Dixon Machado
Right now, the soon-to-be 26-year-old Dixon Machado appears poised to take over for Kinsler at second base. Machado first made it to the majors in 2015. He spent last season as a utility man for the Tigers, playing a total of four different positions (including DH).
Through 73 games, he hit .259/.302/.319 with a homer and 11 RBI. He was particularly impressive in the first half, hitting .324/.351/.408 before tailing off a bit in the second half. Machado saw some time in the leadoff spot for the Tigers last season and did quite well, hitting .296/.375/.444.
Throughout Machado’s minor league career, he was always known more for his glove than his bat. Through parts of eight minor league seasons, Machado hit only .246/.323/.317. In more recent seasons, however, his bat has shown signs of getting ready to come alive. Back in 2014, he hit a combined .286/.375/.404 between Class A Advanced Lakeland and Double-A Erie. He was also a .264/.331/.344 hitter in 258 games in Triple-A Toledo. Apparently, last season he showed that he was capable of doing a respectable job against major league pitching as well.
Machado won’t provide much power from the leadoff spot, but his ability to make contact would be a big plus. He had a very respectable K rate of just 17.7 percent last season, but his walk rate sat at only 5.5 percent. If he could work on his walk rate and get on base a bit more consistently, he might be a solid leadoff candidate for the Tigers this coming season.