Part two of a series about roster makeup for the Detroit Tigers in 2023.

Read Part One here.

The 2022 Detroit Tigers infield was a mixed bag of cheap veterans, rookies, and an overpaid shortstop. Each member of the infield finished the year ranked in the bottom 10 in either defensive WAR or offensive WAR at his respective position, according to FanGraphs. This is an area Scott Harris will have to drastically improve to create a competitive baseball team.

Let’s begin with the easiest position to fill: first base. Spencer Torkelson was Detroit’s number one prospect in 2022, and expectations for him were very high heading into the regular season. Miguel Cabrera retired from playing first base and agreed to pass the torch to Torkelson. That flame was nearly snuffed out.

A wRC+ of 76 for the season (24 points below average) is not even close to good enough for a first baseman, especially one with the draft pedigree of Torkelson. This was in spite of him showing a great approach and consistently working the count (averaging about 4 pitches per plate appearance). His approach clearly wasn’t the problem. It was his timing.

It took a stint working with the hitting coaches in Triple-A Toledo to simplify his load and make his timing more consistent, but Torkelson finished the season strong. And with a full offseason to continue working on his swing, it’s reasonable to expect him to come closer to his potential in 2023. Even if he doesn’t end up doing that, expect him to start the season at first base for the Tigers because there aren’t many other options.

The rest of the infield is much harder to pin down. Veteran Javier Baez, the biggest signing for the Tigers last offseason, doesn’t necessarily have a spot secured defensively at shortstop. Ryan Kreidler came up and showed off potentially elite defense with five outs above average (three at shortstop) in just 26 games. That number alone could put Baez in jeopardy.

With the ineffective veteran Jeimer Candelario likely gone, Scott Harris could simply opt to play Baez at third base, where he would be able to showcase his strong arm and have to cover less ground. Kreidler’s offensive production (38 wRC+) was not good with the Tigers, but his bat showed potential. For example, in 2021 through he posted a 148 wRC+ in 162 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. That potential, along with good speed (76th percentile), instincts (17/18 in stolen base attempts) and overall athleticism, should buy the 25 year old a good look in the bigs in 2023.

Ryan Kreidler ran a long way to glove this one. Nice catch. pic.twitter.com/sGbiNlzqsr

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 11, 2022

Jonathan Schoop was the worst hitter in baseball (wRC+ of 57) by a noticeable margin. Yet he managed to accumulate 1.5 fWAR because he led the league in outs above average. Combined with the fact that 2023 is the last year of his contract, and Schoop is an acceptable option for second base. Especially once we consider alternatives like Willi Castro (poor infielder, mediocre hitter), Harold Castro (average hitter, bad fielder) and Kody Clemens (bad hitter, passable defender).

Detroit Tigers Behind the Plate

When it comes to catcher the Tigers had two players rotate last season, Tucker Barnhart and Eric Haase. Barnhart had an awful season by most measures. He wasn’t able to produce anything with the bat and his defense was bad (38th percentile in framing). He is now a free agent and I doubt he will come back to the Tigers. Eric Haase, on the other hand, had a breakout season of sorts. He was above average with the bat even against right-handed pitching, which was the only concern with him playing everyday. His framing was bad (18th percentile), but his pop time was nicely above average and he offers much more than Barnhart does.

The other catching option is Jake Rogers. He’s expected to return from Tommy John surgery in 2022 after missing a year of playing. His scouting report from 2019 has him as an elite fielder (70/80) with a mediocre bat. His Statcast framing data, however, has him as a comparable framer to Eric Haase with a similar pop time and a worse bat. Rogers had his best season in 2021, but it was only 127 PAs long. And while he did have a 116 wRC+, he had an abnormally high BABIP of .344 which is a huge outlier when you look at his MiLB numbers.

Dillion Dingler is still unlikely to make the roster out of spring training, but he could be sniffing at the roster by the second half of 2023. That essentially means it’s probable that the Tigers might acquire a new catcher through free agency or a trade. Even if they don’t, I think that Haase starting with Rogers backing him up is a fine place to be while the Tigers wait for their catching prospects to develop.

Brett Auerbach tried to steal, but Dillon Dingler catches him. @Greg_Gania with the call. pic.twitter.com/wJfJY0eR12

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) April 24, 2022