Death, taxes, and the Detroit Tigers being baseball's best team are three guarantees the Motor City can count on this season. An MLB-leading 44 wins ahead of Wednesday's action has positioned the Tigers as a legitimate championship contender, further proven by their +850 World Series odds (4th) on FanDuel Sportsbook.
As great of a season the Tigers are having, the same can't be said for former players who've recently left the franchise. Some ex-Detroit players are struggling to find success after recently leaving the club, including one former Tiger who wasted no time robbing his new employer.
Former Tigers 3B Gio Urshela Is Robbing Athletics Blind in June
A handful of once-Tigers are underperforming in their new environments this season, and former third baseman Gio Urshela isn't an exception. The 33-year-old veteran infielder signed a one-year, $2.15 million contract with the Athletics in December, and has since failed to live up to his contract.
After playing with five clubs since making his MLB debut, Urshela joined the Tigers one a one-year deal before the 2024 season began. He was expected to add a reliable veteran bat to the lineup, but did everything but that.
In 128 games (300 at-bats) split between the Tigers and Atlanta Braves last season, Urshela slashed .245/.286/.361 while picking up a respectable nine home runs, 52 RBIs, and 23 walks. Fast forward to his time with the A's, when Urshela has only tallied 13 RBIs and seven walks without an HR in 32 games (98 ABs), all while batting .224 with a .613 OPS.
On top of that, Urshela's 85.4 mph exit velocity is noticeably below the MLB average (88.4) and his career rate (88.4). Father Time is undefeated as far as professional sports go, and it certainly seems like he already has the Colombian infielder in his grasp.
If things couldn't get bad enough, the Athletics have been without Urshela since May 22 due to his being on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain. Considering how tricky hamstring-related injuries can be to heal from, there's a chance the rest of the ex-Tigers 3B's campaign will remain bumpy.
Interestingly enough, the Tigers will be facing the Athletics in a three-game series at Comerica Park, beginning on June 24. Time will tell if Urshela will be healthy enough to play by then, potentially allowing him to prove if the A's were right to sign him or if trading him away was a great decision by Detroit.
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