Detroit Tigers: Who will be the Opening Day Second Baseman?

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DETROIT, MI – SEPTEMBER 18: Dixon Machado #49 of the Detroit Tigers gets the game winning single in the twelfth inning and celebrate as he rounds the bases during the game against the Kansas City Royals on September 18, 2015 at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Royals 5-4. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /

With a few spring training games in the books, the Detroit Tigers have roughly a month until Opening Day. In that month, many questions will be answered about how the team will look under first-year skipper Ron Gardenhire.

The Detroit Tigers have plenty of questions surrounding them heading into 2018. How will the rotation set up behind Michael Fulmer? What will the bullpen look like? How will Nicholas Castellanos fare as a full-time outfielder? Will any more veterans be traded away before the team heads north?

After the flurry of trades Detroit made last season, many positions opened up for younger players to claim bigger roles as the Tigers begin their rebuild.

Despite rumors involving many others, just one veteran was sent packing during the offseason. Second baseman Ian Kinsler was dealt to the Los Angeles Angels back in December for a pair of prospects.

Suddenly, a position that had been occupied by the same player for more than 600 games over the course of four seasons with the Tigers was vacant, without an obvious in-house candidate to replace him.

Who will form the double play combination with Jose Iglesias come March 29 at Comerica Park? Let’s explore some of the options.

KANSAS CITY, MO – SEPTEMBER 28: Dixon Machado #49 of the Detroit Tigers steps on second as he gets the force out on Lorenzo Cain #6 of the Kansas City Royals in the fourth inning at Kauffman Stadium on September 28, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

The heavy favorite to get the first crack at the everyday job at second base is Dixon Machado. The 26-year old is coming off a season in which he played a career-high 73 games. Of those 73 games, 59 came at shortstop or second base to spell Iglesias or Kinsler.

The Venezuelan has always been known more for his defense, hitting just .246 with a .303 on-base percentage in 105 Major League games. Machado is not known for power either, with just 10 career extra-base hits.

Machado showed improvement at the plate last year, hitting a career-best .259. While the sample is small, it gives optimists hope that he can continue to get better with more playing time.

The real value with Machado has always been with his defense. Baseball America rated him as the Best Defensive Infielder and the Best Infield Arm in the Detroit system for three straight years while he was in the minors.

An Iglesias-Machado double play duo could be a great defensive combination. However, if the Tigers are looking to replace Kinsler’s offense, they likely need to search elsewhere.

WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 30: Alexi Amarista #2 of the Colorado Rockies takes a swing during game two of a doubleheader baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on July 30, 2017 in Washington, DC. The Nationals won 3-1. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

With the best of their infield prospects in the lower minor leagues, Detroit was looking for infield depth this offseason. To address that, they brought in a few players as non-roster invitees to spring camp.

Alexi Amarista has played more than 700 games in the majors, but is not much of a hitter (.231/.275/.323 career slash line). He also struggled mightily defensively as a utility guy with Colorado last year.

Pete Kozma played just 39 games last year with the Rangers and Yankees, going 5-for-45 at the plate.

Former second round pick Niko Goodrum hit 13 homers at Triple-A Rochester and was a September call-up for the Twins. Upon his arrival however, he went 1-for-17 and was let go by Minnesota in November.

Ronny Rodriguez may have the best offensive upside of this quartet. In seven seasons with Cleveland, Rodriguez launched double-digit homers five times and owned a .262 batting average. However, his walk rate was less then 5%, he struck out four and a half times for every walk, and has not yet cracked the majors.

None of these guys are likely to be in contention for anything other than a utility spot.

With the Tigers rebuilding, it was presumed Detroit would mostly steer clear of the veteran free agent market. So far that has rung true (minus innings-eater Mike Fiers and speedy center fielder Leonys Martin), but if the Tigers want to look outside the organization for second base help, it could be had in the form of veteran free agents Brandon Phillips or Neil Walker.

Now 36, Phillips has seen his defense slip a little over the last couple of years. He can still hit though, posting a .285 average and 34 doubles with the Braves and Angels in 2017.

Despite his age, Phillips’ 2017 numbers compare favorably with Kinsler’s. Phillips hit nearly 50 points higher, and despite drawing only 21 walks, was still slightly better by both wOBA (.316 to .313) and wRC+ (93 to 91). While those numbers are below league average, they’re easier to swallow when the player isn’t making $11 million, as Kinsler was last year.

The brother-in-law of former Tigers fan favorite Don Kelly, Walker entered the offseason reportedly searching for a four-year deal. With no takers to this point, Detroit could offer a short-term deal for Walker to try and regain some of the value he lost in a down 2017 campaign.

Walker is a switch-hitter with a career .272/.341/.437 slash line and eight straight double-digit homer seasons. While he’s the best hitter of the bunch we’ve highlighted, he lacks the defensive skills of Machado.

Next: A fantasy baseball guide to your Tigers

The Verdict

Ultimately, Machado is the guy at second. The thought of a veteran who can bring more offense to the table is intriguing, but Machado is much better defensively. It also isn’t completely out of the question for his offense to spike a little if given the chance to play everyday. The job is his to lose.

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With a few spring training games in the books, the Detroit Tigers have roughly a month until Opening Day. In that month, many questions will be answered about how the team will look under first-year skipper Ron Gardenhire.

The Verdict

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