Jung ready to prove doubters wrong with 3B there for the taking

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Alex Bregman finally made his way to Tigers camp on Sunday morning, sort of. His introductory press conference with the Red Sox was simulcast on MLB Network, which is a fixture on television screens in the Tigers clubhouse at Joker Marchant Stadium, making for quite the contrast with the calm vibes of camp as players prepared for one more workout before full-squad practices begin in earnest.

Jace Jung peeked up at the screen as he sat at his clubhouse chair and chatted with Colt Keith. Jung said a few weeks ago, during the peak of Bregman Watch, that he couldn’t worry about what the All-Star third baseman decides, even if affects his career more than anyone else on the roster.

Had Bregman signed with Detroit, Jung would’ve been fighting for a utility infield spot or potentially packing his bags for the trade block. Instead, as Bregman explained his decision to join Boston on TV, Jung readied his gear and grabbed his glove to head out to Tigertown’s back fields for another morning of fielding work at third base and batting practice in the cage.

One star’s decision is a rookie’s opportunity. And Jung has a golden one now.

“You know what’s going on,” Jung said. “We all have social media. When he signed, I obviously knew right then.”

It’s not just the opening at third base that tees up Jung for a breakthrough, but the way it came about. Jung thrives on proving doubters wrong. It pushed him to become a star at Texas Tech in his older brother Josh’s shadow, and eventually into a first-round Draft pick in 2022. It pushed him through all the extra work, the wear and tear of a long pro season. Even before the Bregman buzz and the fan sentiment in Detroit, he had noticed that he had fallen off of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list.

“I feel like I have a lot to prove this year,” said Jung, the Tigers’ No. 5 prospect.

Now, as the Tigers prepare to fill their third-base opening internally, Jung is ready to show he’s much more than a fallback option. Matt Vierling and Andy Ibáñez will likely see time at third, but Jung has a chance to claim the bulk of the work.

“There’s a lot to like with his mentality,” manager A.J. Hinch said, “and now he’s going to be smack dab in the middle of a competition to try to make this team.”

Though position players don’t officially begin workouts until Monday, Jung has already made an impression. He put on a show during batting practice on Saturday, sending home runs out to all fields. The left-handed swing that struggled down the stretch last season, hampered in part by an injured right wrist, has regained the explosiveness that produced 28 home runs across two levels of the Tigers’ farm system in 2023.

Between lost time to injuries and the challenges of advanced pitching, Jung dropped off to 15 homers last year, none in Detroit. His only extra-base power over 34 games as a Tiger last year was a handful of doubles. His average exit velocity of 86.4 mph would’ve ranked in the lower half among MLB players if he had enough at-bats to qualify, according to Statcast, and was down from his 87.7 mph average in Triple-A. His exit velocities have ticked up ever since minicamp in January.

Jung’s surgically repaired wrist is strong, he said. He has the work to back it up.

“They told me to do push-ups on the wrist,” Jung said, “and I did 100 a day, just trying to do as many things as I could to make it stronger.”

The bigger point to prove is in the field, where Jung’s minus-3 Outs Above Average and negative-6 Defensive Runs Saved were alarming for a mere 190-inning sample size.

The conventional criticism has been Jung’s throwing arm in his conversion from second to third base a year ago. The Tigers and Jung are attacking it from the other end, tackling his footwork to make sure he’s moving through the ball.

“That’s what my brother [and I] worked on this offseason,” Jace said. “As soon as we got home, I said, ‘Is there anything you saw?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, your footwork [stunk].’”

He’ll have more of that direct criticism with infield coach Joey Cora. He takes it well. He takes doubters better.

“I like to think of it like I’m a freshman in college again, competing for a spot,” Jung said.