4 overreactions to the Detroit Tigers beatdown in the spring training opener

Overreaction #4: Colt Keith needs more time.

This one feels like a cop-out, but the Detroit Tigers threw Colt Keith into the fire, hitting him third in the lineup in his big-league spring training debut after his big extension. He picked up one hit but took some really bad swings in his other at-bats. It's worrisome, but then again, it's Spring Training, and there were likely some jitters for him during today's game.

The cop-out for me is that I'm invested in Keith for the long term. He'll hit well, and after his extension, there's no reason not to bring him north with the team and get his big-league career underway. So, suggesting he needs more time seems silly, but the "more time" will also be the rest of Spring Training.

Keith took a couple of rough hacks in an earlier at-bat before punching out. He swung through a few fastballs. The swing itself will work, so it's jitters, but he needs time in game situations to work out those jitters now. He finished the day 1-for-2 with a 2-RBI double and two punchouts.

There's plenty to like in the long term with Keith, and I'm buying stock in him after Spring Training. We'll see what happens, but after the first game full of at-bats, it looks like he could use a little bit more "seasoning" and time. The long-term value is there, and there's a lot to like moving forward, so don't fret quite yet, but that's an overreaction from Saturday's slaughter.