Detroit Tigers: Potential position battles for spring training 2018

A Starting Rotation Job?

Right now, it appears that the Tigers’ starting rotation is likely to consist of Fulmer, Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd, Jordan Zimmermann and Mike Fiers. The Detroit Tigers can obviously count on Fulmer, assuming he isn’t traded and comes back healthy from elbow surgery, but the other four are question marks.

Lefties Norris and Boyd both had ERA’s north of 5.00 in 2017. However, Norris has long been considered a potential breakout candidate, and Boyd had a fantastic month of September last year.

Zimmermann has struggled since signing a five-year, $110 million contract with the Tigers before the beginning of the 2016 season. Over the past two years, Zimmermann has posted a 5.60 ERA through 265.1 innings. The Tigers truly need him to get back on track.

Fiers, who had a down season with the Houston Astros last year, signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Tigers last month. Going by ERA+, he hasn’t been an above average pitcher since 2015 when he went 7-10 with a 3.69 ERA (107 ERA+) and a 1.25 WHIP for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Though the rotation still appears to be mostly set, one wild card to consider is left-hander Ryan Carpenter. Carpenter, who signed a major league deal with the Tigers earlier this offseason, had a decent season for the Colorado Rockies‘ Triple-A affiliate last season.

Through 27 games (25 starts), Carpenter went 10-9 with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP while pitching in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Perhaps it is possible that Carpenter could challenge for a spot in the rotation with a strong spring training.

Designated Hitter?

After the 2014 season, the Detroit Tigers resigned Victor Martinez to a four-year, $68 million deal. At the time he was arguably coming off of the best season of his career. He hit .335/.409/.565 (172 OPS+) with 32 home runs and 103 RBI. He finished as the runner-up to Mike Trout in the AL MVP voting that year.

Over the past three seasons, however, Martinez merely has not been the same player. He suffered a knee injury before the beginning of the 2015 season and went on to hit just .245/.301/.366 (84 OPS+) with 11 home runs and 64 RBI through 120 games.

He did bounce back the next year to hit .289/.351/.476 (121 OPS+) with 27 home runs and 86 RBI. However, he had another terrible season in 2017.

Through 107 games last year, Martinez slashed .255/.324/.372 (84 OPS+) with 10 home runs and 47 RBI. He underwent a season-ending heart procedure in early September after previously being diagnosed and hospitalized for an irregular heartbeat in June.

Though there was a certain amount of question as to whether or not he would be able to return, Martinez has now been reinstated from the 60-day DL. According to George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press, comments made by GM Al Avila indicate that Martinez is working hard this offseason and the team is willing to give him an opportunity to show that he can still hit. Still, if it doesn’t work out, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Tigers release Martinez (despite the fact that he is still owed $18 million) or reduce him to a bench role and give someone else more time at DH.

Third Base?

Right now, it appears that Jeimer Candelario will be given every opportunity to show that he can handle the job at third base. Through 38 games with the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs last season, Candelario was quite impressive, hitting .283/.359/.425 (106 OPS+) with three home runs and 16 RBI.

He also has a solid track record of performing well in the minor leagues, regularly hitting for solid average and double-digit home run power. Judging by the way he performed after coming over from the Cubs last season, he certainly looks ready for the job.

If for some reason Candelario struggles, however, the Tigers may need to keep the door open to other options. The most obvious solution would be to move Castellanos from right field back to third base. Castellanos struggled defensively at the hot corner for the better part of four seasons, but his bat has come around over the past two seasons.

The Tigers could decide that his offensive is enough to offset his defensive woes and use him as a temporary solution until Candelario is ready.

Other less likely options could include Dixon Machado or Dawel Lugo. Machado performed decently in a utility role last season, hitting .259/.302/.319 with a homer and 11 RBI through 73 games. However, he is more of a middle infielder than a corner infielder.

Lugo, who was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the J.D. Martinez deal, hit a robust .277/.321/.424 with 13 home runs and 65 RBI in Double-A last season. However, given that he has yet to play above Double-A,  he made need a bit more time in the minors before suiting up for the majors.

Center Field?

The Detroit Tigers should certainly have an interesting situation to keep an eye on in center field. Many still regard JaCoby Jones to be the center fielder of the future, but he has struggled to perform at the plate so far in his brief big league career.

Over parts of two seasons with the Tigers, Jones has hit just .178/.236/.278 with three home runs. He has, however, shown that he can he can be quite impressive in the outfield and on the basepaths.

Jones has shown quite a bit of pop in the minor leagues, though it has usually come along with quite a few strikeouts. It will be interesting to see if his bat will start to come around next season.

Detroit has already made a couple of moves this offseason to improve the situation in center field. The Tigers signed the left-handed hitting Leonys Martin to a one-year deal and were able to acquire switch-hitter Victor Reyes in the Rule 5 draft.

Martin had a rough season last year, but the speedy center fielder was a productive player as recently as 2016. Reyes slashed .292/.332/.399 with four home runs and 51 RBI for the Diamondbacks Double-A affiliate last season.

There could be other options as well. Mikie Mahtook started 60 games in center field for the Tigers in 2017, though most expect him to begin next season as the team’s primary left fielder. Mike Gerber, who most believe is a prime candidate to make his big league debut at some point next season, played quite a bit of center field in Double-A Erie last season.

Second Base?

The Detroit Tigers have a massive hole at second base after trading Kinsler to the Angels. Since coming over from the Texas Rangers in exchange for Prince Fielder in November of 2013, Kinsler was extremely productive over four seasons in Detroit. His best season came back in 2016 when he hit .288/.348/.484 (122 OPS+) with 28 home runs and 83 RBI.

Kinsler provided big-time value with his bat as well as his glove. Over the past four seasons, he has been worth 17.4 fWAR, which ranks third among all qualified second basemen in baseball.

Apparently, the Tigers will almost certainly not be able to replace that level of production. They do, however, have at least one internal candidate who should be able to do a respectable job at the position.

At the current moment, Machado is likely the Tigers’ best option. Throughout his time in the Tigers’ system, he has always been known for his glove and should be able to handle the position with ease — at least from a defensive standpoint.

It remains to be seen how well he can produce with the bat in a full-time role, however. With Machado and Jose Iglesias, the Tigers could have a light-hitting middle infield in 2018.

The Tigers could also consider Lugo for second base, despite his inexperience in both the majors and at the position. Lugo has appeared in only 15 games at second base throughout his minor league career.

There are also veteran second basemen/middle infielders on the free agent market who could make sense for the Tigers as well. Someone like Erick Aybar, Stephen Drew or Chase Utley could be good fits.

Bullpen Jobs?

The Detroit Tigers should certainly have their share of competition in the bullpen next spring. Last season, Detroit’s bullpen ended up posting the worst bullpen in the majors with a mark of 5.63.

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One Detroit reliever who did have a good season, however, was Shane Greene. Through 71 games, Greene went 4-3 with a 2.66 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.

He also converted nine saves. Assuming that he remains with the Tigers, he will likely be the team’s best reliever going into next season.

The bullpen could also feature Blaine Hardy and Alex Wilson. Hardy and Wilson have pitched well in the past but are both coming off of down years.

Other names to keep an eye on include but are not limited to, Warwick Saupold, Daniel Stumpf, Drew VerHagen and Joe Jimenez.

Jimenez is a compelling case in particular. While he has dominated in the minor leagues and has been described as a potential future closer, he struggled in his opportunities with the Tigers last season. Through 24 games with the Tigers in 2017, he posted a 12.32 ERA and a 2.11 WHIP.

The Tigers have now parted ways with Bruce Rondon as well. Though Rondon was once also described as a potential closer to the future, he failed to live up to expectations during his time within Detroit and was non-tendered early last month.

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It is also entirely possible that the Detroit Tigers could bring in free agents as well. Last month, it was reported that they were showing interest in Fernando Rodney, who later signed with the Minnesota Twins. Naturally, veteran arms are something that the Tigers’ bullpen could certainly use right now.