The Tigers announced after tonight’s game that they’ve optioned third baseman Jeimer Candelario to Triple-A Toledo. A corresponding roster move will be announced tomorrow, per the team.
It’s a disappointing turn of events for the 25-year-old Candelario, whom the Tigers hoped could solidify himself as their third baseman of the future. Acquired in the 2017 trade that sent Justin Wilson to the Cubs, Candelario burst onto the scene in Detroit late that summer, hitting .330/.406/.468 down in 106 plate appearances down the stretch. While the 2018 season was an uneven one for the switch-hitter, he still managed to swat 19 homers, 28 doubles and three triples.
The 2019 season simply hasn’t been a good one for Candelario, who went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in tonight’s game. He’s hitting .192/.285/.288 with a still-strong 10.9 percent walk rate but an elevated 27.9 percent strikeout rate. More troubling is that Candelario’s power has simply evaporated. He’s hitting more line-drives and fly-balls than he did in 2018 but hasn’t seen the corresponding uptick in exit velocity or hard-hit rate that one would prefer to accompany such trends.
With Candelario down in Toledo for a reset, the door will open for hot-hitting Ronny Rodriguez to see more reps at third base. The 27-year-old utilityman has turned in a blistering .296/.341/.667 batting line with six homers, eight doubles and a pair of triples through just 88 plate appearances since joining the Tigers this year. He’s seen action all around the infield, but the demotion of Candelario opens a clear path to regular at-bats and a regular position for Detroit should they prefer to provide him with a more stable role. Of course, Rodriguez has thrived in a jack-of-all-trades capacity, so it’s possible that while he’ll see an uptick in time at the hot corner he’ll still also be used to spell others around the infield.
I didn’t see that coming. However, I think it’s the right thing to do. Candy has been struggling at the plate since last May and hopefully he can get his stroke back. Ronny Rod needs to play everyday and if that’s what it takes to keep him in the lineup, while he’s banging the ball, so be it. My guess is they bring back Dustin Peterson.
I really didn’t see that one coming either, though he needs to work it out. We should begin to call these guys the Re-Tigs instead of Tigers. Feels like we are operating a half way house for re-treads. The farm system, while getting better, is still a far cry from good. Let’s hope Ronny can still produce once the pitchers have plenty of tape on him. The Re-Tigs need 3-4 sleepers to miraculously appear on the farms.
Good sweet 8-pound, 12 ounce Baby Jesus, when will the Tigers figure out it’s Lloyd McClendon?!
Instant Classic!!!
Absolutely. Lloyd is like a Alabama tick dug into the folds of a 400 pound sweaty dude….not sure how he got there, feasting parasitically for far too long and no one is sure why he hasn’t been removed yet…
No kidding. He was never a great hitting coach but somehow still has a job.
McClendon is closer to 308 lbs.
You’re crediting Lloyd wit Rodriguez’ success? Lloyd finally gets his due!
Lugo or W Castro?
Dear god, not Castro.
Not Harold, who’s already been up, but Willie, who is likely the future SS. Could be a good thing.
Is Mercer off the IL yet? They might just activate him to take roster spot?
My guess is Lugo, but I think it’s one or the other. Good call!!
DFA JaCoby Jones, Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer now too, please.
Why? The tigers aren’t really trying to be competitive this year, they’re just trying to develop people
Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer are not being developed. Time to go.
The tigers are developing players in the minors and are using short contract retreads to buy time till they are ready to be in majors. Throwing most 19 and 20 year olds in to majors would ruin any confidence they have and delay or ruin any future chances they have.
I fear that some of the young guys aren’t benefitting from Mercer/Harrison/Jones.
Instead of providing a sense of optimism for the younger players, they are part of a poor environment for development. Jones, in particular needs to go.
Can anyone really argue that spending money on Mercer and Harrison was smarter than letting a kid come up and risk exposing him to the real world too early? Maybe management thinks these kids are going to be superstars, so they want to keep service time to a minimum. So far, I’m not sure any of them are that outstanding.
Sadly, they really don’t have many players ready for the jump. The Mercer/Harrison strategy is one that works on the premise that we will be all set at SS/2B in a year. Its not as if we have Whittaker/Trammel waiting in the wings…far from it. I would have preferred finding serviceable players younger than those two. I don’t think giving Paredes or anyone else the message that the job is waiting for them is a good idea.
Should have resigned Iglesias. He was much better than Mercer. And cheaper. Did anyone really think Harrison was a good signing? Kozma would have been better than him. They should have tried to get Happ from the Cubs. We don’t have a prospect for 2B coming up. Besides Clemens who has done nothing so far. We could still get Happ… For short, I would try and swing a deal for Cozart. I doubt he’d cost much now. Potential to build value.
I agree on José. I thought he was a bit thick on the head, but I would have resigned him too. Al Al is not the answer…not sure who would be a good GM, but Al isn’t the guy.
Jake Cronenworth…check this kid out. I would think the Tigs could probably acquire him. He’s a little older that some “prospects”, but look at his on base percentage and his very low K rate. He’s from St Clair and U of M; would love to see more guys in the line up that can make contact. Tired of watching guys like Jacoby that too often finds air.
Cronenworth would be a great option. He’s burried deep in the Rays system. There are at least 8 shortstops ahead of him as prospects. If anything, he could be a solid bench piece. We don’t have those either.
maybe they can grab Kean Wong too. another guy buried in the Rays system.
I live in Ann Arbor. Loved watching him at U of M.