5 X-Factors For The Detroit Tigers Season Going Into 2015
The Resurgence of the Tigers Middle Infielders
Sep 17, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias (1) makes a throw against the Seattle Mariners at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
The shortstop position in 2014 was somewhat of a mess for the Tigers last year. When Jose Iglesias went down on a season-ending injury during Spring Training, the Tigers were poorly equipped to deal with that extent of a blow.
They would trade Steve Lombardozzi to the Baltimore Orioles to get Alex Gonzalez only to ship him out after he struggled to start the season as the starting shortstop. Afterwards it was somewhat of a revolving door with players like Andrew Romine getting the start.
Eventually rookie Eugenio Suarez would pick up the slack with a bang and filled in admirably for the rest of the season.
Now entering 2015, the Tigers have a (should be) healthy Iglesias as he anchors this improved Tigers defense. His reputation has been carved from his defensive wizardry and that shouldn’t change in 2015.
On the other side of 2nd base stands the Tigers starting 2nd baseman Ian Kinsler. Kinsler, much like Iglesias showed throughout the season how good he was on the field. He would win the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year award and make highlight play after play.
On the defensive side of things these two should be more than fine. Tigers fans and pundits should have no problem putting their trust in these two when they take the field come Opening Day.
Except what about their bats? A big part of today’s MLB has been how well a hitter does from the batters box.
Iglesias as previously mentioned makes his money from his defense but his bat is still up to the jury to decide. In 2013 and in his rookie year Iglesias posted a slash line of .303/.349/.386/.735 which is more than impressive for a kid in his rookie year.
Sep 25, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler (3) makes a throw to first to get Minnesota Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki (not pictured) out in the fourth inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Except he was a candidate from regression as his BABIP with his time with the Boston Red Sox was unsustainable. He eventually would regress to the norm as his slashline with the Tigers as their starting shortstop was .259/.306/.348/.654.
His time with the Tigers is more like how scouts project his bat. If he can bat anywhere close to what he produced in 2013 the Tigers should be ecstatic. Iglesias isn’t projected to bat near the top of the lineup so he shouldn’t play too much of a factor though. If he can continue to make jaw-dropping plays the Tigers should be content with what they got.
Then that brings us to Ian Kinsler. The reason the middle infielders are even mentioned as X-Factors is because of this 2nd basemen. Kinsler in the first half of the season was lights out from the plate. He was named to the All-Star team while slashing a strong .303/.337/.470/.806.
Unfortunately for Kinsler and the Tigers though the MLB season is 162 games. After the All-Star break Kinsler would go on to bat a meager .239/.270/.357/.627 while batting at the top of the lineup.
Basically the Tigers will need Kinsler to be more like 1st half Kinsler than 2nd half Kinsler. While he won’t be a net negative player with his strong defense he has the ability to spark the top of the lineup.
If he wants to set the table for hitters like Cabrera and Victor Martinez he can’t have an OBP of .270 for an extended period of time. They are going to need runners to drive in after all.
Being one of the veterans in the league Kinsler will need to step up his efforts. There’s one thing for sure though. Tigers fans should be more than excited to watch this combo of Iglesias and Kinsler to turn double plays at Comerica Park.
Next: The Little Guys