Jose Iglesias
Now entering his final year before free agency, Jose Iglesias has been a productive player for several years now. While Iglesias is known more for his excellent defense at shortstop, he has been decent with the bat as well. Since coming over before the trade deadline in 2013, Iglesias has hit .268/.312/.357 in his career with the Tigers.
Going by the metrics of OPS+ and wRC+ Iglesias has been a below league average hitter, posting marks of 82 and 81, respectively, for his career. Still, he is a guy who knows how to handle the bat and doesn’t strike out very often. He has a lifetime K rate of just 12.3 percent. He is also someone who knows how to lay down a bunt.
Iglesias does have a little bit of experience batting at the top of the order, but he has typically done better work when batting at or near the bottom of the lineup. He has more experience batting ninth than anywhere else, hitting .268/.311/.358 across 368 games.
Still, considering the Tigers’ options, one could make the case that Iglesias would be an excellent option at leadoff for the Detroit Tigers in 2018. If the Tigers do in fact decide to go with Iglesias as their leadoff hitter at the beginning of next season, however, it is worthwhile to note that he may not be there for the entire year. Recent comments made by GM Al Avila suggest that there is a strong possibility that Iglesias could be traded by the middle of next season.