LOS ANGELES ¨C Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris hinted Monday at what was coming in the wake of all the outfield injuries.
¡°We¡¯re going to have to leverage what we believe is a really talented pitching staff,¡± Harris said, ¡°and we¡¯re going to have to protect that pitching staff with defense.¡±
Detroit¡¯s final roster decisions reflect that. Ryan Kreidler, arguably the Tigers¡¯ best defensive option in center field still standing, will be brought back from Triple-A Toledo for a Major League spot over Justyn-Henry Malloy, who hit well but struggled at times in the field. Javier B¨¢ez, whose season-ending hip injury last August opened the door for Trey Sweeney to take over at shortstop, now looms as an option at three positions.
¡°Outfield defense is a really important ingredient in how we win games here,¡± Harris said. ¡°Heading into the season, I expected us to have an elite outfield defense. But when you go through as many injuries as we have gone through in Spring Training, you¡¯re faced with a number of tradeoffs when ultimately setting the roster. The more we talked about our roster, the more we realized we need to keep prioritizing outfield defense, we need to keep protecting our pitching and we need to keep prioritizing versatility in game. Ryan Kreidler helps us do that. He¡¯s going to play a lot of center field for us.¡±
Meanwhile, Detroit¡¯s decision to option closer Jason Foley and keep converted starters Brenan Hanifee and Brant Hurter punctuated the team¡¯s emphasis on bullpen versatility and length.
¡°My expectation is that A.J. is going to have many weapons that he can use to counter any move he sees from the opposing manager,¡± Harris said. ¡°We have a bunch of different arm angles, different pitch mixes and different shapes that he can use to match up against hitters on the Dodgers, the Mariners and thereafter.¡±
The final Opening Day roster will not be officially set until Thursday morning, but here¡¯s a look at how the 26-man group shakes out ahead of Opening Day at Dodger Stadium:
Catcher (2): Jake Rogers, Dillon Dingler
It¡¯ll be interesting to see how the Tigers mix and match this pair as the season goes along. While Rogers remains the clear-cut top choice and is arguably underrated for his game calling and defensive skills, Dingler quietly enjoyed a strong all-around spring. His career pattern shows an adjustment period with each new level before figuring things out, so the Tigers could give him more opportunities than a traditional backup to help him develop.
First base (1): Colt Keith
Keith¡¯s position switch didn¡¯t look all that comfortable at first, pun intended, but he worked hard to get his footwork solidified before the end of camp. Spencer Torkelson gives the Tigers a potential defensive option for late innings if they want, but this is Keith¡¯s spot.
Second base (1): Gleyber Torres
Torres looked better than advertised at second in Spring Training, and his bat looms larger now after injuries depleted the lineup. No, there¡¯s no talk of shifting him to fill the void at third.
Shortstop (2): Trey Sweeney, Javier Báez
The Tigers¡¯ willingness to use B¨¢ez at third base and center field reflects their confidence in Sweeney as their primary shortstop. His defense in spring was solid, and while he struggled a bit at the plate, he showed some of the power potential that made him a first-round Draft pick four years ago. He¡¯ll get the strong side of the platoon, and could get some starts against lefties.
Third base (2): Zach McKinstry, Andy Ibáñez
This isn¡¯t how the Tigers envisioned their hot corner this offseason (Alex Bregman?), or even at the start of Spring Training (Jace Jung?). But McKinstry¡¯s track record and solid defense, plus Ib¨¢?ez¡¯s defense and ability to hit lefties, make this a workable mix for now until Jung and/or Hao-Yu Lee show enough at Triple-A Toledo to knock on Detroit¡¯s door.
Outfielders (3): Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, Manuel Margot
Injuries to Matt Vierling, Parker Meadows and Wenceel P¨¦rez depleted what had been a deep group and led to the signing of Margot at the end of camp. Expect the Tigers to mix and match in center with Greene, Margot, Kreidler and others.
¡°What we¡¯re comfortable with is the unknown of exactly how the innings are going to be divvied up,¡± manager A.J. Hinch said. ¡°You¡¯re going to see a little bit of everything, and that includes Riley Greene.¡±
DH (1): Spencer Torkelson
Torkelson¡¯s comeback from what looked like a dead end to his Tiger tenure to a significant role in the Tigers lineup was the best story of camp. He¡¯ll likely split time at DH with Carpenter while also providing an experienced defensive option at first base.
¡°I¡¯m very proud of Tork,¡± Hinch said, ¡°because I feel like there¡¯s a portion of our time here together where he¡¯s had the weight of the world on his shoulders. The work now starts again in the season for him to be a middle-of-the-order bat that we want to rely on, but it¡¯s a great hat tip to Tork for taking his offseason [adjustments] into the spring and really crushing his way to the Opening Day lineup.¡±
Utility (1): Ryan Kreidler
The Tigers optioned Kreidler to Toledo last weekend, but P¨¦rez¡¯s back injury led them to bring him back as an option in center field and around the infield. He had some solid contact all spring, but his promotion over Malloy ¨C who had a solid spring at the plate but had struggles in the outfield -- is the best example of the Tigers emphasizing defense in their current circumstances.
¡°He¡¯s going to play a lot of center field,¡± Hinch said, ¡°and then in a moment¡¯s notice you¡¯re going to see him at shortstop or at third base or at second base.¡±
Starting pitchers (5): Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Reese Olson, Jackson Jobe, Casey Mize
Jobe and Mize won the final two spots in a rotation that¡¯s the strength of the roster. Mize has rejuvenated his game with a hard splitter and assortment of sliders. Jobe has a chance for AL Rookie of the Year consideration if he can limit the long ball and draw more swinging strikes.
Relief pitchers (8): John Brebbia, Beau Brieske, Brenan Hanifee, Tyler Holton, Brant Hurter, Tommy Kahnle, Kenta Maeda, Will Vest
Foley¡¯s demotion changes the dynamic of this group at the back end, but the emphasis on versatility and stuff applies throughout the staff. Expect some mixing and matching at closer.
¡°You could see a lot of guys pitch in the middle of the game, and you could see a lot of guys pitch at the end of the game,¡± Hinch said. ¡°And given the depth that we have, how well Hanifee is throwing going into the season, how much confident grew at the end of the season with Will Vest and Beau Brieske. I think there¡¯s a lot to like about this pen, and those paths to a win may have different combinations.¡±