LOOK: Tigers’ Jeimer Candelario hits first home run of Spring Training

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A lot has been written and talked about the prowess and expectations for the Detroit Tigers young 3rd baseman Jeimer Candelario. He is heading into 2018 as the starter at the hot corner, and he is showing promise so far early in Spring Training.

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Yesterday in the Tigers home opener in Lakeland, Candelario led the way to a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. He went 2-2 at the plate with two runs scored, a double, and an RBI on this opposite field blast over the left field wall:

It was the Tigers first home of the season so far. Manager Ron Gardenhire was pretty impressed with the power Candelario has been showing:

 “He stands up there pretty good and when the bat head comes through there, he’s got a heavy bat going to the ball,” Gardenhire said about Candelario. “He pops it pretty good. It makes a good sound.”

Candelario wasn’t the only bright spot for Detroit though. Jordan Zimmermann is battling for a job in the starting rotation, and he was flawless over two scoreless innings to start the game.

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Nicholas Castellanos started the Tigers scoring in the first inning with a two-run triple and he scored on the play when there was a throwing error at 3rd base. Castellanos is going to be counted on to play a big role in the Tiger offense this year.

There were several other bright spots in the game yesterday, including Victor Martinez making his Spring Training debut. Martinez was 1-2 with a single. Miguel Cabrera also had a good day going 1-2 with a single and a run scored. He was able to score from 1st base on the triple Castellanos hit. It’s great to see that the hard work Cabrera put in this off-season to get in great shape is already paying off.

Jeimer Candelario and the Tigers look to continue getting better this spring. Next up Detroit has split-squad games today with the Pittsburgh Pirates in Lakeland, and another matchup with the Blue Jays in Dunedin, FL.