FanPost

Get 'em on, get 'em over, get 'em in

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

As the Tigers look to roll out their new-look lineup in 2018, I wanted to take a glimpse at last year’s offensive performance to identify areas where they were particularly deficient, and determine which fringe areas might be affected by the departures of J.D. Martinez, Justin Upton, and Ian Kinsler. The overall Tigers offense ranked near the middle of the American League in most significant categories. One stat that jumped out at me, however, was Detroit’s-league fewest 27 sacrifice flies. This led me to investigate the Tigers’ overall stats with runners on third and less than two outs.

12of the AL’s 15 teams tallied somewhere between 33 and 48 sac flies, with the Yankees and Astros as outliers on the upper end with 56 and 61, respectively. The Tigers’ .333 batting average with a runner on third and less than two outs ranked a serviceable eighth in the AL, and they slugged at a .613 clip, just .002 behind the Mariners for best in the league.

The bad news for Tigers fans is that Upton and J.D. Martinez combined for seven of the Tigers' 13 total home runs in these situations. In fact, Upton, Martinez, Kinsler, and Alex Presley combined to go 26 for 57 (.456) with seven home runs and 61 RBI, in 57 at-bats. Upton was right there with Nelson Cruz of the Mariners as far as most productivity in the league, posting a .419-4-32 line in 31 at-bats with the Tigers.

Contrarily, 2018 returnees Miguel Cabrera, James McCann, and Mikie Mahtook were a combined 7 for 45 (.156), with 20 strikeouts in 45 at bats. We all know Miggy wasn’t Miggy last year. His numbers with a runner on third and less than two outs, however, are particularly telling. Entering the 2017 campaign, Cabrera was a lifetime .381 hitter in 444 at-bats, with a 93/83 BB/K ratio. Last year, he managed just a 4 for 21 effort with one home run and eight strikeouts. McCann and Mahtook were even worse, at 3 for 24 and 12 strikeouts between them.

The good news is that we don’t expect Miggy to hit .190 in this key RBI situation again. The better news is that Nick Castellanos and Victor Martinez were 19 for 40 (.475) with 42 RBI. This year’s Tigers lineup may not have as much success getting runners to third inside of two outs, especially the way they’ve been running themselves out of innings so far in spring training. That said, improving upon last year’s 48-percent conversion rate will go a long way towards maximizing the offensive potential.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the <em>Bless You Boys</em> writing staff.