As A.J. Hinch was singing his praises Wednesday afternoon in the Tigers' dugout, Robbie Grossman stepped out of the tunnel from the clubhouse, spit some chaw and bounced up the stairs to the field. This could have been any day for Grossman, the Tigers' leader in games played and frequently the first on the field for more work. It just so happened to be the day after he was presented with the Tigers' Heart and Hustle Award, as voted on by the MLB Players Alumni Association, and later reached 20 home runs for the first time in his career.
"Did you see him shoot the bow and arrow?" Hinch asked with a grin. "Go back to the tape and check that out."
Tigers hitters have been miming a bow and arrow routine to celebrate big hits ever since Akil Baddoo started doing it early this season. Even Casey Mize broke it out after a bases-loaded walk last month. But you haven't seen it from Grossman, because it's not his style. Too colorful. Too showy. Too loud. As the 31-year-old explained Wednesday, he came up at a time when "if you just looked at the pitcher the wrong way they were going to throw at you."
But times have changed.
"All these kids like to celebrate when they do something on the field, and I always joke with them, 'Act like you've done it before,'" Grossman said. "And then you gotta realize, like, Baddoo's never done it before. He's never been up to this level. So they've been giving me a hard time about it all year, and I told them if I hit 20 home runs then I'll do it."
Nearly every one of his teammates was on the top step of the dugout as Grossman rounded the bases following his first-inning homer Tuesday night. Hanging over the railing and grinning like jackals. Yelping at him to follow through. Grossman didn't really need the reminder: "I made a promise to my teammates and I was going to fulfill it." So he did his best bow and arrow as he made his way to third, and the dugout went nuts.
"I wouldn't say it looked natural," Grossman said. "It was very awkward. I was just happy I put a barrel on a ball and got it out of the stadium."
So we won't see it for No. 21?
"From here on out you probably won't see that," he said.
That's OK. Detroit should see plenty of Grossman. The switch-hitting outfielder who posts every day is becoming a fixture of the Tigers' future. The club signed him to a two-year, $10 million deal last winter, believing a breakout was in store based on his offensive metrics following a swing change in Oakland. Grossman has proven them right. He leads the team in homers – shattering his previous career high of 11 – and he ranks third in the majors in walks. He's played solid defense in both left field and right. By now, Hinch can write Grossman's name in tomorrow's lineup today.
"I run him out there until the gas tank's nearly empty. And then even when it's empty, I pinch-hit him with the game on the line," Hinch said. "I trust him as much as I've trusted any player in my career, because I know what I'm going to get out of him. There's something to be said for the consistent approach and the reliability to be locked in."
Hinch has managed scores of great players in his eight years in the majors. For a short while in Houston, he managed a young Robbie Grossman. It was one of the reasons Grossman chose to sign with the Tigers last winter, on top of the fact that they pursued him harder than anyone else. He spent the first eight years of his career bouncing from Houston to Minnesota to Oakland. When he finally hit free agency and Detroit came calling with a multi-year deal, Grossman didn't hesitate to take it.
"I just wanted to be appreciated," he said. "They showed me that they wanted me and I couldn't ask for more than that."
Grossman began his Tigers career by drawing a walk in eight of his first 13 plate appearances. It was fitting; he's always had a good eye. But when he came up with the Astros in 2013, the old-schooler in him was opposed to baseball's new obsession with hitting the ball in the air. Grossman aimed for singles by hitting the ball on the ground, until he realized that most ground balls in the big leagues result in outs. Over time he added some loft to his swing and started engaging his legs to create more power. Everything started to click when Grossman joined the analytically-savvy A's in 2019, where "all they care about," he said, "is barrel rate."
"How hard you hit the ball every time you step up to the plate," Grossman said.
With Oakland's instruction, Grossman boosted his barrel rate in a big way in 2020. Same for his hard-hit rate. He also started pulling the ball more to tap into his power, which yielded a career-high slugging percentage and a 25-homer pace in the pandemic-shortened season. A year later, Grossman's on pace for 25 homers in Detroit and ranks first on the team in position-player WAR. His barrel rate is higher than ever.
"Hitting singles is great and you want to get your average up as high as you can," he said, "but the point of this game is to drive the ball and slug and get on base."
The essence of the game is to compete. And no one competes harder than Grossman. This is why, in Hinch's words, "he's never going to let you know when he needs a day off, he's never going to tell you when 96 off the wrist hurts." It's why the Tigers have fostered a strong clubhouse culture and "improved the mentality of a lot of the young guys." And it's why Grossman won the Tigers' Heart and Hustle Award as the player who not only excels on the field, but also best embodies the values, spirits and traditions of baseball.
Grossman accepted the award from Hinch in a brief pre-game ceremony outside the Tigers' dugout Tuesday night, with his parents in the crowd. He called it "humbling that the players voted me for that and thought so highly of me." He said it's "something I'm really proud of." His former teammates and coaches applauded from the visiting dugout, and Grossman said their support was "unbelievable." He homered a few minutes later, just to remind them he switched sides.
"I had him as an infant, and now I have him as a full-grown adult," said Hinch. "I think if you're around him and you watch him prepare, the trust is developed very quickly. I love the routines, I love the preparation, I love the subtle red-ass that he has, and the production has been very good. And we expect more of that to come."
So does Grossman. While his contract is up after next season, he has no plans to leave. He's enjoyed this season thoroughly, at least on nights the Tigers win, and he wants to be here when they start winning more. He's already one of the big reasons they've begun to turn things around, with a record of 53-47 over their last 100 games. He said he's "more than excited" for what lies ahead.
"I feel like we have a chance to make the playoffs next year, and I have the utmost confidence in our front office and A.J. and this team to do it," he said. "That should be our goal."
Asked if this is somewhere he envisions himself long-term, Grossman answered before the question was finished.
"100 percent," he said. "100 percent. I would like to stay the rest of my career in Detroit. That's really not up to me at the end of the day, but hopefully my play will dictate that."
What makes him so certain, so early in his tenure with the team?
"I just think the trust and how they've treated me here and the opportunity they've given me, it's only right that I give everything I have to them to try to prove them right," he said.
He's delivered so far. And if next year he reaches 30 homers, maybe he'll even dust off the bow and arrow.
He laughed and said, "We can talk about that."
