As Michigan braces for another round with a pesky polar vortex, it’s never too early to start thinking warmer thoughts of spring. As sure announcements of spring’s arrival go, Detroit Tigers’ baseball rates high on the list, which begins again this week with the start of the 2014 slate of exhibition games.
With all the offseason changes the team made in mind, what will be the most important things to watch as baseball finally gets back underway? Here’s five ideas, as baseball finally gets back to work after an excruciating 3 months off.
1. Nick Castellanos. How will the young rookie look playing third base consistently? Can he hit for power and average while playing consistent defense? The pressure to do both will fall heaviest on Castellanos this season, especially seeing as Dave Dombrowski didn’t make finding a backup plan a priority. At this point, it’s Castellanos or nothing at the position, which will mean a boon or bust. The start Castellanos gets off to in the spring will help set the tone for his regular season. Watch him to see if he can handle the load.
2. The bullpen’s evolution. There are major questions from innings 6 to 8 this season, as the Tigers made a few key switches and a key addition to help the bullpen. Gone are Joaquin Benoit (Padres) and Drew Smyly (starting rotation) and in their place come Ian Krol, Joba Chamberlain and Joe Nathan. Bruce Rondon should see a much bigger role, and the team will hope Phil Coke rebounds after having a miserable 2013 season. Will Chamberlain settle into a role and find health? Can Krol duplicate what Smyly did last year for Detroit? Will Rondon take the next step? The spring will be the time for those issues to begin to iron themselves out, so monitor the late innings closely.
3. Early success of left field platoon. Instead of making a big trade or newsworthy signing in left field, the Tigers will go with a platoon of Andy Dirks and Rajai Davis. Dirks needs to rebound after being injured most of 2013 and start to hit, while Davis needs to prove that he can get on base consistently enough to use his lightning speed. Can both overcome their struggle and combine to give the Tigers a leg up offensively and defensively? The Tigers are counting on the platoon idea working, but will it?
4. Infield defense. The Tigers rid themselves of some bad defense up the middle, and will start wizard Jose Iglesias at shortstop and newcomer Ian Kinsler at second base, who is also a plus defender. Castellanos will play his natural third base, and Miguel Cabrera moves back to first base, where he was excellent before shifting back to third. All in all, Detroit’s defense should be an asset this season instead of such a glaring liability. How good will they be? Will they prevent plenty of runs?
5. Lineup power. Without Prince Fielder, the Tigers lose a significant porition of power through the middle of their order. Who will pick up the slack with the long ball and some RBI’s? A healthy Cabrera and Victor Martinez should help, as would a power surge from Alex Avila and solid contributions from Torii Hunter near the top. Still, the concerns will have merit until proven otherwise. Replacing 25 home runs and 100 RBI isn’t easy, so who might step up to do so and how powerful might they be?
Max DeMara is a senior editor at The Detroit Sports Site. You can find him on Twitter @SportsGuyTheMax