Ryan Raburn

2013

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2012

Like past years, the 2011 campaign was another tale of two halves for Raburn, The 31-year-old hit just .213/.248/.360 before the midsummer classic, but he turned his season around by hitting .341/.393/.574 after the break. He saw most of his playing time in the corner-outfield spots and second base, but Raburn also made a few appearances at both corner-infield positions. Unless the team makes some late roster additions, the Tigers plan to deploy him as a platoon option at second base while also giving him some starts in the outfield. While his second-half surge makes him an enticing option heading into the next season, Raburn has struggled to display the type of consistency that would make him a constant source for fantasy production in shallow formats, but he's a decent source of power at the second base position in deeper leagues.

2011

Raburn was tabbed as a breakout candidate heading into last season thanks to a strong finish to his 2009 campaign. Unfortunately, Raburn didn't live up to the hype in the early season, hitting just .208/.287/.350 before the All-Star break. But like the previous year, Raburn went on a torrid stretch the final two months, hitting .315 with 13 home runs and 46 RBI over the final 70 games. Tigers brass has committed to making Raburn a bigger part of the team over the course of a full season. He's expected to open the 2011 season as the left fielder. If Raburn avoids an early-season slump and accumulates more than 500 at-bats for the first time in his career, he'll hold value in any format.

2010

Raburn saw an increased role with the Tigers in 2009, resulting in the versatile utility man putting up career-high numbers in hits (76), home runs (16), RBI (45), runs (44) and steals (5), all with just 261 at-bats. After battling for a job each of the past three seasons, manager Jim Leyland has already stated that Raburn will be guaranteed a roster spot out of spring training. To further increase Raburn’s 2010 value, the Tigers have opted to not bring back Marcus Thames, which will open up more playing time for Raburn as the designated hitter. If he can thrive with what will likely be close to an everyday role, Raburn could be one of the more valuable late-round fliers this season.

2009

Raburn's second year in Detroit was not as productive with the bat as his first but the versatility that Raburn provides keeps him on manager Jim Leyland's bench. Raburn has a little pop in his bat but his infield defense isn't solid enough to make him an option to start long-term should the Tigers lose an infielder to an injury. The Tigers also have plenty of options in the outfield beyond their current group of starters so Raburn will be regulated to spot starts to keep everyone else fresh.

2008

Raburn established himself as a solid reserve player last season, hitting over .300 and playing multiple infield and outfield positions. He's shown decent power and some speed in the minors so he could be interesting if he earned more playing time. He should enter 2008 as Detroit's top utility player.

2007

Raburn put together a fairly solid year at Triple-A Toledo last season and added some versatility by switching from second base to the outfield. He currently doesn't have a 40-man roster spot and the Tigers have little use for him as a utility player right now but he could be an option in 2008 if he puts together another good year in the minors.

2006

Raburn spent all of last season at Triple-A Toledo with no September call-up despite earning one the year before. He posted solid power numbers but needs to improve his patience at the plate if he hopes to be anything more than a reserve in the majors. He should start 2006 back at Triple-A and will need injuries at the major league level to receive an opportunity.

2005

The Tigers top second-base prospect, Raburn had a great season at Double-A Erie and was called up by the Tigers for the last few weeks of the regular season. While he struggled at the plate there, the Tigers are still very high on him. With Omar Infante and Fernando Vina on the roster, Detroit doesn't need to rush Raburn, but he will still have the chance to compete for a roster spot during spring training.

2004

The team’s 5th round pick in 2001 out of South Florida CC has been injury-prone in his early career. The 23-year-old has made the transition from third base to second and is interesting as power middle infielder. Some in the organization think he can become Jeff Kent but he’s not shown it statistically yet. Expect him to begin the 2004 season in high Single-A with a promotion to Double-A Eerie at some point.