, who turns 24 in February, slashed .277/.417/.474 with 23 home runs in 135 games at Triple-A. His 102.7 mph 90th percentile exit velocity, 109.9 mph maxEV, and 29.4 Hard% were not high-end marks for a potential designated hitter, but Malloy has had an OBP north of .400 at every stop above Single-A. Similarly to former Tigers DH Victor Martinez, he could potentially provide enough offensive value to DH even if he's not hitting more than 20 homers per season, but that involves Malloy essentially maxing out as a hitter. He doesn't need to be added to the 40-man roster until after the 2024 season for Rule 5 draft protection, so it will be up to him to improve enough defensively to force the issue this season. Read Past Outlooks