Tigers Production at Third Base Continues to Drag at Franchise's Success

Despite the Detroit Tigers being one of the best teams in baseball so far, the team still has room to improve.

Coming into the year, the Tigers were expected to be a better team than last campaign with some notable offseason additions. However, they have emerged as one of the top contenders in the American League two months into the season.

Detroit has performed extremely well in all three areas with the starting rotation, bullpen, and batting order all doing their job.

Of those three areas, it is the lineup that many likely might not be completely sold on just yet. While there have been some injuries to key players, the batting order has still be one of the best in the league.

That is in large part due to the resurgent years for Javier Baez and Spencer Torkelson, who just months ago didn’t figure to be part of the franchise’s plan at all. However, they have been two of the best hitters on the team and sparked this improvement for the unit.

Even though they have been much better than expected, they do have a glaring issue in their infield.

Is Third Base Fixable?

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about one issue for the Tigers this season being at third base, which was a cause for concern heading into the year.

“Whether it has been Andy Ibáñez, Jace Jung, Zack McKinstry, or even Báez at the hot corner, Detroit just cannot seem to get anything out of that spot in the lineup," he wrote.

Over the winter, Detroit was seemingly set on trying to improve the position with it appearing like Alex Bregman was the top target in free agency. Despite a strong offer, he ultimately signed with the Boston Red Sox, leaving the Tigers without a backup plan.

So far, Detroit has tried to use a couple of different players at the position, but nothing has stuck. To that point, those that play third base have a slash of .202/.284/.288 with three home runs and 24 RBI, overall nunmber that are by far the worst on the team.

While Matt Vierling might have been a potential option, he recently got hurt again and was placed back on the injured list.

Considering the Tigers are looking like an early contender, they must be aggressive trying to improve the team. Currently, with the hot corner being the most pressing need for the team, they will likely have to try and add someone before the trade deadline.

Unfortunately, the options don’t appear to be fantastic to improve the position. That can certainly change within the next couple of months as buyers and sellers establish themselves, but improvement might ultimately have to come from within.