Detroit Tigers: Breaking Down Tyler Collins’ Notable Career Splits

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Feb 27, 2016; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers player Tyler Collins during media photo day at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

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.

Apr 14, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Detroit Tigers center fielder Tyler Collins (18) hits an RBI double against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the seventh inning in an inter-league game at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Solid Versus Right-Handed Pitching

Collins has seen most of his career at-bats against right-handed pitching, and has promptly produced.

In 334 plate appearances, the 26-year-old is hitting .265 with a .753 OPS. He’s also added 39 RBI, 34 runs scored, 12 doubles, nine home runs, six triples and three stolen bases.

Against southpaws, Collins is a .174 hitter with just five RBI and one extra-base hit.

Hitting Seventh

Since making his Major League debut in 2014, Collins has gone on to log at-bats hitting in each place in the lineup.

He’s appeared in the most games hitting seventh. That also happens to be the place in the lineup where Collins is most successful.

The outfielder is a .319 hitter when batting seventh.

He’s also contributed an .864 OPS, 13 runs scored, nine RBI, seven doubles, three home runs and a triple.

If Collins wins the center field job, and Justin Upton or J.D. Martinez ends up hitting second, Collins could be in line to bat seventh ahead of James McCann and Jose Iglesias.

Road Numbers

Collins is just a .211 hitter in his career at Comerica Park, but he owns a .302 batting average when playing away from home.

Additionally, his OPS is significantly better on the road (.839) than in Detroit (.599).

The outfielder’s road numbers include strong batting average numbers in Houston (.556), Cleveland (.429), Chicago (.389) and Kansas City (.324).

Jul 29, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers left fielder Tyler Collins (18) hits a three run home run in the second inning against the Houston Astros at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

Pinch-Hitting Prowess

In 27 career plate appearances as a pinch hitter, Collins is a .333 hitter with a .346 on-base percentage, a .792 slugging percentage and a 1.138 OPS.

The high slugging percentage and OPS are in part due to the three home runs Collins has collected when entering the game as a substitute.

Late-Game Production

As the games wear on, Collins seems to thrive.

When batting in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, the left-handed batter is a .294 hitter with a.513 slugging percentage and a .849 OPS.

As such, most of the player’s home runs have come against relief pitchers, and good ones at that.

Collins has taken Chris Devenski, David Robertson, Tony Barnette, Dan Otero and Luke Hochevar yard.

Strong Numbers Down the Stretch

Admittedly, Collins has seen the bulk of his Major League playing time later in seasons. However, that hasn’t stopped him from producing.

In 44 career games in the months of September and October, the outfielder is a .296 hitter with a .367 on-base percentage.

He has also turned in a .481 slugging percentage and a .848 OPS during the last two months of the season.

Next: The Detroit Tigers 2017 Lineup Could Look Like This

Collins collected 19 RBI, 12 extra-base hits and 12 runs scored over the same span.

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