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We move on to the keystone corner and the source of much fretting and teeth gnashing in the Tigers' lineup. I say relax, Tiger fans.
Scott Sizemore, Erie/Toledo
25, 6’0”, 185, Bats: R
PA: 269/330
AVG: .307/.308
OBP: .402/.378
SLG: .535/.473
XBH%: 42.9/34.4
K%: 17.1/14.8
BB%: 13.0/8.8
wOBA: .422/.390
When you consider his age, it’s also easy to see why the Tigers figured this was the year he should be given his shot. Some people are upset about giving up Polanco, but what would we have learned about Sizemore if he spent 2010 in the minors? He would have likely come close to duplicating the numbers above and he still would have entered 2011 as an “untested” rookie.
No, I think the time has clearly come to give Sizemore his shot in the bigs. He hits the ball hard, has extra base power, makes good contact and shows good recognition of the strike zone. There are some concerns about his defense, but aside from reports of occasional sloppiness, I have no reason to believe he’s going to be anything worse than average in the field. From having watched him myself and hearing from others what kind of ballplayer he is, I think Detroit fans will appreciate what he brings to Detroit very much.
Brandon Douglas, West Michigan
24, 6’0”, 185, Bats: R
PA: 329
AVG: .322
OBP: .384
SLG: .374
XBH%: 13.2
K%: 8.8
BB%: 7.8
wOBA: .361
Douglas is only about eight months younger than Sizemore and considering he played in West Michigan last year, that makes him a little bit of a surprising entry on this list. Surprising, maybe, but the guy can hit, run and considering he’s a converted shortstop, I imagine he can pick it at second. Proof of the first two? He was in the running for the Midwest League batting title before he lost over a third of the season to a groin injury. Hitting isn’t just batting average, though. He’s also shown very good strike zone knowledge since joining the pro ranks. As for his baserunning, the guy has stolen 26 bases in 29 attempts as a pro. That’s in about the equivalent of a full season.
Overall, in Douglas you have a guy who looks to have a mature approach at the plate. He’s a good baserunner with good speed, and scouting reports (and Sean Smith’s Total Zone) seem to like his defense at second. Throw in his age and the lack of a quality second base prospect standing in his way and I think Douglas is a prime candidate for a promotion to Erie in 2010. Call it a hunch, but I don’t see how it could hurt him or the SeaWolves too much and if he meets the challenge the Tigers have another legitimate middle infield prospect.
Alexander Nunez, GCL Tigers
19, 5’11”, 172, Bats: R
PA: 155
AVG: .308
OBP: .353
SLG: .531
XBH%: 38.6
K%: 20.0
BB%: 4.5
wOBA: .405
Five triples and seven attempted steals in about a quarter season’s worth of plate appearances tells me this kid is probably pretty quick. That’s intriguing when you consider he also cleared the outfield wall five times in that short time. There’s not a lot out there that’s been said about this Dominican second basemen, but if he’s able to turn in another season like what we just saw that should change quickly. Let's just hope whatever the Tigers plan on doing to improve plate discipline in their farmhands sinks into his skull.
Honorable mentions: Mike Hollimon isn’t really a prospect anymore and when he went down the Tigers were starting to play him at third base. This is kind of just a “hey, he’s still in the system” alert. Mentioning Chris Sedon is almost entirely a nod to the Tigers’ scouts, who saw skills that warranted a 10th round selection. I say that because his time in Oneonta last season was brutal, with very little to like in the way of his numbers. He did have a lousy BABIP, which is a little surprising given the number of ground balls he hit.
Position Summary: The Tigers certainly hope this position is squared away with Sizemore for at least the next four to six years. If he doesn’t work out this year, though, there isn’t much in the system to help out unless there’s a breakthrough and a position switch by one of the shortstops.
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