Jace Jung and Trey Sweeney arrived in the big leagues on Friday. A.J. Hinch hopes they never turn back: "The standard here is to not just get here, but to stay here," Hinch said.
"One thing I told them is, they have the talent to be big leaguers for the rest of their careers. We gotta keep pushing them and developing them to be their best," said Hinch.
Jung, 23, and Sweeney, 24, will make their MLB debuts Friday night against the Yankees. Jung will play third base and bat fifth, Sweeney will play short and bat eighth. It's a chance for the Tigers to directly evaluate two players who could factor into their roster next season and beyond.
"Really excited to get a couple promising young players an opportunity here," said Hinch. "Having them promoted on the same day is unique, but also a step toward getting them some experience and an extended look at this level the last six weeks of the regular season."
Jung is the headliner of the two, the No. 5 prospect in the Tigers' system and No. 64 in all of baseball, per MLB Pipeline. He's a left-handed power bat who could eventually carve out a spot in the middle of Detroit's lineup and fill their hole at third base. He's a natural second baseman, but has made the switch to third this season.
"It's been a learning curve for him. We have some ideas on how to get him better and I think he’s gotten more comfortable as the year as has gone on, but the bat has been real," said Hinch. "We’ve always liked the offensive profile. Obviously, he’s a threat at any given time."
That's why the Tigers' former regime drafted Jung 12th overall two years ago. The new one, led by Scott Harris, has been just as impressed. Jung had 14 homers, 23 doubles and an .831 OPS in Triple-A this season.
"He’s been itching to get to this level since he left college (Texas Tech)," said Hinch. "He’s a highly accomplished player and he’s been everything as advertised. The logical next step is to get him some experience here and see how he responds to the next level."
Sweeney is a former first-round pick himself, 20th overall by the Yankees in 2021. Hinch joked to Sweeney when he arrived on Friday, "Of course baseball is going to lead you to debut against the very team that drafted you in the first round." Sweeney is starting to show why the Yankees were so high on him in the first place.
In 11 games with Triple-A Toledo after being acquired from the Dodgers in the Jack Flaherty trade, Sweeney hit .381 with a 1.114 OPS. He was already on a roll at the time of the trade, dating back to the start of July. He's another left-handed bat, with a well-regarded glove at short. Hinch said the Tigers like Sweeney's "ability to control the strike zone and use the whole field."
"The defensive profile has always been really good, and you can’t deny the burst of (offensive) performance he’s had while being a Mud Hen," said Hinch. "Leading into the trade, we talked about his ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball: not just a defensive specialist, but also a left-handed bat, middle-of-the-field player, bat to ball skills, got some power, can direct the ball to left center field and oppo, which is always the traditional view of a good hitter."
"Physical kid," Hinch added. "When you see him, he looks the part. And he has played up to all of the conversations around him."
The Tigers have an obvious dilemma at shortstop, with Javy Baez signed through 2027 at nearly $25 million per year. Harris has been adamant that the organization is "not looking to buy out" the rest of his contract. But the Tigers are committed to giving Sweeney a look at short (and third) for the rest of this season. Hinch met with Baez on Thursday to inform him that he won't play as much down the stretch.
Hinch cautioned that he's yet to see Sweeney play in person, "but if you look at his range and his arm and all the attributes you would want in a shortstop, he has them."
"I’d like to spend some time within him before I declare anything about him, but people in the industry who reached out to me and people with the Dodgers that I talked to, he has been a favorite because of the fundamentals and the things that he does naturally on defense to handle the position," said Hinch.
The way Jung and Sweeney adjust to the majors bears watching ahead of a crucial winter for the Tigers. In theory, they could answer two of the biggest questions about Detroit's roster, Jung in particular. Their performances, good or bad, could dictate how the Tigers shape their team for 2025 when they'll be trying to take their first real step toward the playoffs in three years under Harris and five under Hinch.
"Everything matters," said Hinch. "The more time that we can have (with them), the better. The faster we can get these guys acclimated to being big leaguers, they better they’ll be. We don’t know how it’s going to go, but everything will matter. We don’t have to declare really what any of this means until we can break down their games. There’s a lot that’s going to be first for them, and we’ll all be paying attention."
Nothing will be determined, definitely, about Jung and Sweeney between now and the end of September. But both of them have a chance to a get a foot in the door for next season. Ideally, their big-league journeys have just begun.
"Both of these guys are going to need some time to acclimate, they’re going to need a ramp to being their best selves," said Hinch. "Their development is not done just because we called them up."