Breaking Down the Non-Roster Invitees: Detroit Tigers

It’s time to look at one of the more vanilla collections of NRIs.

With one of the game’s most desolate farm systems and a relatively set veteran team, Detroit boasts few intriguing non-roster players.

Nevertheless, a few do pique some interest. Let’s take a look.

LHP John Bale—Soon to be 37, the erstwhile lefty never has really secured an MLB job, appearing in just 109 career games with the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Royals. He’s always been essentially a replacement-level long relief arm, and at his age, that’s highly unlikely to change, at least for the better. Still, this is an organization that kept Brad Thomas, of all people, last year–who knows what Jim Leyland will do. It’s interesting that Bale continues to try to get back to the bigs this late in his thirties, and perhaps just as interesting that he still finds teams willing to oblige and invite him to camp.

OF Andy Dirks—Dirks hit .375/.398/.648 in 22 Triple-A games last year, an interesting development considering that his Double-A line wasn’t particularly exceptional. His hot streak could give Dirks a shot at a bench job if he tears up camp–less qualified candidates have done it in Detroit (Clete Thomas, 2008). More likely, however, he’ll give team brass a sense of how fluky the Triple-A run was.

2B Brandon Douglas—Douglas isn’t much of a prospect, but he’s hit for average everywhere he’s been, including Double-A, where he hit .359 late last year. Unlike Dirks, Douglas’ post-promotion hot streak is more in line with what one would expect from him. Already 25, however, he has yet to see Triple-A, so he’ll need to impress the staff and move quickly. Douglas has a shot at a Jeff Keppinger career, except that he can’t handle short.

LHP Fu-Te Ni—In 54 innings with Detroit, Ni has walked 30 batters; if the 28-year-old could stop issuing free passes, he could have some use. A slider/changeup specialist, he doesn’t have much velocity, but he can get lefties out. Ni’s looking to bounce back from a rough 2010; his 2009 debut went much better.

C Max St. Pierre—St. Pierre has gotten lots of press for epitomizing perseverance; the 30-year-old finally made it to the bigs in 2010 after kicking around the minors from 1997-2010. That doesn’t make him a great player, though, which explains why he’s not on the 40-man anymore. Still, St. Pierre did hit .300/.356/.469 in Triple-A, and he’s a solid defensive catcher. If he can keep his momentum going through camp and into April, perhaps the veteran can get another, and longer, look.

1B Scott Thorman—Remember Scott Thorman? If you don’t, you didn’t miss much; he’s a career .222/.260/.407 hitter, all with the Braves from 2006-07. You can probably guess whose Triple-A affiliate he played for last year. Strictly a first baseman back in his MLB days, Thorman branched out last year, adding third base and left field to his defensive repertoire in hopes of becoming a latter-day Branyan. Surprisingly, he took to the new positions rather well, and also hit .280/.348/.491 with 22 homers. He also posted a K/BB of 75/48 in 121 games, a nice improvement from a guy who long struggled with the strike zone. Still just 29, Thorman could get a look as a multipositional reserve, although he’s more than likely Detroit’s next Mike Hessman.