Detroit Tigers: Jarrod Saltalamacchia Proving to be Worthy
Through just eleven games, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is already proving his worth with the Detroit Tigers.
When the Detroit Tigers signed veteran catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia in early December, it seemed as if the move went unnoticed, and rightfully so.
After all, it was just the signing of a backup catcher, who hit .225 with two different teams the previous year.
Saltalamacchia was added to compete for a roster spot on the big league club when they headed north in April. Pending a strong spring showing, he had the chance to beat out Bryan Holaday for the backup catcher position.
Both performed well in the Grapefruit League, and manager Brad Ausmus was faced with a tough decision.
But, on March 29, Bryan Holaday was traded to the Texas Rangers, and Saltalamacchia solidified his spot on the 25-man roster.
Holaday was hot all spring, but it was not enough to edge Saltalamacchia. The Tigers seem to prefer Salty over Holaday because of two main reasons: he can hit from both sides of the plate, and has nearly ten years of big league experience. Not to mention, he was a World Series winner in 2013 with the Boston Red Sox.
Eleven games into the regular season, and Saltalamacchia has already made his presence known with the Tigers.
His first start of the season came against his former club, the Miami Marlins, in Game 2. Salty was penciled into the lineup to face the hard-throwing right-hander Jose Fernandez, as James McCann was given the day off.
In the second inning, Saltalamacchia drove Fernandez’s 0-2 breaking ball into the fight field stands, giving the Tigers an early 2-0 lead.
His Tigers debut consisted of him knocking in four runs, and throwing out Dee Gordon at second base, who lead the league just a season ago with 58 swiped bags. Salty’s efforts would end up giving the Tigers a 7-3 win.
Saltalamacchia has recently taken on the role as starting catcher since James McCann was placed on the 15-day disabled list on April 12, and since then, has thrived at the chance to play everyday. In his first seven games, he is hitting .269 with four home runs, three of which have given the Tigers the lead.
General manager Al Avila was certainly busy this offseason, making plenty of moves that have already affected this year’s team. The Saltalamacchia move was low-risk, but is proving to be high-reward.
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Once James McCann is reinstated from the disabled list, Saltalamacchia’s playing time is sure to diminish, with the exception of facing a right-handed pitcher. Until McCann gets healthy, Tiger fans can enjoy Salty hurting fastballs, similar to what he did against the Tigers in the 2013 ALCS.