Detroit Tigers: 3 underperforming players who need to improve to stick around

These players for the Detroit Tigers could be on short leashes

Virtually every hitter for the Detroit Tigers has underperformed this season, including big offseason acquisition Javier Baez. Some of them, like Baez and Jonathan Schoop, will (at least most likely) be back next season as seasoned veterans.

But it feels like some others players’ days dawning the old English D are numbered. They may not be gone sometime during the season, but this season may be their last in Detroit if they don’t step it up.

First, here’s a few honorable mentions:

2B Jonathan Schoop

Schoop has a player option after this season, so he’ll almost certainly be back barring a miraculous turnaround that gives him an opportunity to earn more money elsewhere. This is why he is listed above. He has been swinging the bat better as of late, hitting the ball harder, although the results haven’t always been there.

His defense has been top notch though, as he’s currently the best defensive player in Major League Baseball according to Baseball Savant. That alone is worth keeping him around.

1B Spencer Torkelson

No, the Detroit Tigers aren’t going to send Spencer Torkelson to Triple-A Toledo. There isn’t anything he can learn down there that he can’t learn up here.

Besides, he’s been showing signs of breaking out of his slump as well. He’s been making contact more often and striking out less. He’s always hit the ball hard, and he has a great eye at the plate. The problem is that he’s too patient.

If he can be more aggressive at the plate, and hunt for more fastballs, that would help him out a lot. He just needs to simplify his approach.

RHP Beau Brieske

I think Brieske is probably safe given the amount injuries to the starting rotation, but I also think a little more seasoning in Triple-A would do him some good. He’s got the stuff, he just needs some finetuning.

That does it for the honorable mentions, so without further ado, here are three underperforming Detroit Tigers who need to improve to stick around.

OF Robbie Grossman

Grossman is coming off a career year in 2021, so to expect a repeat performance may have been a bit much. But I don’t think anyone expected him to be this bad, either.

Grossman is slashing .199/.315/.243 with a .558 OPS and no home runs at the time of writing. His power has completely evaporated, not unlike many of his teammates.

He hit a career high 23 homers last season, more than double his previous career high of 11. His average launch angle is only down a degree and a half according to Baseball Savant, but his barrel rate, hard hit rate, and slugging % are all down significantly. Grossman was so good last year, and now he looks like a shell of his former self.

He’s still walking a ton, and Savant has him in the 98th percentile in chase rate, but he’s striking out the most since his rookie season in 2015.

I’m not sure what’s going on here. I don’t if he’s a victim of Scott Coolbaugh, or it’s just a mental thing. But one thing’s for sure, he needs to pick up the pace. He’s a free agent at the end of the year, and he’s not a owed a lot of money. If he hasn’t figured it out by the time the likes of Riley Greene, Austin Meadows, and Victor Reyes are healthy, the Tigers could just decide to cut him loose.

3B Jeimer Candelario

This one is a bit more long term, as the likelihood of him being cut midseason is slim to none, but Jeimer has not performed well on either side of the ball this season. His slash line is awful, and his defense has regressed significantly.

At the plate, he’s been striking out more and walking less. Baseball Savant has him in the 13th percentile in chase rate. Early in the season, pitchers just kept throwing him breaking balls down and in because they knew he would swing at it.

The lack of walks are particularly concerning. His walk rate this season is just 6.2%, 4% lower than his career average. That’s a huge shift.

If there’s any silver linings to his performance at the plate this season, he’s in the 69th percentile in barrel rate and his average launch angle is a good four degrees higher than last season. Maybe he’s trying to sell out for more power?

I get it, even I would like to see more homers out of Candelario. But he’s at his best when he’s patient and trying to find a gap. After all, he led the league in doubles last season.

His defense, meanwhile, has been even worse. He’s in the 11th percentile in outs above average. He’s already got four errors and a DRS of -3. He’s never been great over at the hot corner, but he’s never been this bad either.

Last season, Jeimer Candelario led the Detroit Tigers in WAR at 3.8. So far this season, he’s at -0.4, below replacement level. That’s not going to get it done.

Jeimer has one more year of arbitration left before he becomes a free agent after the 2023 season. He’s making $5.8M this season, and he’ll make more than that in 2023. That’s a lot of money for a guy who’s playing below replacement level.

It may sound strange because he’s been around throughout this entire rebuilding process, but Candy could very well get non-tendered by the Tigers at season’s end if he doesn’t turn things around.