Today is the day, baseball fans – your Detroit Tigers report for spring training.
Squad rollin’ in. #BaseballIsBack https://t.co/eHVje7pNhV
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) February 18, 2018
It is worth noting that the first full team workout is scheduled for tomorrow. Though it has been well documented that this team will not compete for a championship this season, there is a breath of fresh air when it comes to this year’s edition of the Tigers. Their most recognizable player remains slugger Miguel Cabrera, along with other veterans such as Victor Martinez, Nicholas Castellanos, and Jordan Zimmermann.
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Gone are the likes of Justin Verlander, Justin Upton, J.D. Martinez and Ian Kinsler, making room for new blood in the clubhouse.
You might recognize some of the players this season. Guys like Daniel Norris, Matthew Boyd, Mikie Mathook, and Jeimer Candelario were on the team last year and played prominent roles. Expect the same this season from most as Boyd, which thanks to his solid September (2.95 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 1 complete game shutout), earned a spot in the rotation this year. Mikie Mathook is entering 2018 as the everyday left fielder for the team.
After batting .276 last season with a .787 OPS, Jemier Candelario came over from the Chicago Cubs in the trade that sent former closer Justin Wilson and former catcher Alex Avila to the north side. He batted .330 in 27 games with the Tigers last season while playing third base. As for Daniel Norris, he’ll be competing for the fifth starter spot as he looks to improve from his struggles 2017 with injuries and performance with a 5.31 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in 101.2 innings.
There are also a couple of notable newcomers in Tiger town. Leonys Martin is the favorite to win the starting center field job. After a disappointing 2017 season in which he hit .172 between the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs, he signed a one year deal in hopes of redeeming himself.
Of course, the most notable new face in the clubhouse is manager Ron Gardenhire, taking over from the fired Brad Ausmus.
“We’ll go out with the defense, outfielders and infielders,” he said. “That’s starting Monday, right out of the chute. We’ll have every one of the infielders on one field and we will do our Good Morning America.”
The “Good Morning America” phrase is what Gardenhire used in Minnesota when describing the intense defensive workouts in spring training.
As stated before, this year’s edition of the Detroit Tigers holds little to no promise, but it could be a stepping stone for the future.
