Pena, Inge will hold down corners in '05
Following is the second in a series of weekly stories on MLB.com examining each
Major League club, position-by-position. Each Wednesday until Spring Training
camps open, we'll preview a different position. Today: Corner infielders.
DETROIT -- For all the hullabaloo about the Tigers' free agent hunt this winter
, Detroit's fortunes rest on the progress of its young talent. And few position
s rely more heavily on that young talent -- and show how slowly, yet suddenly t
hat talent can emerge -- than the corner infield spots.
To appreciate where Carlos Pena and Brandon Inge stand now, consider where they
stood last spring: Heralded prospects turned somewhat maligned turned Major Le
aguers whose potential time clock was ticking and whose places in the Tigers' p
lans were growing shakier with each move. Inge lost his starting catching job t
o Ivan Rodriguez little more than two weeks before pitchers and catchers report
ed to Spring Training, whereupon manager Alan Trammell unleashed the idea of In
ge the utilityman.
Pena still had his starting spot, but it was far from secure after a series of
growing pains and learning steps in 2003. Just because the Tigers hadn't added
a first baseman off the market didn't mean they didn't have alternatives, as wo
uld happen last summer when Dmitri Young started sharing time at the spot. Even
Pena's defensive reputation couldn't escape question after occasional mental m
istakes became part of the lowlight reel of 2003.
The 2004 season ended up bringing redemption for Inge and Pena alike, though on
e was more expected than the other. Pena showed not only a tough skin to take t
he criticism, but also a streaky power bat. He interrupted a lengthy early-seas
on slump with a six-hit game at Kansas City on May 27, only to fall into anothe
r skid afterward. He found more consistency in the season's second half, when h
is 16 home runs after the All-Star break led the team and ranked 12th in the Am
erican League.
Inge, meanwhile, found a new career playing the field -- for a while, all over
the field. While he shuffled between third base and the outfield for the first
half of last season, he found the time away from being behind the plate re-ener
gized him when he came to bat. He hit and fielded so well, in fact, he eventual
ly found a home at third base, where he displaced the struggling Eric Munson.
That's how far they've come. The big question for the Tigers this coming year -
- and, realistically, the most pressing question if Detroit's lineup is going t
o improve -- is how much more potential they have left.
That's a tricky subject for Trammell, especially when it comes to Pena. Because
the label of potential often turns into pressure, the force that many blame fo
r holding down Pena his first two years in Detroit. Yet it's also a real statis
tical debate. The Tigers don't have the power and production yet that other tea
ms have on their corners, but they're hoping development can narrow that gap.
"Carlos is one of our players that we're expecting to do certain things," Tramm
ell said, "but I hate to put up a number. He's still a guy that's developing, b
ut what we saw the last couple months is the player I think Carlos was hoping f
or and what we're hoping for."
Take his second-half numbers and project them over a full season, and a 30-home
r season is within Pena's reach, possibly 35. Considering he did most of his po
wer hitting while the heart of the Tigers lineup was limping -- Carlos Guillen
missed most of September, Rodriguez was worn down and Alex Sanchez was long sin
ce out for the season -- Pena's run production could take a boost, too.
That would be a first for Pena, who has never enjoyed an abundance of RBI situa
tions as a Tiger. Seventeen of his 27 homers last season came with the bases em
pty, as have 38 of his 64 home runs over the last three years. He's had 306 at-
bats with runners in scoring position over that time span, during which he's a
.229 career hitter. Just 98 at-bats over that time period have come with a runn
er on third base.
Trammell went into the offseason calling Inge his "wild card" he could slot int
o nearly any position depending on whether the Tigers added anyone in free agen
cy. So far they haven't, meaning Inge goes into Spring Training back at third.
There's no doubt he can handle it defensively; his quick reactions to dive at g
rounders down the line and strong arm to fire across the infield make him a pot
ential Gold Glove winner if he sticks to it. But he, too, will be looking at of
fense as a key.
While Inge has surprising punch for his size as a hitter, a traditional mashing
third baseman he is not. His value as a hitter comes in RBI chances. He hit .2
84 with runners in scoring position last year, including 5-for-11 with the base
s loaded and 10-for-16 with a man on third and fewer than two outs. His simple
approach of aiming line drives to the middle may yet prove ideal for Comerica P
ark, though he was a .303 hitter on the road in 2004.
The Tigers have plenty at stake in their corner infielders' development. Just a
s their playing careers have started to parallel, they also became eligible for
arbitration for the first time in the same offseason. Pena will make just over
$2.5 million in 2005, while Inge will make $1.35 million, giving the Tigers ne
arly $4 million combined on the corners. Another developmental step, and they c
ould be a relative bargain, not to mention candidates for longer contracts.
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