Tigers Roster Is Now a Justin-Free Zone

This could be the first time in MLB history that a rebuilding phase has started with a name purge.

Clearly, Justin isn't as trendy as it used to be.

So, when the front-office dictum is out with the old, in with the new, the Detroit Tigers are leaving no stone unturned.

That apparently meant any player named Justin had to go.

That means the Motor City said see ya to:

• RHP Justin Wilson, shipped to the Cubbies along with GM Alex Avila's own kid,
• OF Justin Upton, probably ecstatic his next destination was a club with a shot at the playoffs, and
• RHP and Detroit icon Justin Verlander, who takes his Hall of Fame résumé and Kate Upton to the 'Stros.

Kinsler: "Anytime you lose a teammate, someone that's a big part of the team, as Justin and Justin and Justin were, it's a tough situation." — Evan Woodbery (@evanwoodbery) September 1, 2017

Not that this development is a total coincidence.

The heyday of babies named Justin projects to many of them being in their late 20s right now:

• Records indicate that 752,546 boys in the United States have been named Justin since 1880,
• The greatest number of people were given this name in 1988,
• This s when 35,014 people in the USA were given the name Justin, and
• Those dudes are now 28 years old.

In this sabremetrics-driven sport, the Tigers will undoubtedly go all geek and evaluate prospects based on an arcane acronym salad containing the likes of BACON, O-Swing%, and wOBA.

Maybe it'd just be simpler for scouts to check what topped the 1997 name list, even though it looks just as boring as the advanced stats: Michael, Jacob, Matthew, Christopher, and Joshua.

What the hell. It's a start.