Detroit Tigers: Jeimer Candelario can be a bright spot going forward
By Brad Faber
Outlook for 2018
While Candelario has had a fantastic start to his Tigers’ career, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to temper expectations for next season. FanGraphs Steamer projects that Candelario will slash a relatively modest 249/.320/.411 with 15 home runs and 61 RBI. However, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him outdo those projections, either.
Candelario has a sweet, fluid swing from both sides of the plate. His approach at the plate seems to be quite conducive to putting the ball in play and making a lot of solid contact. Prior to last season, he had never struck out 100-plus times in the minors.
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He also posted a respectable K rate of 21.1 percent through 38 games with the Tigers and Cubs last year. Candelario has consistently posted solid walk rates as well. He appears to have the skills that will allow him to hit for a higher average and get on base consistently.
When combining his numbers across the minor and major leagues last season, Candelario had 18 homers and 87 RBI. Eventually, it seems quite possible that 20-plus home runs and 80-plus RBI could be in reach at the big-league level.
Defensive upgrade?
Defensively, the sample size was small, but Candelario had minus-seven defensive runs saved last year. While he might have some work to do, it is also very possible that Candelario will be a defensive upgrade at third. Over the past four years, Castellanos ranked last among all qualified third basemen with -64 defensive runs saved.
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With expectations for the 2018 Detroit Tigers being quite low, Candelario may have the perfect opportunity to settle in and get comfortable. In Chicago, he was blocked at third base by Kris Bryant. It should be fun to see what he can do with the chance he will have in Detroit.