Eduardo Valencia and Hao-Yu Lee aren’t guessing anymore, folks: they absolutely locked up their roster spots for the 2027 season. While some rookies face an uphill battle, these two made sure there was no doubt as the 2026 season wrapped up.
The Rookie Who Refused to Quit
Hao-Yu Lee, the 23-year-old they’re calling the “Taiwanese Tiger” (still workshopping, I get it), got thrust into the big leagues way back in mid-April because of injuries. His first six weeks? Rough. He was fine for two weeks, sure, but May completely swallowed him up. A brutal 16 wRC+ for the month tells you everything you need to know about that stint.
Knowing Lee’s fiery, hypercompetitive personality, you can bet he wasn’t happy when he got sent back to Triple-A for the first two weeks of June. Not pleased at all. But credit where it’s due: he learned. He took those struggles to heart and came back mentally tougher.
When he got recalled on June 13, it was a completely different ballgame. The man returned with a vengeance. He posted an insane 151 wRC+ for the rest of June. That’s 51 percent better than league average! He kept that going, hitting .283 with eight homers and 27 total extra base hits, finishing with a 123 wRC+ over 277 plate appearances the rest of the way. He hit a 132 wRC+ in July, then a slight dip to 118 in August, and 113 in September. Yeah, he had a little lady luck on his side in June and early July, but he seriously held his own the final two months, showing signs he’s settling into some sustainably above-average production. You saw that 91.1 mph average exit velocity off his bat in the second half? And the gritty at-bats under pressure? That’s exactly what you want from a young player.
The Numbers Don’t Lie: Sustainably Good?
What about those underlying stats? Do they back up the eye test? For Lee, it looks reasonably sustainable. He struck out 23.9 percent of the time and walked 8.2 percent of the time. Those are pretty average marks, and his chase rates support it, even if he did whiff a bit more than you’d prefer. Remember, that includes his rough start where he was clearly overwhelmed. He’s a young player who’s clearly getting better, and he showed that growth from June right through to the end of the season.
His .325 wOBA was actually a little better than Statcast’s expected wOBA (xwOBA) of .302 for him, which tells you about his contact quality and plate discipline. And if you isolate just June 1 through the end of the season, Lee’s numbers jump to a .352 wOBA and a .310 xwOBA. That’s a pretty clear sign this kid is for real.
So while Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark were already penciled in for Opening Day, and guys like Ben Malgeri, Brett Callahan, and John Peck are still fighting, Hao-Yu Lee and Eduardo Valencia erased any doubt. Their late-season pushes solidified their places for 2027, giving Tigers fans some real excitement to chew on as the offseason begins.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bless You Boys.
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