Detroit Tigers: For Robbie Grossman, looks can be deceiving at first glance

The Detroit Tigers are a week into the 2021 season, and some players are starting to get the ball rolling while others are not. Looking at the stats is not always the most indicative of a player, especially in Robbie Grossman‘s case, whose stats are a bit deceiving.

Early on in the 2021 season, it would appear that Grossman is struggling at the plate. However, this is not entirely the case. He has been able to find ways on base and be a part of the Detroit  Tigers’ offense that has them off to a 3-3 start to kick off the 2021 season.

Doing a quick check of batting averages, you might write off Grossman immediately, when in reality, he is bringing plenty to the table for the Tigers so far in 2021, helping them manufacture runs.

So far in 2021, Robbie Grossman is slashing .125/.440/.188 with just two hits over 16 at-bats. The key stat to note with Grossman is the on-base percentage which is at .440 because of the nine walks he has drawn so far in 2021 for the Tigers.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Robbie Grossman’s numbers to start 2021 are deceiving.

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The Tigers’ offseason acquisition may not be barreling up the baseball for doubles and triples in the gap, but he is getting on base nearly half the time, which is pretty impressive. The vision at the plate for Grossman in 2021 has been incredible.

It was known that Grossman had refined his approach at the plate, but the expectation was that he was going to hit for more power.

Now do not rule that out of the question, but the vision and eyes at the plate have led Grossman to a nearly .500 on-base percentage while his average is in the dumps.

Frankly, the stats look really negative at first glance and might deceive most who take a look at them without noticing the high on-base percentage.

The Tigers already have an outfielder in Akil Baddoo, who is taking the league by storm with his incredible debut so far.

However, he was not the only addition to the outfield. Players like Grossman and Nomar Mazara are fighting for their looks as well. Grossman’s saving grace from being benched or demoted could very well be the plate vision and the fact that he has such a high on-base percentage.

In an ideal world, Grossman will start to come around on his hitting, and he will be able to even things out with his statistics. For now, though, his stats will continue to look deceiving until he starts putting the ball in play more often.