Detroit Tigers 5 Offensive Questions

Mar 14, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos (9) runs during his fourth inning double against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

#5: Will Nick Castellanos take the next step?

There won’t be any Gold Gloves on the mantle at the Castellanos household–and there probably won’t be any yells from Mario Impemba in the fashion of “what an amazing play by Nick Castellanos!”

Although Castellanos has worked all winter and spring to get better at third base, the Tigers will never be looking for him as a solid defender. In fact DH, outfield or first base may be in his future down the line, but that is because the Tigers value the potential of his bat.

It might be hard to believe, because his name has been mentioned a lot over the past few years, but Castellanos is only 23 years old. He sported a slash line of .259/.306/.394 in his rookie campaign of 2014. Not good for a veteran but decent enough for a rookie.

He has a chance to be a .280 to .300ish hitter with homers in the 20-range annually. The Tigers will probably be happy to see Nick increase his productivity this year to .275, 20 homers and 80+ RBIs with an OPS near .780-.790 with hopes it climbs even higher in subsequent years.

He will be batting likely seventh most of the season, but if he can show some pop, Brad Ausmus might be willing to move him up.

I would even argue for Casty to move to the second spot in the order and he’ll see much better pitches in front of Miggy/Super Martinez Bros./Cespedes than in front of Avila/Iglesias.

Next: Jose Iglesias

Apr 2, 2015; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias (1) grounds out to the shortstop during the third inning of a spring training baseball game against the New York Yankees at Joker Marchant Stadium. The Tigers won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

#4: Can Jose Iglesias hit consistently?

It seems silly to ask if someone with a .274 lifetime average can hit. While .274 won’t get you into the Hall-of-Fame it is good enough to keep you in the lineup from inning 1-9, 150ish games per year.

The problem has been Jose Iglesias‘ bipolar seasons. He played in 10 games in 2011, hitting .333 and played in 25 games in 2012, hitting .200. In his “rookie” season of 2013 he shocked everyone in Boston by maintaining his average north of .300 through 63 games, but fell to .259 after the trading deadline deal that brought him to the Tigers.

He spent last season completely off his feet and away from the batting cages, which cannot be good for his development. Now a, no-longer-really-young, 25-year old, Iglesias has to reestablish himself during the daily grind of a long baseball season.

Iglesias is really the reverse of Castellanos. The Tigers don’t really expect him to be a force with the bat, however he does have speed in order to beat out bunts and occasionally notch an infield single. The glove is what draws the team to him.

Still, glove or not, it would be hard to justify playing a guy every day if he notches just five hits in 50 at-bats (as he did in Spring Training).

That simply cannot continue, but on Opening Day it did not, as Iglesias notched two hits in three at-bats.

Next: The catchers

Feb 28, 2015; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers catcher Alex Avila (13) poses during Photo day at Joker Merchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

#3: Will the Avila/McCann split be beneficial?

James McCann made such an impression in Toledo last year that it was a foregone conclusion he would make the team out of Spring Training, even over last year’s backup Bryan Holaday.

Many fans clamored for McCann to come up in July and August of last year because the Tigers’ catchers were simply dreadful at the plate (Alex Avila hit .218 while Holaday hit .231).

While the Tigers were willing to commit to McCann, they were not as quick to acknowledge that it will be a co-catcher situation based off who is the opposing starting pitcher just yet. Brad Ausmus made it clear, at least for now, that Avila is the top catcher.

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Nonetheless, because of Detroit’s comfort with McCann over Holaday, coupled with Avila’s injury history behind the plate, expect fewer games and plate appearances for Alex. This could benefit him and the team because the less wear and tear behind the plate could mean better success at the plate.

This is more than likely Avila’s last season in Detroit and he will be providing some on-the-job training for McCann. The Tigers don’t expect him to hit like he did in 2011, but they hope he doesn’t hit like he did in 2014. They’d settle for .250 with 12-15 homers and hope for something similar from McCann.

If they get at least that, the catcher spot in the lineup will be much more productive this year.

Though it was just one game, Avila looked great on Monday, notching two hits and hitting a two-run homer to left field, the first time he’s gone opposite field since the 2013 season.

Next: V-Mart

Apr 2, 2015; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez (41) hits a long fly to right field during the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game against the New York Yankees at Joker Marchant Stadium. The Tigers won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

#2: What will Victor Martinez do for an encore?

Incredible, astonishing, amazing. Say what you want about Victor Martinez’s 2014 season because it will all fit.

His .335 average and .974 OPS were some of the best numbers of his career–and he did it at 35. This is why he was deemed so valuable and was one of the reasons the Detroit Tigers made retaining V-Mart as priority number one in the off-season.

Even after signing the four-year, $68 million contract, no one really expected him to duplicate those numbers. Still we should have expected an average in the .310 area with some power regression, but still a dangerous threat in that lineup.

Betsided

Then he got injured in the off-season, but not as severe as was originally thought. V-Mart is V-Mart and he will return to form, even though he hit under .200 in limited preseason action, however we cannot forgot how rusty he looked in the first few months of 2013. Shockingly, V-Mart was hitting .232 with minimal power through June!

Granted that was when he missed a full year of baseball instead of a few months in an off-season, but rust is a significant concern as Victor continues to try to get his swing in gear.

Of course it is a testament to Victor Martinez because, after having a terrible first half in 2013, he finished the year at .301. That success carried straight on into 2014.

Why do I not have similar concerns for Miguel Cabrera who is also on the mend? Well, the dude was playing on a bone fracture for much of the season last year and still managed another Hall-of-Fame-caliber season.

Next: Yoenis Cespedes

Mar 30, 2015; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the fourth inning of the spring training game against the Atlanta Braves at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

#1: Will there be a Yoenis Cespedes factor?

Fans seem split on Yoenis Cespedes. While they figure he will be a tremendous upgrade in the outfield over Torii Hunter (though they play separate corner outfield positions) they are not so sure offensively.

The more sabermetrically-inclined fans point to his steady average and OPS decline.

Nonetheless, nothing says excellent season better than contract year. No matter the sport, no matter the athlete, it often seems that players have the best seasons of their professional careers in the final year of their rookie contract.

It could be a coincidence that most athletes play better in a contract year. In most cases they are actually hitting the prime of their career. This is definitely the case for the 29-year-old Cespedes who is on the fourth and final year of the deal he signed with the Oakland Athletics prior to the 2012 season as an international free agent out of Cuba.

Cespedes should play to the strengths of Comerica Park and can take extra bases on gappers. There is no reason not to believe he will be able to bat in around 100 runs, as he did while splitting time in Boston and Oakland last year. The Tigers would like to see that .260 batting average increased a bit, but there is no reason it won’t be while he is stabilized and comfortable with one team.

Cespesdes seems ready to help his new team and figures to be tutored by some of the best in the clubhouse such as Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez.

If  Yoenis Cespedes is motivated, there is no reason he cannot come close to the .292 average and .861 OPS that he sported in his rookie year and there is no question he will hit around 25 homers this year because, while his other numbers have diminished, his power has remained steady.

He appeared motivated on Monday. Bringing back a homer in left field, using his speed to notch a double and triple and performing a perfect tag up to score on a tricky sacrifice fly.

Bottom line, this guy is going to be entertaining to watch this season.

Next: MCB Tiger Talk: Opening Day Victors