It is still quite early in the 2018 season, but Detroit Tigers center fielder Leonys Martin appears well on his way to putting together a bounce-back year.
Last December, the Detroit Tigers signed center fielder Leonys Martin to a one-year deal. While Martin was coming off of a down year, hitting just .172/.232/.281 through 49 games with the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs, the Tigers needed help in center field and it made sense for them to take a chance on him.
So far in 2018, Martin is off to a surprisingly hot start. Through his first 30 games, Martin is hitting .282/.344/.470 (117 OPS+) with four home runs and 13 RBI.
Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reported back in February that Martin was working on getting “his old swing mechanics” back in Spring Training. Prior to his tough 2017 season, Martin clubbed 15 home runs for the Mariners in 2016. Martin thought that he might be able to hit even more home runs, which he admits might have messed with his game.
Earlier in his career with the Texas Rangers, Martin never achieved double-digits in the home run department, but hit for pretty decent average. He was a .268 hitter for the Rangers from 2013-14. He also stole over 30 bases in both 2013 and 2014 as well.
While Martin’s focus seems to have shifted back to driving the ball in the gaps, he is still providing a good amount of home run power from the leadoff spot. According to ESPN, he is currently on track to hit 20 home runs this season, which would be a new career high.
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Right now, Martin’s 0.9 fWAR ranks second on the Tigers’ roster. He trails only third baseman Jeimer Candelario. Surprisingly, Martin’s speed has not yet been a huge factor for the Tigers thus far. He has stolen only one base and has been caught steeling three times.
Does he fit in Tigers’ future?
Going into the 2018 season, most were expecting the Tigers to finish near or at the bottom of the AL Central. However, while the team is still under the .500 mark with a record of 14-18, they are actually a second-place team at the moment.
It should be interesting to see if the Tigers might be a team that can hang around in the race for a while this summer. If the Tigers fall out of the race, however, Martin could eventually become a pretty solid trade chip, especially if he continues to perform the way he has so far in 2018.
That being said, it could also make sense for the Tigers to keep Martin as well. As Jason Beck of MLB.com reported at the time of the signing, Martin will still be controllable through arbitration this offseason due to his current amount of service time.
The Tigers have quite a few outfielders on the horizon, including center field prospects Daz Cameron and Derek Hill. However, Martin could be a great option to hold down center field until one of them is ready.
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Only time will tell what the future will hold. As of right now, however, Martin certainly appears to be in the process of re-establishing himself as a very solid big league center fielder.