Atlanta – Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch doesn’t have to look at the metrics to know his team has yet to play consistently clean baseball.
Entering play Wednesday, they’ve committed 17 errors in 30 games, which is more than any manager would be comfortable with, especially a team built to win with pitching and defense. There have been errant throws on routine plays. Balls have been dropped. There have been coverage issues, both on bunts and on balls hit in in-between zones on the field.
There have also been mental lapses that have led to opponents getting extra bases.
“We need to get better and we are working to get better,” Hinch said. “I think there have been a number of plays we have learned from, plays we know we can make and we haven’t. But it’s really early in the season to draw any conclusions.”
That is true. Best to view the scruffy defense right now as a weed; pull it now before it grows into a big problem.
“We are challenging all of our guys to pay attention to things that impact the result of plays,” Hinch said. “Not just the end of the play. There’s a lot of process that goes into it — to be in the right position, to get off the ball quickly, things that we typically do really well in that regard.”
Defensive metrics aren’t completely reliable in a short sample, so after 30 games you take them more as a heads up than a red flag alert. But per FanGraphs, the Tigers rank last in the American League with a minus-16 outs above average. The outfield is a minus-6.
“I don’t look at it because of the numbers,” Hinch said. “I’m not trying to improve numbers. We’re trying to get more outs and that will change a little bit of the trajectory on how we’ve used our pitching based on all the outs being recorded that are supposed to be.”
According to data collected by Sports Info Solutions, the Tigers’ infield ranks ninth in baseball in collecting ground ball outs (74.2%), which is good. The outfield, though, a strength last season, ranks 24th in baseball in converting fly balls to outs (64.9%).
The absence of centerfielder Parker Meadows is certainly a factor in the outfield numbers. The Tigers' best defensive outfield — Riley Greene in left, Meadows in center and Matt Vierling in right — hasn’t been on the field together except in two games when Vierling entered late for defensive purposes.
All of these numbers could look very different by the All-Star break. But the work starts now.
“We’re not quite executing at our best,” Hinch said. “It’s definitely a focus of ours to chip away at some of the mistakes.”
First pitch: 12:15 p.m. Thursday, Truist Park, Atlanta
LHP Framber Valdez (2-1, 3.41), Tigers: He struggled with his command in Cincinnati in his last start, uncharacteristically walking five and lasting only 4.1 innings. The road has not been his happy place this season. In four road starts, he’s posted a 5.06 ERA, 1.594 WHIP with an opponent OPS of .771. He’s not had a lot of fun at Truist Park, either, allowing eight runs in 11 innings with three homers in two starts.
RHP Bryce Elder (3-1, 1.95), Braves: Steady as ever, he’s coming off two quality starts and, on the season, is holding hitters to a .194 average, minimal slug (.291) with a .557 OPS. Because of an elite slider, he has reverse splits, holding lefties to a .504 OPS (3 for 34 with 12 strikeouts). Righties have a .646 OPS against him overall.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Tigers' scruffy defense is a weed that needs to be pulled now