Detroit Tigers: Young Guys & Journeymen Getting It Done
One of the most consistent young players on the Tigers squad is Dominic Ficociello.
The 6’4″ corner infielder has played in every spring training game. In fact, he has played in more games than anyone else with the exception of Dixon Machado on the Spring Training squad. His current slash is .216/.293/.486 with an OPS of .779. He has three home runs and eight RBIs. His home run total puts him in second place after Justin Upton (4) and his RBI total puts him in third behind Upton (11) and Nick Castellanos (9).
Ficociello has played 49 innings at first base while Cabrera has been with the Venezuelan WBC team. In those innings, he has a perfect fielding percentage and a range of 4.91. He has also manned third base in 41 innings. There, he also has a perfect fielding percentage and a range of 0.75. For comparison purposes during Spring Training, Castellanos has a range factor of 1.27 and Cabrera has a range factor of 4.00. At first base, Ficociello has been involved in two double plays.
Ficociello has a few things going for him. First off, he is a switch hitter. He is also physically fit and has extremely long legs that help him get to the bases quickly. He’s got quick hands at the plate and looks confident when he’s up to bat. He is 24 years old and has some room to build muscle on his tall frame. With a bit more muscle, he could hit with more power and could get more attention from the front office.
If Miggy is out for any extended period of time, Ficociello might be an option to fill in for the reigning Triple Crown King.