Eric Haase came bursting on to the scene with the Detroit Tigers during the 2021 season, however, the 2022 season has not gone as well for the young slugging catcher. Haase made the 2022 Detroit Tigers roster to be the offensive catcher of the team. Unfortunately, he has not been able to catch lightning and get it going thus far. With his lack of offensive production and the current state of this team, Eric Haase is a candidate for demotion to the minor league system.
The Offense…
To date, Haase is slashing .171/.236/.256 (.492 OPS), displaying ZERO power having collected only 3 extra base hits thus far. Haase currently has an OPS+ of 46 and a wRC+ of 44; both well below the average 100 threshold. Looking further, his ISO has dropped 143 points from .228 (2021) to .085 (2022). His BABIP has taken a significant hit as well dropping 75 points from .278 last season to only .203 this season. HardHit% (31.1) and Barrel% (4.9) are both the lowest of his career and he has a Chase rate of 33.5%; 5.2% higher than the MLB average, according to Baseball Savant. Hitting left-handed pitching has been the strong suit of his offensive career (.244 career BA) and he has yet to deliver against lefties, posting a measly .161 average.
Haase provided 22 homeruns during the 2021 season
The Defense…
The Detroit Tigers acquired Tucker Barnhart for a reason, defense. Eric Haase’s defensive skills are subpar at best. Currently, Baseball Savant puts him in the 8th percentile in framing, in comparison to Barnhart sitting in the 70th percentile; Haase has a strike rate of 41.7% while Barnhart’s is 48.7%. Haase’s receiving skills behind the plate leave a lot to be desired; there have been numerous occasions he has cost his pitchers on the mounds strikes because of his movements behind the plate. Over the 2021 and 2022 seasons Haase has a “Catcher Framing Runs” rate of -8 while his counter part has a +4. In just 140 innings behind the plate he has already matched his error total from 2021 (5; 543.1 innings) this season. FanGraphs assigns a negative value on a majority of Haase’s skill sets: -1 DRS at catcher, -5.5 batting, -1.4 base running, -0.6 fielding, -6.9 offense, -4.0 RAR, -0.4 WAR. While Barhnart does not fair much better in relation to his offensive numbers, his defensive statistics are significantly better.
Haase error costs Detroit a win
While Haase has played some outfield (43 innings, +2 DRS), with the current roster build and the players looking to return from rehab assignments in Triple-A and the inevitable call up of Top Prospect Riley Greene his defensive “versatility” is no longer a need. The only other positive he has going for him is his sprint speed being in the 76th percentile (Baseball Savant).
The Dilemma….
The actual demotion process would be extremely tricky. According to Fan Graphs, Haase does not have any options remaining on his contract. With no options remaining the Detroit Tigers would have to DFA and remove him from the 40 Man roster and he would have to clear waivers (doubtful he would be claimed by another organization) OR Haase would have to agree to a reassignment to the minor leagues, like what Dustin Garneau did earlier this season when accepting the idea of playing in Toledo when the roster had to be downsized.
The Options…
There are a few options the Tigers have within their own farm system if the Tigers and Haase were to come to an agreement in relation to a demotion.
First, Dustin Garneau. While his numbers aren’t pretty at the Triple-A level this year hitting only .200 with 4 homeruns and 10 RBI, however, he is already familiar with a good portion of the pitching staff, and he provides some MLB experience to the bench.
Second, Dillon Dingler. He’s put together solid numbers with the Seawolves so far, posting a .240 average with 4 homeruns and 20 RBIs over 175 at-bats. He’s currently ranked as the No. 3 ranked prospect within the Detroit Tigers organization and has an ETA of 2023. It is likely that a callup of Dingler this season would be a bit premature, he needs to get constant reps both at the plate and behind to prepare himself for his ultimate arrival in Detroit in either 2023 or 2024.
What Will Happen…
No one can say with any certainty what happens with Eric Haase moving forward. While I, personally, am ok with a demotion to Toledo and allowing him to get things figured out I do not believe that it will happen. I have a feeling that Haase, despite his lack of offense to date and his poor defensive skills behind the plate, will remain with the club for the remainder of the season simply due to the tricky situation it would create in regard to the actual demotion.