Detroit Tigers: Mike Gerber gets his chance after the Leonys Martin Deal

Detroit Tigers’ GM Al Avila’s decision to trade away Leonys Martin cleared up a roster spot that will go to Mike Gerber, at least for the time being.

Leonys Martin getting traded was a pleasant surprise to many Detroit Tigers fans, as not many teams were looking for a center fielder. In addition, Martin has battled hamstring injuries all year. Luckily, our good friends in Cleveland took Al Avila’s bait, and dealt for Martin.

For the Tigers, the big question became who would replace Martin. Many fans penciled in Mikie Mahtook to receive another shot from the Tigers. After all, he’s already on the 40 man roster, and had been in between AAA and Detroit for the season. Other fans thought that this move signified a shift to the future, resulting in Christin Stewart‘s first stint as a left fielder/DH in the Majors.

Neither scenario happened.

Mike Gerber getting the call over Christin Stewart and Mikie Mahtook may surprise some, but could benefit the Tigers in the short, and long-term. Here are a few reasons why.

He’s not Mikie Mahtook

At this point, we know who Mikie Mahtook is, and that is someone who cannot help the Tigers in any capacity during this rebuild. He will be 29 before the calendar year is over, and we most likely have already seen Mahtook’s best years, which would be last year with the Tigers (.787 OPS) and 2015 with the Rays (.970 OPS in only 41 games). This year, we have seen strikeouts, a really long swing for a guy that only has 10-15 home run power, and poor command of the strike zone. The Tigers simply do not have many other outfielders in the minors who have major league experience. Once they do, expect a DFA for Mr. Mahtook.

Christin Stewart needs more seasoning in Toledo

The hype around Christin Stewart has been building all season, as the Tigers’ #1 hitting prospect (#6 overall) has been mashing all season, tied for the Internal League lead in home runs, despite spending 2 weeks on the Minor League Disabled List with a calf injury.

However, it’s no secret why he has not been called up yet: his defense. By all accounts, his defense has drastically improved from where it was last season in Erie. Even with the lower arm slot, better mechanics, and overall improvement in the outfield, the Tigers’ brass must still see some areas where Stewart can improve upon before taking over spacious left field in Comerica Park.

Another potential benefit of keeping Stewart down in the minors until September is service time. In order for a player to complete their rookie season, they must complete 130 at-bats. Why not have Stewart’s rookie season begin next year? Who knows, maybe he will even win rookie of the year in 2019, he certainly has the talent!

Gerber is unproven in the big leagues

Simply put: we do not know the type of player Mike Gerber will become in the majors yet. The Tigers know all about Mikie Mahtook’s lethal 15 HR, 15 SB, 30% strikeout rate potential. They also have a good idea of the type of hitter Stewart could potentially become: a middle-of-the-order lefty masher, capable of 35-40 HR seasons in spacious Comerica Park.

Before the call-up Gerber has only had two at-bats in the big leagues, which occurred in April. He’ll have a month of semi-regular at-bats before Christin Stewart is up. Time to see what this kid can do with this opportunity. If he performs well, he will most certainly earn a roster spot with the 2019 team, possibly more.

It doesn’t hurt the Detroit Tigers to give him an audition. After all, this is a rebuild that will last years, not months.