Detroit Tigers: Cameron Maybin is Crucial to Success in 2017
The Detroit Tigers desperately want to compete in 2017. Picking up Cameron Maybin’s $9 million club option is certainly a step in the right direction.
On May 15, the Detroit Tigers were 16-21.
They struggled mightily and won just two in a stretch of fourteen contests. In a span of thirteen games, just three of them were played at Comerica Park. After they swept the Minnesota Twins on May 1, the Tigers would go on to lose four consecutive series. Manager Brad Ausmus was on the hot seat, and the team desperately needed a spark-plug.
That spark came in the form of center fielder Cameron Maybin, who had yet to make his season debut due to a left wrist fracture.
In Maybin’s first game back on May 16, the Tigers beat the Twins 10-8 at home. It was a win they could definitely use, and one that allowed their manager to stick around for at least one more day.
Maybin made an immediate impact too, reaching base three times, stealing a bag, and scoring a run in his debut. In the month of May, Maybin hit .429 (21-49) with seven RBI and 10 runs in fourteen games.
The 29-year old Maybin would soon take over Anthony Gose‘s spot as the Tigers’ everyday center fielder after Gose stumbled to a .209/.287/.341 slash line to begin the season.
Although not always healthy, Maybin finished the season batting .316 with 43 RBI in 94 games. Since Maybin’s return in mid-May, the Tigers compiled a record of 70-54.
In general manager Al Avila’s Tuesday afternoon presser, he explained what his plans are for the off-season, as well as the 2017 season. He wants to make the roster younger, and trim some of the team’s $205.8 million payroll.
Avila also mentioned that the team has yet to decide whether to bring back Maybin and closer Francisco Rodriguez. Both players are under club option for the ’17 season.
Bringing back Maybin is crucial to the Tigers’ 2017 success. He was the spark the Tigers needed in May, and carried it until their final game on October 2. He battled the entire season with multiple injuries and still managed to hit above the .300 mark.
Signing Maybin for another year would come at the cost of $9 million against a $1 million buyout.
If Avila decides to part ways with Maybin, Gose and JaCoby Jones could be potential options as the team’s everyday center fielder. Gose flopped last season at the chance to play everyday and then flopped some more in the minor leagues, while Jones showed that he still needs some time to progress in AAA.
Maybin showed he was capable of playing and contributing everyday while hitting at the top of the order and setting the table for the big boys; Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, and J.D. Martinez.
The Tigers just couldn’t get it going over the first six weeks of the season. When Maybin arrived, everything changed and the club soon hit their stride.
Especially since they were eliminated on the final day of the season, just imagine what the Tigers could have accomplished if they had Maybin for the entire year.
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Avila and the Tigers want to compete in 2017, especially after missing the postseason in back-to-back seasons. Picking up Maybin’s option is certainly a step in the right direction, and one that must be taken.