Detroit Tigers: Competition brewing for utility infielder role

The Detroit Tigers lost Andrew Romine to free agency. With fellow utility infielder Dixon Machado stepping into a starting role, who will be Detroit’s utility infielder in 2018?

The Detroit Tigers have seen many players from 2017 depart, either via trade or free agency. One under the radar departure was utility infielder Andrew Romine’s, who was claimed by the Mariners shortly after the season ended.

Dixon Machado seemed destined to take over Romine’s role, but the Ian Kinsler trade has thrust him into the starting lineup at second base.

So with no Romine and with Machado starting on a regular basis, the Tigers need a utility infielder for next season.

While utility infielder is not the most pressing need for a rebuilding team, it is an important position on any ballclub.

The Tigers have a couple minor league options ready to battle it out, but just to be safe they went ahead and added veteran infielder Pete Kozma on a minor league deal.

Kozma has the upper hand on the job, but will still have to battle a few others in camp if he wants to play his seventh major league season in Detroit.

Let’s take a look at what Kozma brings to the table, and who he will have to beat out to win the job.

Pete Kozma

Pete Kozma will enter his 11th professional season in 2018. If he wins a spot on the 25-man roster out of camp, it will be his seventh big league season.

Kozma was originially drafted by the Cardinals in 2007. He puttered around in the minors until getting brief cups of coffee with the big club in 2011 and 2012.

He finally got a chance to be a big league regular in 2013, when he started 113 games for the Cardinals at shortstop.

Kozma did not impress with the bat, hitting .217/.275/.273 with one home run and three stolen bases. He played sparingly the next two seasons before splitting 2017 between the Rangers and the Yankees.

For the year, Kozma hit .111 in 45 at-bats, with one home run off Detroit starter Matt Boyd.

Despite his shortcomings with the stick, Kozma has experience all around the diamond and is  considered a good defensive shortstop, something the Tigers are lacking behind Jose Iglesias. His experience at shortstop gives him a tremendous leg up on the rest of his competition.

Additionally, forcing a rookie right into a utility role can stunt their development. It makes more sense for the Tigers to have an established utility infielder on their roster, even if he has very little upside. Having a veteran presence is always good on a team full of young, inexperienced players as well.

Those factors appear to give Kozma the upper hand on the job, but that does not mean it will be handed to him. There are three minor leaguers who could challenge him for the role.

The first is a 25-year-old former Indians farmhand who posted a 15-15 season at Triple-A last year.

Ronny Rodriguez

The 25-year-old Rodriguez spent seven seasons in Cleveland’s farm system before he was signed by the Tigers as a minor league free agent back in December.

He has posted double-digit home runs in five seasons, and double-digit steals in three.

His performance stayed consistent even as he rose through Cleveland’s ranks. In fact, Rodriguez had one of his strongest seasons at Triple-A in 2017. He posted 17 home runs, 15 stolen bases and a .291 average. His 114 wRC+ is the second highest mark of his career.

Rodriguez certainly fits the bill of utility infielder. He has extensive experience at first, second, third and shortstop in the minor leauges. Additionally, he has played both center field and right field in the last two years.

Rodriguez’s blend of power and speed is intriguing, but there are certainly concerns about his bat at the major league level.

For starters, Rodriguez has never had much of an eye at the plate. He posted a 4.8% walk-rate last year, which was the second highest mark of his career. That keeps his OBP down in the low .300’s. He will struggle to post an OBP over .280 in the major leagues if he does not learn how to draw a walk.

Defensively, while Rodriguez has versatility around the diamond, his defense is not elite by any means. Rodriguez originally came up as a shortstop but made 82 errors in three seasons before being moved around. He has fared much better at second base and the corners, but asking him to play shortstop at the big league level is a tall order.

Overall, Rodriguez profiles like your typical utility infielder with one exception, his power. With Dixon Machado in the fold, it is possible Rodriguez could make the team out of camp and fill-in around the diamond, with Machado starting at short when Iglesias needs a break.

Next is the only other player besides Kozma who has major league experience.

Niko Goodrum

After eight seasons in the minor leagues, Niko Goodrum finally got his first taste of the big leagues last season. He went 1-for-17 with a walk and ten strikeouts.

While that does not inspire a lot of confidence, Goodrum’s chance came on the heels of a solid 2017 season at Triple-A.

Goodrum saw 461 at-bats for the Twins Triple-A affiliate in 2017. He slashed .269/.305/.411 with 13 home runs, 11 stolen bases and 71 runs scored.

Goodrum has posted solid walk and stolen base numbers throughout his minor league career. He, like Rodriguez, would probably be a slightly below average hitter at the big league level.

However, his defensive versatility is what makes him a candidate for Detroit’s utility infielder role.

Goodrum has started at every infield and outfield position during his minor league career. He has primarily played shortstop and third base, with extensive experience at second base as well.

Goodrum is more versatile than anyone else on this list. Combine that with his (brief) major league experience, and you have a legit challenger to Kozma for the 25-man roster.

While Kozma was a former first round pick, Goodrum was taken in the second round by the Twins in 2010, so he also comes with some pedigree.

Look for him to be a part of the Tigers at some point in 2018, even if he does not win the utility infielder role out of camp.

Next up is a dark-horse candidate who had a strong season in the minors last year.