Detroit Tigers news: Jace Jung takes home MiLB Gold Glove award

Detroit Tigers prospect Jace Jung takes home some hardware.

Detroit Tigers prospect Jace Jung went out in 2023 and proved a point. He wanted to show that the glove works and that he can handle himself on the dirt, which has been a knock on him in the past. He did that, taking home some hardware for his performance during the 2023 season.

The former Detroit Tigers first-rounder took home MiLB honors for his performance in the field. Jace Jung won the MiLB Gold Glove award for his performance at second base in 2023. The 23-year-old prospect came to Detroit with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, even as the coveted first-rounder.

One of the big knocks on Jung was his ability to defend, and he set out in 2023 to make it a point to prove that he was a better defender and was going to be able to show that he could handle himself defensively. With a Gold Glove award in his back pocket now, I'd say he was able to prove himself.

Jason Beck posted a blurb from earlier in 2023 when Jung commented about the matter, and it sheds some light on Jung trying to avoid the stigma that came with both he and his brother coming out of college. He set out to prove people wrong by showing he is a more than capable defender, and a MiLB Gold Glove award does that.

Jung is coming off of 2023, where he spent the bulk of his time with the West Michigan Whitecaps in High-A, but he was able to spend some time in Double-A as well. With High-A West Michigan, Jung logged 81 games with 366 plate appearances, where he slashed .254/.377/.465 with 18 doubles, two triples, and 14 home runs, plating 43 runs in the process. In his promotion to Double-A Erie, Jung played in 47 games, accumulating 209 plate appearances. He slashed .284/.373/.563 with nine doubles, 14 home runs, and 39 runs driven in.

Defensively, when you group his time in High-A and Double-A together, Jung managed a .993 fielding percentage with just three errors all year long. He was credited with 447 defensive chances, coming away with just three mistakes in the entire year. That is pretty impressive for a player who was considered to struggle defensively.

The 2023 campaign could have been a big one for Jung, proving himself a bit while also continuing to hit for power. The left-handed bat has a spot to carve out for himself, but if he can cement a role at second base, there may be room for him to impact the Detroit Tigers lineup one day.