Detroit Tigers: Austin Romine providing organization with bang for its buck

The Detroit Tigers made a great decision to bring in Austin Romine on a one-year deal for the 2020 season.

This past offseason, the Detroit Tigers opted to sign Austin Romine to a one-year, $4.1 million contract that has provided the organization with great value. On top of the fact that Romine’s on-field product has been excellent, his intangible traits as a ballplayer have made him more valuable.

The Tigers may be struggling to continue on the run that they initially started the 2020 season on, but they are getting some real value out of the 2020 season. There’s been confidence boosts coming for some players out of the gates, or monumental call-ups followed by dazzling debuts.

For the veterans, a 60-game sprint season has treated each of them differently. Romine has benefitted, seeing increased offensive production while also being able to work with young arms. While Romine continues to catch these young guys, he has the experience to help them develop on the mound.

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Think about the Houston Astros and Martin Maldonado or even Alex Avila from his days with the Tigers.

The organization is relying on Romine to handle the pitching staff well, and he is taking a much more significant role than most would expect.

While at the plate Romine has hit .297/.308/.438 with 11 RBI and five extra-base hits, he is working with this pitching staff that has been much better in certain regards.

The “ace”, Matthew Boyd continued to work out his struggles, things seem to have taken a positive turn.

Romine may not be the sole reason for the success of these pitchers, but he has fostered growth and does an excellent job handling his staff.

Not to mention the mentoring abilities he has had with the organization’s younger catchers, even though he is not a superstar himself, he can teach and mentor the organization’s catchers.

Looking at a team like the San Francisco Giants, top catching prospect Joey Bart has gotten to learn behind none other than Buster Posey. While Romine is FAR from the player that Posey is, he still is a veteran in the big leagues who is a role-playing catcher that does hold value.

Romine was able to spend the 2020 Spring Training and 2020 Summer Camp working with the likenesses of Dillon Dingler (in Summer Camp), Grayson Greiner, Brady Policelli, and Jake Rogers. He can give these youngsters help and advice, serving as a bit of a mentor for these guys.

Again, Romine is no superstar catcher, but his abilities do serve a purpose, and in the 2020 Detroit Tigers season, he has played a vital role in the team’s lineup and with the pitchers.