Detroit Tigers: Christin Stewart experiment likely not happening in 2021

Spring Training is dead ahead for the Detroit Tigers, and the past few years have had some “it’s his year” narratives around Christin Stewart. But in 2021, the “Christin Stewart experiment” is unlikely to be happening.

What that means is, the offseason has brought the Detroit Tigers a few new outfielders to play on the big league roster, meaning that they will likely exile Stewart to the minors. However, an extended stay with the Toledo Mud Hens is probably best for Stewart.

After being an up and coming prospect who had a fair amount of buzz, things have not worked out exactly as the Tigers would have hoped. Through three years with the organization at the big league level, there is not a ton to be excited about.

Flashes of success, but nothing consistent from Stewart. Now, Stewart is likely not sniffing the big leagues this season without an injury or shakeup of the big league roster. Not to say it is not possible, but the Tigers are unlikely to “force” him into the lineup daily.

The Detroit Tigers likely had some sense knocked into them and are keeping Christin Stewart at the Triple-A level in 2021.

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In 2020, Stewart played in 36 games for the Tigers, where he hit .167/.224/.300 with just three home runs and nine RBI.

However, the year before that, Stewart was a mainstay in the lineup, playing in 104 games for the Tigers.

He would hit .233/.305/.388 with 10 home runs and 40 RBI, which is not bad, but there was room for improvement.

But looking at all three stints with the Tigers in the big leagues, Stewart has underperformed expectations, and it’s time to let him get a reset in at Triple-A.

The Tigers have had a busy offseason in their outfield, that is for sure.

Earlier in the offseason, they brought in switch-hitting outfielder Robbie Grossman who put a thorn in Stewart’s side. Besides that, the Tigers selected Akil Baddoo in the Rule 5 draft, adding another outfielder to the 26-man roster, making it even harder to see Stewart as a starter in 2021.

However, the final straw for Stewart’s chances, which already had him slotted for Triple-A, was Nomar Mazara’s addition on a one-year deal. Stewart can settle in at the Triple-A level and hopefully dominate.

The best thing for the Tigers organization is if Stewart can go on a tear at the Triple-A level, figure things out, and then translate that success back into the big leagues. The 27-year old is running out of time to prove he can be anything more than what he has shown in a brief three-season stint with the big league club.

But, to get back to the big leagues it is going to take a unique opportunity. The Tigers have seemingly outgrown the idea of forcing Stewart into games at the big league level to watch him struggle, which is probably for the best.

The Christin Stewart experiment is likely to be a thing of the past unless an injury or god-like Triple-A performance changes that in 2021.