Detroit Tigers: Constructing the Opening Day Lineup for 2021

Batting Eighth-CF JaCoby Jones

JaCoby Jones got off to a hot start this season, batting .423 (11-for-28) and was responsible for some highlight-reel plays to start the season.

Fans wanted him to be at the top of the lineup but he did most of his damage batting 9th, hitting .308/.379/.712 with an OPS of 1.091 with all of his home runs coming from that spot.

As Jules Posner of Forbes.com pointed out in August, his swing change that goes back to May 2019 has resulted in a higher walk rate and chase % going down. Having that type of power in the double clean-up role does sounds appealing.

Injuries continue to hamper Jones’s progress. Seeing him get plunked in the Milwaukee series and go out with a fractured hand was frustrating as yet another injury ended his season.

For his career batting 8th, Jones has put up a slash line of .229/.282/.380 (44-for-192) in 56 games with 6 home runs so he is familiar with batting here.

Jones will still need to continue he can hit breaking and offspeed pitches better. If Jones can start the season as he did in 2020 the same way, it would give Detroit a punch in the bottom of the order.