When Jake Rogers joined the Tigers back in May, A.J. Hinch couldn't stand the catcher's mustache. He badgered Rogers to shave it. He offered to shave it for Rogers himself. At this rate, Hinch might let Rogers keep it.
The rookie with the old man's mug is proving himself in the big leagues -- and proving others wrong in the process.
Rogers entered Thursday night's game against the Twins on a seven-game hit streak and with an OPS of .904 over the last month. That's the surprising part. Here's the important part: Rogers is fulfilling his reputation as an excellent defensive catcher, and perhaps restating his case as Detroit's catcher of the future.
"He's settling in nicely," Hinch said Thursday. "You get labels pretty quickly in this game, probably not in a good way. We want instant gratification. We expect guys to do everything perfect, all the time, when they get here."
The label attached to Rogers after his first stint in the majors was that he couldn't hit. He struck out in almost every other at-bat in 35 games with the Tigers in 2019. He failed to crack the big-league roster last season and again at the start of this season. Once a prized prospect who arrived in the Justin Verlander trade, Rogers was fading from the Tigers' plans.
He's always been labeled an elite catcher. He's quick and athletic and has a rocket of an arm. He knows how to call a game. But Rogers' defense seemed to suffer in 2019 beneath the weight of his woes at the plate. Two years later, we're seeing his prowess behind it. We're seeing his impact on the game whenever he plays, whether or not he hits. So is the former catcher in the dugout.
"I’m not talking about pitch framing or throwing (out runners)," said Hinch. "Those are sort of glossy, sexy things. I’m talking about game-calling and game temperament and the ability to control emotion behind the plate and be a leader. I think he’s doing a hell of a job back there. He’s earned the respect of a lot of people, including me, that he understands more than ever what his responsibility is: catch a winner."
Rogers shined at the plate Tuesday night in Texas, but the Tigers gave up 10 runs in a loss. He chewed on his performance afterward, his mustache framing his frown, and concluded "the loss sucks." He paused, perhaps reflecting on a few batters he'd like back, and added, "Pissed about it, honestly." He's not used to catching losers.
In games Rogers has started this year, the Tigers are 18-12. A lot of that owes to good timing; he arrived when the team was turning a corner. But he's also got a knack for drawing the best out of Detroit's pitchers, who've allowed 4.1 runs per game with Rogers behind the plate and 5.3 runs per game with anyone else. At what point is that more than a coincidence?
Speaking of the glossy stuff, Rogers has thrown out 7 of 11 base-stealers this season. The more he does that, the less often teams will test him. As Hinch noted Thursday, that's how you "shut down the running game." And speaking of, uh, the sexy stuff, one of the biggest names in the Tigers' organization says "the stache is here to stay."
Rogers, 26, still has holes at the plate. He whiffs more than you'd like and rarely draws walks. He had more strikeouts than hits during his ... hit streak. But he's making much harder contact than he was two years ago and he's using the whole field. His extra-base power has enabled a higher OPS (.776) than any starting catcher for the Tigers since All-Star Alex Avila in 2011.
We'll see if Rogers is the Tigers' starting catcher moving forward. Dillon Dingler is rising quickly through the system and has a higher all-around ceiling. And you can't ignore Eric Haase the way he keeps smacking home runs. But Rogers is back in the discussion. He said he wanted the scrutiny this year from Hinch, one catcher to another. He's giving the Tigers more than they could have expected in return.
I trust him," said Hinch. "I trust him to make good decisions. I think he knows he’s got a watchful eye on him that's going to keep him accountable. And I think he enjoys this opportunity that’s hopefully going to propel him to being a big leaguer. And when I say 'big leaguer,' I mean coming into the season expecting to be a big leaguer.
"We got half a season left for him to continue to earn that, but he’s making his mark."