Detroit Tigers: A look at the 2018 Infield

The Detroit Tigers have undergone a lot of change in the last year. The infield, however, remains relatively intact.

While the concept of rebuilding has caused controversy, the Detroit Tigers are continuing to plug along in their quest to tear down and eventually build back up.

This has created a gigantic roster overhaul, primarily in their outfield and starting rotation. J.D. Martinez, Justin Upton, Justin Wilson, Alex Avila, Justin Verlander and Ian Kinsler are all gone, replaced by younger, less experienced players. Andrew Romine, a stalwart around the infield for the last few seasons, is gone as well after being claimed by the Mariners.

We previewed the new-look outfield, along with the starting rotation and the ever-changing bullpen this offseason. Now, we are going to take a look at the infield heading into next season.

The infield is still anchored by future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera and defensive wizard Jose Iglesias. Likewise, James McCann is still behind the plate. However, second base and third base will have new opening day starters, and the utility infield spot is still very much up for grabs. 

While things are subject to change, let’s take a look at what the infield could look like in 2018. We will start with the man behind the plate:

Miguel Cabrera

As hard as it has been to see so many franchise icons traded in the last year or so, Tiger fans can turn to Miguel Cabrera as one of the few greats still on the team. Unfortunately, his performance last season was hardly great.

Battling a litany of personal issues and lingering injuries, Cabrera limped to a career-worst .249/.329/.399 slash line with 16 home runs, 60 RBI, a 91 wRC+ and a -0.2 fWAR.

There were some encouraging signs of life from Miggy, however. He posted a 42.5% hard-hit rate, his highest since 2014. His 27.3% line drive rate was the highest mark of his career, and his 2.5% infield fly rate was his lowest mark ever.

Despite more line drives, less infield pop-ups and balls hit harder than ever, Miggy’s .292 BABIP was the lowest mark of his career. That number should return closer to his .344 career norm, which will help Miggy approach his career .317 average.

All signs point to a bounceback for the 34-year-old slugger next season. Expecting him to return to his Triple Crown days of 2013 is ambitious, but a .290 average and 35 home runs is very attainable for the big man. A return to form would be huge for the Tigers next season. Although it may not change the teams fortunes dramatically, it will boost morale for the fans and players alike to see Miggy back to doing what Miggy does.

Next up will be the first full season for our new second baseman:

Dixon Machado

After trading popular second baseman Ian Kinsler, the Tigers will turn to 25-year-old Dixon Machado to man second base in 2018.

All through the minors Machado was tabbed as a slick-fielding, light-hitting middle infielder. He has lived up to that billing at the major league level.

In 2017, Machado slashed .259/.302/.319 with a 64 wRC+ across 166 at-bats. He started 25 games at shortstop, 11 at second base and four at third base.

While his defense suffered a bit last season, he is still regarded as a strong defensive middle infielder and should be an excellent fielder once he gets acclimated to playing second base full-time.

The defense is not a concern, but the offense is. Throughout his minor league career Machado has posted average offensive numbers. His strongest asset has been his eye. He has frequently posted walk-rates over 10%. However, across 166 at-bats last season Machado only walked 5.5% of the time.

If he cannot learn how to take a walk at the big league level he will struggle. However, if that skill can translate to the show he could be valuable as a speedy nine-hitter who can occasionally swipe a base.

FanGraph’s Steamer projection has Machado slashing .263/.324/.363 with seven home runs and 10 stolen bases next season. That sounds about right, although Machado has yet to hit more than six home runs in any professional season.

Machado’s development will be something to watch closely next year, as it will determine if Detroit needs to go out and get a young second base prospect or if he can take the reigns and be a key part of the team’s rebuild.

Jose Iglesias

Amidst some turmoil regarding his future with the team, the Tigers ensured Iglesias would in Detroit at least to start the season. The two sides agreed to a one-year, $6.275 million dollar contract to avoid arbitration. The sides appeared destined for an arbitration hearing, which would have been the first for Detroit since 2001.

Seeing Iglesias get such a raise was a bit surprising, considering the drop in offensive production we have seem from him in the last two years. Iggy posted a career-low .288 OBP and a 71 wRC+ last season. His WAR was 1.6 thanks primarily to his defense, which has remained elite during his tenure in Detroit.

General Manager Al Avila has made it clear that Iglesias will not be a part of Detroit’s future. While that had to be hard to swallow, the Tigers still appear ready to head into 2018 with Iggy as their starting shortstop. With limited options in the upper minors, the Tigers don’t have much choice unless they want to trade Iglesias and also sign a minor league free agent to play short, or use recently signed Pete Kozma.

However, Iglesias will be a free agent after next season so the Tigers will need to deal him at the trade deadline or else they risk losing him to free agency and getting nothing in return.

It’s a tricky situation and one that should be handled carefully by GM Al Avila. Expect Iglesias to start the season at shortstop, while getting shopped aggresively at the trade deadline. Should a contending team have an injury to their shortstop, Iglesias is an appealing trade target.

It’s not ideal, but for the Tigers to truly rebuild they need to break down their roster and get any prospects they can for the veteran players who won’t be around for the next playoff run. Although just 28, Iglesias doesn’t figure into the future and thus should be dealt for a prospect that could help down the road.

Jeimer Candelario

It’s a bummer that Jeimer Candelario exceeded the minimum threshold to be considered a rookie last season. Otherwise, he’d have a strong chance of being 2018’s AL Rookie of the year.

Candelario was the prize acquired in July’s trade of Justin Wilson and Alex Avila to the Cubs. Considered one of the top hitting prospects in all of baseball, Candelario did not disappoint when he got to the Motor City.

He started 2017 out at Triple-A with the Cubs before seeing some time in the majors. After only hitting .152 in 11 games with the Cubs, he was dealt along with Isaac Paredes to the Tigers. Candelario went 1-for-2 in one August appearance, before spending the rest of the month in Triple-A.

He only hit .264 in 28 games at Triple-A before getting a September call-up.

Candelario’s bat came alive after the promotion. He slashed a blistering .330/.406/.468 with seven doubles and two home runs.

Candelario should get every opportunity to be the teams starting third baseman next season. With Nicholas Castellanos transitioning to right field there is nothing standing in his way. While he will likely go through some ups and downs, his high walk-rate (9.2%) should keep his OBP up even if his .392 BABIP returns to normal.

All in all, Candelario can be expected to post somewhere around a .270 average and 15-20 home runs, if he stays healthy. While that is not elite by any means, a 24-year-old third baseman who can post those kinds of numbers is a fantastic piece for a rebuilding team, and one that should become a staple in Detroit’s offense for years to come.

Victor Martinez

So technically the DH is not an infielder, but we wanted to sneak V-Mart into one of these posts while we still can.

In all seriousness, Martinez struggled last season at the plate. However, there is optimism that he still has enough in the tank for one more solid year next year.

Quoting from our Christmas wish list post a few weeks ago:

Power was a big problem for Martinez in 2017. While his hard-hit rate actually improved, he was not getting the ball up in the air enough to generate any home runs. His fly-ball percentage was over 38% three years in a row before dropping to 34.2% in 2017. His ground-ball rate jumped up to 42.1%, his highest since 2011. Decreasing speed and a higher rate of ground balls is not a recipe for success for Martinez, and it showed last season. However, a small adjustment to a more fly-ball conducive swing (factoring in the ever popular launch angle) could work wonders for V-Mart next year.

Additionally, Martinez had a .280 BABIP, down from his .309 mark. Martinez should see an increase in his BABIP if he is able to get more balls in the air. With a nearly identical walk rate between 2016 and 2017, there’s no reason to assume Martinez can’t hit closer to .275 again next season.

Regardless of how Martinez does, he won’t be back with the team in 2019. The Tigers will likely move the aging Miguel Cabrera to DH for the remainder of his contract.

Even coming off a down year, Martinez is one of the greatest designated hitters in franchise history. Here’s to hoping we can get one more solid year out of him. After all, we are paying him $18 million dollars.

Backup C

While the utility infielder role has not been settled, the Tigers have a set backup catcher for next season in John Hicks.

Hicks, 28, was Detroit’s primary backup catcher last season after Alex Avila was traded. He also played quite a bit of first base, filling in for Miguel Cabrera while he was injured. Overall he posted a .266/.326/.439 line with six home runs, 22 RBI and a 102 wRC+.

Hicks has cushion in his role for now. He could eventually cede playing time to prospect Grayson Greiner, who had a solid season at Double-A Erie last year. Greiner, 25, will start at Triple-A in 2018. If he continues to hit well he could get a chance to play in the big leagues down the stretch.

Uber defensive prospect Jake Rogers is likely a 2019 call-up, but could get a chance if he really impresses with the bat this year. Regardless, Hicks’ role in Detroit likely won’t be a very lengthy one.

Utility Infielder

We talked at-large about the candidates for Detroit’s utility infielder role. While Kozma likely has the upper hand, any of them could realistically win the job out of camp. Expect to see 2-3 of these guys in the majors at some point next season.

Read our post about the competition (linked above) for more information, but here’s a quick look at each player:

Kody Eaves: Considered the dark horse candidate, Eaves was profiled as an under-the-radar prospect for the Tigers. He hit .272 with 13 home runs and nine steals at Double-A last year and has played extensively at second and third base in the minors.

Niko Goodrum: Goodrum went 1-for-17 in the big leagues with the Twins last year. However, 13 home runs and 11 steals in Triple-A is intriguing, and he does have positional versatility.

Pete Kozma: The odds-on favorite to win the role, Kozma has played in parts of six big league seasons, predominantly as a shortstop. His experience gives him a leg up, but his .111 average last season won’t fly in Detroit.

Ronny Rodriguez: The 25-year-old second baseman has spent seven seasons in Cleveland’s farm system. He posted a 17-15 season at Triple-A last year, but has a bad eye at the plate and doesn’t play particularly good defense.

Next: A look at the 2018 Outfield

The infield hosts two of the biggest storylines of Detroit’s 2018 season. Will Miguel Cabrera bounce back and be the player we all know he can be? Will Jeimer Candelario break out into the player we hope he can become?

In a season that may not result in many wins, there will be plenty to watch for in 2018.