POSITIONAL PUZZLES

by Holly Horning

Is it the end of the year or an early 2023 Spring Training currently for the Tigers?

I argue for the latter.

Now that Al Avila is gone, the Tigers are trying to make up for lost time by moving ahead as they try to get a jump on figuring out next year’s roster.

We heard it from A. J. Hinch, after Michael Pineda was DFA’d, that the team needed to give as much time as possible to the young guys to determine their fit.

Normally, all teams (unless they are in the throes of making the playoffs) start to bring up their top prospects and sit their starters more.  But the Tigers have finally put a sense of urgency to all of this by focusing more on dress rehearsals, instead of winning games.

I’ve written over the past month or so about the team’s many positional holes.  This is what happens when you don’t draft well, focus almost exclusively on drafting pitchers and don’t develop your players properly.

As this team currently sits, there is only 1 guaranteed positional roster spot that is filled for next year.

CF.

All that after 7 years of rebuilding.

Sure, there are some players we know who will make the roster next year.  But will they be occupying the same spots as they did for 2022?

Maybe not.

And that’s what this last month is all about.  Management is putting together their own version of Rubik’s Cube.  Seeing how many positions they can fill better from essentially the same pool of candidates with a handful of rookies thrown in.

Why?  Because Chris Ilitch and the fans won’t allow this team to tear down once again and spend years trying to become competitive. 

Nor will the GM have millions to spend on multiple players.  He will have to be judicious about the team’s needs and set priorities.

He will also have to make do with as much as he can.

This team will have to straddle the fine line between rebuilding and moving forward.  What is likely to happen is a slight reset to this roster.

Given this, let’s turn to the 7 positional question marks remaining and look at the clues we’re currently seeing that will help determine who goes, who stays and who moves.

CATCHER

Tucker Barnhart will assuredly not return.  But will Jake Rogers?  He’s strong defensively but barely hits and his recovery from Tommy John surgery has been delayed.  He won’t be back this year and I doubt the Tigers will be comfortable waiting until spring training to see if he is ready.

So many have “Dillon Dingler” on their lips but he’s easily at least 1 year away.

Which brings us to Eric Haase – currently the team’s hardest working player.  Now that he’s getting regular playing time, he’s among the top 3 players in most important offensive categories.  And the Tigers desperately need his bat.  His defensive skills will keep him as the #2 catcher (-8 DRS) but he can also fill in at 1B and in a pinch, play the outfield, too.  He can also DH. More on that in a moment.

More likely than not, the Tigers will be hunting for a new #1 catcher on a short contract in the off-season.

FIRST BASE

You have to go back to 2019 to find a full-time 1Ber for the Tigers (if you don’t count the 2020 60-game season). The only team with that distinction and probably a major reason why Spencer Torkelson was rushed up to the majors after only 1 year in the minors.

Things are looking better for him since his return from Toledo.  He’s been working extensively with the new hitting coaches, including the Mud Hens’ Adam Melhuse, who made the trip to Detroit with him.  Currently, he’s been hitting .333 (through Sunday’s game) since his return and you can see some of the changes he’s made to his stance and approach to the plate.

He’s much more likely now to officially earn that first base position.  Pencil him in.

SECOND BASE

This is where it gets interesting.  Jonathan Schoop is having his worst year ever and is on the books for 2023 at $7.5 mill.  There are reports that the Tigers are interested in trading him.

Schoop is a plus defender but struggling mightily at the plate.  Removing him from the equation will also help solve another problem the team has.  We’ll get to that in a moment.

But in the meantime, he’s tradable because it’s just 1 more year and perfect for a team looking to add strength or depth up the middle. A team that doesn’t have a problem with their lack of offense.  The Tigers may, however, have to pay some of his salary.

So who will end up playing 2B?  I’m glad you asked….

SHORTSTOP

Javier Baez is also having one of his worst years, especially in the field.  He leads all of MLB in errors.  It wasn’t supposed to be that way.

His $140 mill contract takes him through 2027.  He has an opt out after next year but he won’t consider it unless he has an amazing year.  He also can only be traded to 10 teams on his approval list.

It’s highly unlikely that Detroit can trade him. 

So how will the Tigers handle Baez?  A new GM will not stand pat and wait for this contract to expire.  What he will do is to create a situation in which Javy’s contributions are maximized.

And that just may mean moving him to 2B, which will cut down on the errors.  Less likely, but still feasible, is transitioning him to 3B.  More on that in a minute.

Who will move into the SS slot is less clear.  There are a number of players but no one yet who appears to be a leading candidate.

And don’t think that the Tigers will go after Carlos Correa after this year.  He is likely to opt out from his new contract so he may pursue an even higher one.  He has also publicly stated that he will not go to a rebuilding team.

This position has the biggest question mark of all.

THIRD BASE

It is widely expected that Jeimer Candelario will be non-tendered after this year.  He’s had a poor season, despite this last-minute surge to improve.  He would be earning somewhere close to $8 mill after arbitration.

Which is why Ryan Kreidler is getting the majority of playing time at 3B right now.

Hittin’ Harold Castro currently has played the most games at 3B after Jeimer.  One of the team’s most dependable hitters but we’re still not getting the sense that the Tigers want to slot him into just 1 position.

Let’s continue to watch Kreidler who is currently getting positive reviews.  This could be his position to win.

LEFT FIELD

I don’t see just one player winning LF.  It’s very likely this will be a platoon situation.

Akil Baddoo appears to be the odd man out with Willi Castro and Eric Haase having an edge to playing there part-time.  Both can play multiple positions and Haase is a much better hitter.

However, Kerry Carpenter is getting more and more time in that corner.  He’s been working a lot with George Lombard and Ramon Santiago on his defensive skills and A. J. Hinch says he sees improvement.  Expect an extended audition for him, especially if his offense continues to improve.

And then there’s Austin Meadows. (For more, see RIGHT FIELD.)

Speaking of Carpenter….

DESIGNATED HITTER

I’m including the DH position even though it doesn’t qualify because it is a key to who makes the roster next year.

Carpenter came to the team known for his hitting but also being defensively challenged.  However, signs are that he is improving with the glove.

It is unlikely that the Tigers would play him in LF most of the time.  Platooning, if he makes the roster, makes sense.  That means they would be unlikely to sit him and his bat when he’s not playing the outfield.

He’s been described as a perfect DH candidate which is what will likely happen if the rest of this year goes well.

But it means that things will get complicated for the Tigers when it comes to Miguel Cabrera.  That will be a huge decision for the new GM to navigate.

The Tigers have perfect DH candidates in both Carpenter and Haase.  To add in Miggy, who can only DH, would be overkill and a waste of a roster spot.  He has been reduced to hitting singles (for the most part) due to injury and can only play 1 game in each series.

When this team has so many needs, is it logical to have 3 players who are ideal DH’s?  No.

Besides, most teams now no longer have a dedicated DH.  It has evolved into a rotational position so rosters can utilize that extra spot for a player who offers greater flexibility.

Logically, we know what should happen.  But Miggy is no ordinary ballplayer and that will certainly factor into the equation. Expect this decision to factor into the GM hiring process.

RIGHT FIELD

This is a slot that is even more puzzling than LF.  Its candidates?  Willi Castro, Austin Meadows and Victor Reyes.

No new rookies are playing there so far which tells us that the Tigers believe they have more than enough players to cover that area.  But will they go with 4 or 5 outfielders next year?  In part, it will depend upon whether Miggy is back and taking up a roster spot.

But currently, for the corner slots, there are 6 candidates.  At least 2 two of them would be part-time.

The hope is that Meadows will be fully healthy by next season but they won’t know anything until next spring.

With Riley Greene, there would be 7 outfielders for a total of 4-5 slots.  Of course, some of these athletes would play there occasionally but it’s still overkill.  Expect a couple of them to be cut or sent down to Toledo.

Like last year, the candidates are plentiful.  But the Tigers are hoping that they won’t have to rotate through their outfielders with such frequency as they did in 2022.

Obviously, the biggest holes are in the infield.  The outfield is flush with players but how many of them are truly deserving to stay? With the exception of Greene, most of them were marginal at best this year.

The new GM is going to have to make some hard decisions.  As much as many would like this roster turn over significantly, it’s not going to happen.  At least for the 2023 season.

New management is going to have to pick and choose their survivors carefully.  And maximize the talent as much as possible.

Some players will get new life.  Others won’t.  And sadly, a few of them will simply be holding down spots until 2024 rolls around.

Because you can’t make over an entire roster in just 3 months.

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