In my previous post I discussed who I thought was going to be starting in the Detroit Tigers infield in 2021. Why not keep the ball rolling? Here is a look at who I think will be starting in the Tigers outfield for the 2021 season.
Left Field:
Joc Pederson: Pederson came into the COVID shortened 2020 season off a career high 36 homeruns and 74 RBI in 2019, during which he slashed .249/.339/.538. Like many other Joc had a rough 2020 season hitting .190/.285/.397 and has now hit the free agent market. I think it makes sense to bring him in on a one-year prove-it type deal for around $4 million. One of his biggest downfalls at the plate is his career 28% strikeout rate (609 career strikeouts in 2153 at-bats). Pederson would provide a huge jolt of power from the left side of the plate as well, something this team has been missing since Dave Dombrowski dealt Prince Fielder to the Texas Rangers. Pederson is not only a power hitter from the left side, but he is also solid defensively, posting a .991 career fielding percentage. Bringing Pederson in on a one-year deal can act as a stopgap for No. 1 draft pick Riley Greene, who currently has an ETA of 2022 per the Tigers Top Prospects page. If Pederson has a solid showing he could be brought back on an extension to either platoon with Greene in his rookie campaign or to take over either corner of the outfield if necessary.
Center Field:
Victor Reyes: Reyes is still under team control for another three years before he hits the free agent market. Over the course of the 2019 and 2020 seasons he seems to have settled into the role of center fielder for the Detroit Tigers. The 2020 season was especially eye opening when he took over as the everyday center fielder for the ballclub. Reyes had an impressive 2020 season at the plate slashing .271/.315/.391 in 52 games while collecting 22 doubles, 4 homeruns and 14 RBI. He also stole 8 bases. Reyes has the uncanny ability to hit homeruns and steal bases without sacrificing his average at the plate. According to Baseball Savant he struggled with the breaking ball but clobbered the fastball and offspeed pitches.
Victor Reyes’ pitch type breakdown
Reyes also saw a significant jump in hard hit percentage, 31.6% in 2019 up to 41.4% in 2020, nearly 10 percent. Reyes has also been impressive patrolling center field for Detroit. According to Baseball Savant Reyes ranked 36th out of 120 eligible outfielders in 2020 in Outs Above Average. He has proven that he deserves a shot at being the Detroit Tigers everyday center fielder in 2021, and in my opinion, he is a far better option than JaCoby Jones.
Right Field:
Daz Cameron: Daz is the in-house option for the Tigers in Right Field for 2021. Cameron is coming off a rather disappointing 2020 season, during which he hit .193/.220/.263 in 17 games. Daz is currently the No. 7 Prospect in the Tigers farm system. The first 8 games of his 2020 season were extremely disappointing, during which he went 1-for-23 with 11 strikeouts, however, games 9 through 17 were much better going 10-for-30 with only 8 strikeouts. During that second half he seemed to find his stroke after being outmatched at the plate to start. Defensively he only committed 1 error. Being under team control until 2025, when he becomes a free agent, Daz could be a fit in Detroit so long as he has a productive off season and Spring Training.
George Springer: Springer would be the long-term solution for right field. With the hiring of Hinch, it would be a reunion with his former manager. According to Rotoworld, Springer rejected a one-year $18.9 million qualifying offer from his former club. Springer put together a decent 2020 season hitting .265/.359/.540. When you look at his 162-game average at the plate Springer hits .270/.361/.491 with 35HR, 28 2-baggers and 93 RBI per Baseball-Reference; adding some extra juice to this lineup, which it is severely lacking. Springer is also considered to be an above average defensive outfielder by many. He is currently listed as a center fielder, however, due to his age I am sliding him over to the corner outfield where I believe he will remain above average defensively. There are a couple of things that may hinder his coming to Detroit. First, will he come to a non-contender? He has spent his entire career with the perennial playoff contender Houston Astros, so will Hinch and Avila be able to provide the appropriate pitch to get him to sign? Also, he’s 31 years old….Motor City Bengals suggested a 5-year $105 million contract with a player opt-out after year 3 in a recent article. I am not comfortable with these terms; however, I would be in at 4-years $85 million with opt-out after 2 years if things have not gone as expected. While many people are worried about the cheating scandal, there have been many accounts that Springer is a clubhouse leader. A veteran leader is something this team could use, especially with the well-known fact that Miguel Cabrera does not even bother to learn his teammates name, which to me shows a lack in character and leadership.
Honorable Mentions:
Riley Greene: Green is currently the No. 4 overall prospect in the Detroit Tigers farm system. The current ETA listed for him via the Tigers website is 2022. While I believe we will see him at some point during the 2021 season, Greene will not be on the roster to start the year, nor would he be an everyday player at the time of his call-up.
Travis Demeritte: While he did not have an impressive showing in 2020 for the Tigers, there still seems to be some upside to Demeritte. I would not be surprised to see him on the roster in a bench role with the possibility of platooning if necessary.
Short-Term Outfield:
LF: Joc Pederson
CF: Victor Reyes
RF: Daz Cameron
Long-Term Outfield
LF: Joc Pederson/New FA
CF: Victor Reyes
RF: George Springer
Sources:
Erkkila, Jon. “Detroit Tigers: Does 5-Years/$105M Get George Springer to Motown?” Motor City Bengals, FanSided, 12 Oct. 2020, motorcitybengals.com/2020/10/12/detroit-tigers-george-springer-to-motown/.
George Springer - News. www.rotoworld.com/baseball/mlb/player/19817/george-springer/news.
Joseph, Andrew. “Miguel Cabrera Doesn't Know Most Teammates' Names.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 22 Mar. 2018, www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ftw/2018/03/22/miguel-cabrera-calls-most-of-his-teammates-bro-because-he-doesnt-know-their-names/111141668/.
Kotila, Tyler. “Detroit Tigers: Victor Reyes Settling into Outfield during 2020 Season.” Detroit Jock City, FanSided, 25 Sept. 2020, detroitjockcity.com/2020/09/25/detroit-tigers-victor-reyes-2020-success/.
“Pros and Cons of Mets Signing Free Agent George Springer.” Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo!, sports.yahoo.com/pros-cons-mets-signing-free-133842950.html.
Tallman, Marty. “Detroit Tigers: Analyzing the Way Too Early Fantasy Baseball Mock Drafts.” Motor City Bengals, FanSided, 3 Nov. 2020, motorcitybengals.com/2020/11/03/detroit-tigers-analyzing-fantasy-baseball-mock-drafts/.
**Some Statistics courtesy of www.baseball-reference.com
**Some Statistics courtesy of www.baseballsavant.mlb.com
**Some Biographical information courtesy of www.wikipedia.com