Detroit Tigers: Breaking Down Tyler Collins’ Notable Career Splits

Detroit Tigers fans will see a new center fielder in 2017. With Cameron Maybin traded, there are a number candidates to take his place. Tyler Collins is one of those players. Here’s a look at his splits.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Tyler Collins is one of a handful of players in contention for the team’s center field job in Spring Training.

Other candidates include the recently-acquired Mikie Mahtook, top prospect JaCoby Jones and the returning Anthony Gose.

Elsewhere, non-roster invitees Alex Presley, Juan Perez, Jason Krizan and Mike Gerber could play a role as camp goes on.

However, Collins is one of the front runners for the job at this point.

The former sixth-round pick has plenty of experience with the Tigers, having appeared in 134 games with the club over the last three seasons.

What’s more, his left-handed bat would be a nice addition to a lineup that is predominantly right-handed.

Collins has certainly flashed potential before, with a 100 wRC+ and a .151 ISO in his first extended run in the Majors in 2015.

Things were slightly different in 2016 for the 26-year-old, as his wRC+ dropped to 84, while his OPS fell from .732 in 2015 to .687 last season.

A corner outfielder by trade, Collins started playing somewhat regularly in center field last season, going on to appear in 29 games at the position.

While his defense (-11.4 UZR/150) wasn’t ideal, the veteran could bring some pop to a position that generally doesn’t feature many power threats.

Over the last two seasons, Maybin and Anthony Gose combined for just 11 home runs for the Tigers.

Given a full season’s worth of at-bats, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Collins—who hit 18 in his last full campaign at Triple-A—surpass that number.

It remains to be seen whether Collins will win the job or not, but given his defensive versatility, he has a solid chance of making Detroit’s Opening Day roster, regardless of his role.

Here’s a look at some of his notable splits.