With the Tigers 2019 Grapefruit League officially starting last Saturday, February 23rd. with a win coming against the Toronto Blue Jays.  There are still lots of question to be answered about the 2019 Tiger ball club.  The first being right field.  Right field has been one of the big questions for this Detroit ball club coming into the 2019 season.  Last year the Tigers filled that hole with one of their top sluggers Nicholas Castellanos.   Castellanos came up with the Tigers as a third baseman.  Nicholas was not one of the flashiest third baseman in the league to say least but his bat could play with anyone of them.  The Tigers did not want to get rid of Nick’s bat totally, so they decided to move him to right field once they called up another solid third baseman Jeimer Candelario.  Candelario was acquired in a trade with the cubs back in 2017.   

Castellanos bat still played when he moved to the outfield, but his glove certainly did not.  Castellanos still had the arm strength when he got to right field, however he had trouble going back on balls.  At first, Nicholas did not look comfortable when he had to back-track on a ball towards the right field wall.  The Tigers had no choice but to bite the bullet and let the season play out with Castellanos managing the grass out in right.  

At the end of last season, the Tigers got a boost in the outfield and at the plate when they called up one their top prospect, Christin Stewart.  Stewart by trade is an outfielder, which gave the Tigers a more solid glove in the field.  Stewart always was known for his bat, which he got to show off the final months of the season up in Detroit.  Stewart will most certainly be competing for a starting job in the Tigers’ outfield this coming season.    

The second elephant in the room for the Tigers this season is first base and the designated hitter positions.  With longtime designated hitter Victor Martinez retiring last season and veteran first baseman Miguel Cabrera showing his age a bit, the Tigers certainly do have some big questions at those two positions.  However, with each question comes a solution.  The Tigers do have some solutions for those two positions.  The first one being Miggy at DH.  Cabrera says he still feels he can play the field even at the age of 36.  However, the Tigers feel if Miguel can play some DH this season, it could lower his chances of getting injured.  The second option at first base for the Tigers this year is C/1B John Hicks.  Hicks did play more first base last season than he did as a catcher which gives the Tigers more confidence in him to handle that position this coming season.  The second option at first base for the Tigers is super utility man Niko Goodrum.  Goodrum did see some time at first last season which gives the Tigers some needed depth at that position this year.  

Second base was another position the Tigers were unsure of who was going to play this season.  The Tigers are looking at super utility man Niko Goodrum and Ronny Rodriguez to handle the position for most of the season with a possible call up of one of their top prospects Dawel Lugo before spring camp started in Lakeland.  However, that all changed once the Tigers signed free-agent second baseman Josh Harrison to a one-year $2 million deal.  Last season with the Pirates, Harrison hit .250 with 37 RBI’s and 8 homeruns.  Even though it looks like Harrison had a down year last year. The Tigers are more concerned with having a solid glove at second and any extra offensive boost from Harrison’s bat with be a bonus for the Tiger’s lineup.                  

Another concern for Tiger fans this season is their starting rotation.  The Tiger’s rotation is most likely going to be the weakest it has been in recent years.  The Tigers tried to fill the void in the rotation by signing 2 free-agent pitchers.  The first free-agent pitcher they signed was Matt Moore to one-year deal that guaranteed $2.5 million.  The second pitcher they signed this off-season was Tyson Ross to a $5.75-million-dollar deal.  These two veteran pitchers give the Tigers some reliable arms to take the ball every five days.  Detroit also is looking at some of their returning veteran pitchers to have bounce back seasons.  One of those vets is SP Jordan Zimmermann.  Last season Zimmermann struggled on the mound.  He posted a 4.52 ERA with a record of 7-8 on the mound with Detroit.  Zimmermann and the Tigers will both be looking for a bounce back season in 2019.   Another familiar face that will be looking to rebound with the Tigers this season is 2016 A.L. Rookie of the Year winner Michael Fulmer.  Last season Fulmer had a 4.69 ERA and a record of 3-12 with Detroit.  This spring Fulmer is looking to recover from a slight knee injury, and he will be wearing a brace to prevent the injury from occurring again. 

There is no doubt that the Tigers will have some big questions to answer before the club heads back up to Detroit.  However, the Tigers will be optimistic once they leave camp on March 26th.  None the less this should be an interesting season for baseball in Detroit.       

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