Detroit Tigers: Hometown boy Eric Haase tearing it up behind the dish

The Detroit Tigers have seen catcher Eric Haase get off to quite the hot start in his 2021 sample. The 28-year old still has his rookie status intact though he has played handfuls of games in each of the past four seasons.

Haase has been a force at the plate even in a limited sample size and has been exceptional behind the dish. Besides hitting so well, Haase was the catcher for history that recently happened. When Spencer Turnbull threw his historic no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners, Haase was behind the dish.

Besides his play behind the dish, Haase has logged some time in left field as well. In fact, Baseball-Reference has Haase logged for five games behind the dish and three games in left field. With Wilson Ramos headed back to the Injured List (IL), Haase should continue to get more reps.

Haase deserves it, he has been quite impressive in the 2021 season, and for those who do not know, he is a hometown boy. Hailing from Dearborn, Haase attended Divine Child high school. He was drafted out of high school in the seventh round of the 2011 MLB Draft by Cleveland.

Ten years later, he finds himself in the big leagues. Granted, his big-league debut was with Cleveland during the 2018 season.

Detroit Tigers catcher and hometown boy Eric Haase is on a tear to start 2021.

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So far in the 2021 season, Haase has been hitting quite well. He is slashing .323/.344/.581 with two home runs and four RBI with a .924 OPS.

Over eight games in 2021, Haase has four extra-base hits and ten total hits over 32 plate appearances.

The local-born product is on quite a roll, and it must be nice to be able to play for his hometown team. After the Tigers “purchased” his contract from the Indians in 2020, Haase has fought to get playing time.

In 2020, Haase would log just seven games, struggling to get much of anything going. In 2019, Haase slashed .176/.211/.176 over 19 plate appearances. The script has flipped, and Haase is doing much better in 2021.

As mentioned above, Ramos is on the Injured List (IL), and Grayson Greiner is still out as well. Meaning, the Tigers are relying on Haase and Rogers to man the catcher’s duties. If Haase keeps hitting like this, there should be no reason he is not kept around the big leagues for a while.

Beyond his ability in the batters’ box, Haase’s job as a receiver and thrower should also be noted. He has had two bags swiped on him but is throwing down quite well. If you receive a no-hitter, you deserve some credit as well, and Haase has proven he is at least a halfway decent receiver.

Hopefully the hometown boy can keep going with the roll he is on as of now for the Detroit Tigers.