Detroit Tigers Face Troubling Development with Key Hitting Prospect
The Detroit Tigers may be in some trouble with less than two weeks to go until the season.
After the team missed out on signing former Houston Astros star Alex Bregman — who signed a huge deal with the Boston Red Sox — they were not left with a ton of options at third base. Presumably, the plan was for some sort of combination of utility man Matt Vierling and rising rookie Jace Jung to man the hot corner.
With Vierling injured and already ruled out for Opening Day — not to mention potentially more needed in the outfield when he returns — the Tigers are in a spot where Jung may be the only viable option left at the start of the year.
Entering the spring, that didn't seem like such a bad reality, but as exhibition games roll on, Jung is struggling tremendously at the plate. Slashing .121/.216/.273 for a dreadful OPS below .500 and just four hits in 33 at bats, things have not been pretty for the 24-year-old.
Jung played in 34 games for Detroit down the stretch of the 2024 season and also struggled at the plate, though those issues were chalked up largely to the fact he was dealing with a wrist injury at the time which hampered his ability.
Now supposedly healthy, Jung's issues at the plate right now are enough to cause concern among fans.
It should be noted the youngster is a natural second baseman, meaning if he was given the nod at third — more so due to need than fit — there were going to be some growing pains on defense.
The hope however along with those growing pains is Jung possesses a bat which can more than make up for some defensive issues, but currently that does not appear to be the case.
Manager A.J. Hinch this past week even gave a try to disappointing shortstop Javier Baez at third, which given a look at Jung's numbers shows the team may be concerned as well and wanting to exhaust all options.
Asking Jung to step into a role he may not be ready for is not just unfair to him, it has the potential to be a severe detriment to his development.
It varies on a player to player basis, but shaken confidence can be the absolute worst thing for a prospect to deal with when he's already facing the adversity of making the biggest jump up in competition of his career.
With the season rapidly approaching, it's more than fair at this point to be worried about whether or not the Tigers actually have a solution at third base, or if they are just hoping Jung is going to figure it out sooner rather than later.
