Detroit Tigers Position Breakdown: Third Baseman
Mar 27, 2015; Dunedin, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers infielder
Nick Castellanos(9) prepares to take batting practice before the start of the spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Florida Auto Exchange Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
(This is the fifth installment on my series breaking down the Detroit Tigers position by position for the 2015 season. For the previous articles click on the respective positions: Catcher, First Baseman, Second Baseman, Shortstop)
The Detroit Tigers third baseman situation is all but set, with Nick Castellanos manning the hot corner for the Detroit Tigers in the 2015 season.
Castellanos had a solid rookie season last year, hitting a .259/.306/.394 line with 11 HR and 66 RBI’s. He also is showing the same results in Spring Training so far, hitting a .259/.313/.345 line with one HR and 10 RBI’s.
Although these aren’t great numbers, it’s an early sign that Castellonas has consistency with the bat, and that he has the potential to be consistent hitter in the Tigers lineup for a long time.
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What is alarming however, is his ability with the glove at third base.
Castellanos had an .950 FPCT (21 out of 25 eligible third baseman in the MLB via MLB.com) and had 15 errors last season (Tied for seventh most in the MLB with three other players). He also had 1.98 RF (22 out 25 eligible third baseman), which shows how many outs a player participates in.
Though the RF (Range Factor), can just be due to not getting enough opportunities of balls hit his way, the errors and FPCT however is concerning.
Given that Castellanos is still young at age 23 and is still learning the position, but if this continues for this season and future seasons, it may cause the Tigers to rethink their starting third baseman.
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Even with his developing fielding ability, there’s nobody else who comes close to knocking Castellanos out of his spot at third base.
According to tigers.com, there’s only two players that could back up Castellanos: Hernan Perez and Andrew Romine.
Perez is a nice infielder defensively, his hitting though doesn’t even come close to Castellanos hitting ability, only hitting a career .205/.234/.233 with only five RBI’s. The other possible replacement, Romine, is another good utility infielder but doesn’t have the defensive ability that Perez has (eight errors and .975 FPCT last season).
Romine’s batting stats are better (career .236/.288/.273 with two HR’s and 23 RBI’s), but not by much from Perez’s and not even close to what Castellanos produced last year alone. Thus, making Castellanos the only everyday productive option at third base.
Castellanos will hold down third base, because he’s the future at that position, and was one of the top prospect for the Tigers when he was still in the farm system.
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Even with the his bolstering potential, Castellanos will still see a change of where he bats in the lineup. Last year, Castellanos batted sixth behind J.D. Martinez and in front of a combination of players, but mostly catcher Alex Avila.
This year, Castellanos will likely be put in the bottom third of the lineup (most likely seventh), due to the return of Jose Iglesias, and the additions of Anthony Gose and Yoenis Cespedes.
Even with a shift down in batting order, it won’t likely affect his hitting for the 2015 season. With this, Castellanos is primed to have another good season, and if he improves defensively, will solidify himself as the future third baseman for the Tigers.
How do you think Castellanos will do this year? Do you think he’ll produce like last year? Do you think he’ll be better this year or have a sophomore slump? Is he the future third baseman for the Tigers, or should they look somewhere else? Share your opinion in the comment section below.
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