Should Detroit Tigers call up MLB’s No. 2 prospect Kevin McGonigle?
On “Days of Roar,” Evan Petzold invites Chris Brown of “Tigers Minor League Report” to debate when the Tigers should call up their No. 1 prospect.
Since July 28, no player on the Detroit Tigers (minimum 30 plate appearances) has a higher batting average than third baseman Andy Ibáñez (.368).
The 28th was Ibáñez’s first game back since a midseason stint at Triple-A Toledo, one that started after the veteran infielder was optioned on June 6 following a disappointing start to the year.
How difficult was his start? In 106 plate appearances through his first 46 games of the season, Ibáñez slashed .213/.292/.319 with two home runs and 15 RBIs. Among Tigers batters with at least 100 plate appearances during that span, Ibáñez’s .612 OPS was second-worst on the team, above only shortstop Trey Sweeney (who has also experienced a midseason trip to the minors before coming back up to the big leagues).
When Ibáñez went back to Triple-A, his focus was simple: remembering what he was doing when things were going well. Specifically, the hitting coaches in Toledo helped Ibáñez revert back to a hitting stance he found success with in 2023.
“I was happy with the work that I did in Triple-A with the coaches that have helped me a lot, and we’ve turned it around and are pretty happy with the results that we’re seeing right now,” he said.
The 2023 season is a pretty good one to emulate for Ibáñez. It was his first year with the Tigers and the Cuban righty slashed .264/.312/.433 with 11 home runs and 44 RBIs in 383 plate appearances over 114 games. It was his best season by both bWAR (1.9) and fWAR (1.6), one that has earned him a more prominent role with the team over the last three seasons.
But his role has evolved since his early-season struggles, as Ibáñez has started in only six of his 18 games since returning to the majors. Instead, he’s been used mostly as a late-inning pinch-hitter against left-handed pitching, a role at which he has excelled.
Since his first game back with the team on July 28, Ibáñez has slashed .368/.368/.974 with two home runs, three doubles and six RBIs over 38 plate appearances. His OPS since his return is second on the team among regulars only to Kerry Carpenter (.990), who has arguably been the Tigers’ best hitter since his own return from a hamstring injury on July 27.
Ibáñez says the pinch-hitting role has its challenges despite his improved performance.
“It’s not easy to come into situations without having played,” he said. “I need to spend the previous innings working to stay warm. But it’s working out, you know, and we’re going to keep on working on what we need to do to win.”
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch has been impressed with how Ibáñez has developed into his new job.
“He’s probably the best on our team at handling his role,” Hinch said. “Andy is committed from the minute he gets here to when I put him in the game at being ready, then he goes out and does it.”
Hinch says that over-preparation has sometimes been Ibáñez’s crutch, pointing out that Ibáñez can get “a little bit too over-anxious” when playing. But that hasn’t seemed to be the case this time around, with the righty looking closer to his ideal self at the plate.
“What I like about Andy is that the at-bat quality has been really good,” said Hinch. “The hits have been there. The power has been there … his production has been through the roof.”
It’s the production the Tigers have needed off the bench, with Ibáñez providing an eighth-inning, pinch-hit solo home run in the Tigers’ 4-2 win over the Royals on Saturday, Aug. 24. It’s also production the Tigers could use against lefties in the postseason, where Ibáñez is fighting to play a bigger role on the team.
For his potential postseason prep, he’s keeping it simple.
“We’re going to work on creating more consistency with my work, creating a routine based on what we’re doing right now,” he said.
Celebrate 125 years of Detroit Tigers history with our new book!
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.