Tigers lefty-masher may be making his last stand in spring training

Once upon a time, Detroit Tigers outfielder Austin Slater was dubbed the "best role player in baseball." That moniker hasn't quite stuck over the years, and he is now making what may be his last stand down in Florida.

That bold claim was made back in 2023 and back then it was easy to understand why. Slater was absolutely dominant against left-handed pitching in 2021 and 2022 with the San Francisco Giants. He was a key part of San Francisco's miraculous 107-win season in 2021 as he would start and come off the bench to face lefties, hit homers, and do damage with regularity.

He dealt with injuries in 2023 and, by 2024, his numbers began to drop. The Giants moved on from him after he spent the first seven years of his career there, and he has bounced around from team to team ever since, trying to recapture his old form.

Austin Slater has something to prove with Tigers in spring training

Last season with the Chicago White Sox, he did decently enough in the first half that the New York Yankees were willing to take a chance on him and trade for him at the deadline. It didn't work out, as the Stanford product had just three hits in 25 at-bats with the team and was injured during his tenure as well.

How Slater does in spring training is probably not at the forefront of most fans' minds when young players are making a push for the Opening Day roster, but this may be Slater's last chance to really prove himself now that he is 33 years old and his production has dropped in recent seasons.

So far in Florida, Slater has three hits in 13 at-bats with one home run. That's probably not good enough to make the team, but if he finishes camp strong then he may have an outside shot. Jahmai Jones and Matt Vierling may be out of a roster spot if Slater turns up the heat.

Slater's spring numbers are better than the ones Jones has put up so far, so he may have an early leg up on him. It should also be noted that Slater is a decent outfield defender and has a strong arm, while Jones struggles in the outfield, so that could be factored into a roster decision as well.

No one is expecting Slater to play a big role for the Tigers this year, but he has a lot to prove after some rough years. Maybe he can get back to being the solid role player he once was.