How to fix Javier Baez's bat? Who knows -- it might be broken beyond repair. But A.J Hinch is hoping that by dropping Baez in the order, the Tigers will lift some of the pressure off his shoulders.
And get more out of their $140 million shortstop.
Baez has spent most of his first two seasons in Detroit hitting second, third or fourth in the Tigers' lineup -- about three-quarters of his plate appearances. His numbers just haven't justified it. A two-time All-Star with the Cubs, Baez has been the second-worst qualified hitter in the majors by wRC+ (75) since joining the Tigers.
Hinch started sliding him down the order as last season wore on and young hitters like Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter came into their own in Detroit. Baez hit sixth or lower in all of his starts after July and seventh or lower in all of his starts after August. It didn't make a difference at the time, but Hinch is hoping it pays off in 2024.
"He is somebody who is talked about a ton," Hinch said Thursday on 97.1 The Ticket. "He gets a lot of attention. He’s probably going to bat in the bottom third of the order based on what I’m looking at as a projected lineup. There’s not a ton of pressure on his offense. We need him to continue to play good defense, he’s been fairly flawless down here (in spring training), so there’s ways for him to contribute.
"I know all eyes are going to be on what he does offensively and if he can make some adjustments, I would just caution people that he’s not going to be perfect. But he’s gotta give us something, and everybody knows that."
The spring hasn't offered much hope. Baez is 1-for-22 (.045) with 11 strikeouts and two walks as he tries to implement some tweaks he made to his swing in the offseason. Out of the 344 players with at least 22 at-bats this spring, he's the only one with just a single hit. The games count for real two weeks from today.
"We hoped that some of the adjustments are going to start to take over in the games," said Hinch. "He has had a rough spring offensively, but he’s had a dynamic spring on defense, and I think time will tell based on performance. Obviously he’s putting the work in, he’s been great around the clubhouse. We need it to click in the games."
Unfortunately, that's starting to feel like a lot to ask. Baez, signed by former GM Al Avila, has four years and $98 million remaining on his contract with the Tigers.
On the brighter side of things, Hinch has been really pleased with Detroit's pitching staff. Tigers pitchers have the lowest batting average against (.215) and the second most strikeouts in the majors this spring; they've also issued the second most walks.
"Our pitching has been electric," said Hinch. "That’s a good sign. We haven’t been perfect, but we don’t expect them to be this early. But there’s a good vibe around our team and a lot of attention being paid to the growth of these guys. I’m going to be proud of the team we’re going to bring north."
No one's garnered more attention for a single inning of work than Jackson Jobe, the Tigers' top pitching prospect who was dominant in his spring training debut. Hinch reiterated Thursday that Jobe won't be making the team out of camp, but he knows that outings like Tuesday -- when Jobe worked a 1-2-3 9th inning with two strikeouts -- will make it harder and harder to preach patience to the fans.
When Jobe came out of the gate throwing triple-digit smoke, Hinch said that he and pitching coach Chris Fetter "we’re looking at (each other) like, we probably shouldn’t have shown everybody this, because it only begs the question of what's next for this kid."
"The promise is there," said Hinch. "He has incredible stuff, an incredible demeanor, he’s very advanced in how he thinks about pitching. And then the explosiveness was like the 'wow' moment. So I get it. We wanted to reward him for all the work he’s done. We told him at the frontend, this is not the camp for you yet, but you’re going to learn a lot.
"We’ll see if we see him again. I know he’s a phone call away. He needs to develop. He hasn’t pitched a ton in the minors in the last couple years, but I was as excited as everybody was when we saw him: his breathing was under control, his actions were good, the stuff coming out of his hand was electric. Theres some fine-tuning around the edges, but the stuff is good enough. He knows that and so do we."
Jobe, 21, is likely to start the season in Double-A Erie, where he finished out last season. If he continues to dominate, there's a chance the former third overall pick could be in Detroit by this summer.
"We want him to be really good when he gets there and there’s a lot of aspects to pitching that he’s going to work on," said Hinch. "He was just in the office 24 hours ago talking about the shape of his slider and how he needs to make it look like his fastball longer. I know the countdown is there, but I also know he’s got some things to polish up a little bit before he impacts our roster."
Hinch also offered a positive progress report on Colt Keith, the 22-year-old who's expected to win the Opening Day job at second base after raking in Double-A and Triple-A last season. He's yet to play a game in the bigs, but signed an extension with the Tigers this winter that's worth up to $82 million over nine years.
Asked what the Tigers need to see from Keith to know that he's ready to be an Opening Day starter, Hinch said, "He has done everything so far that we’ve asked and more."
"He’s a balanced person and a balanced player. He takes good swings, makes good decisions, he can really hit. And then all eyes go to his defense and I get asked a lot, 'Is this guy going to have a lot of range? Is he gong to make the great play?' And what we’ve told him is, 'Just make the routine play, 100 percent of the time. If you can make the normal play, turn the normal double plays, field your position at a normal level, then we’ll expand the bigger plays," said Hinch.
He added that when "everybody all of the sudden questions the defense, (Keith) takes it personal."
"He wants to be on the field, he wants to be our second basemen. And the more he makes the routine play, the more trust he’s going to develop in himself and I’m going to develop in him," said Hinch. "And he can do it, he’s looked great. I just think it’s important for perspective for him to make the plays he’s supposed to make. It’s a little bit, don’t screw up the routine plays -- and he hasn’t and he won’t. He’s a pretty good defender on the balls that are within his capabilities, and I’ve seen nothing to indicate that he can’t handle the position."