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.