Lakeland, Fla. — You have to stay sharp this spring if you want to lock in on new Tiger Matt Vierling. He might start out doing drill work with the infielders — taking reps at third base, second base and first base. But if you look away for a minute or two at the wrong time, he’ll disappear on you.
When you finally track him down, he’ll be on another field shagging balls with the outfielders.
“I just try to get my work in every day,” said Vierling, who along with Nick Maton and Donny Sands came from the Phillies in a trade for reliever Gregory Soto. “I’m just trying to stay prepared at everything and I try to keep my mindset simple. Just be an athlete and catch the ball.
“I really like my athleticism and I think it’s helped me a lot in this game and helps me to play all these positions. But it’s just keeping it simple — catch it and throw it, that’s all I’m really trying to do.”
Manager AJ Hinch has said that 19 of the 31 position players in camp will play multiple positions. It’s a way of life for the Tigers. As full squad workouts commence Monday, you can count the single-position players on one hand — Javier Báez at short, Spencer Torkelson at first and Riley Greene in center.
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Even veterans and projected starters like Jonathan Schoop (second and third) and Austin Meadows (right field and left field) could move around. Eric Haase, who projects to be the regular catcher, will get some reps in left field.
“These guys can do a lot more than we ever ask of them,” Hinch said. “It just looks uncomfortable if someone hasn’t done it before. But if you just let them be baseball players, they might be pretty good.”
Maton is going to get reps in the dirt and in the grass this spring. Andy Ibanez, Cesar Hernandez and Jermaine Palacios — all non-roster invitees fighting to win at least a share of the third base job — will be asked to play multiple positions, even outfield.
Tyler Nevin, also in the mix at third base, also will play first and left field.
“It’s more mental than physical, but we have to make sure we prepare them,” Hinch said. “I don’t want to embarrass anybody. I don’t want any one to be uncomfortable. But as an organization, we don’t want to miss an opportunity for somebody to contribute simply because they don’t fit perfectly. We are trying to build as many options as possible.”
It begs the question, though: Which is most beneficial for the player, having to learn multiple positions or specializing in and mastering one?
“I don’t believe we can guarantee that (specializing in one position) will create the best version either,” Hinch said. “I think it’s a great assumption that it brings out the better version of a player but I’m not sure I agree with the premise.”
Vierling, 26, is a good case study. He was drafted by the Phillies out of Notre Dame as an outfielder, though he did play some first and third in his final collegiate season. He played exclusively in the outfield coming up through the Phillies system, until Triple A when he was used at first and third.
Last season, his first extended season in the big leagues, he played six positions.
Maybe it seems counterintuitive from the outside, but Vierling believes playing multiple positions gives him the best chance to be the best version of himself as a player.
“I’ve noticed that getting more infield work and doing stuff on the infield allows me to be better in the outfield,” Vierling said. “You can take qualities from each and apply them to both. The more I do infield stuff, the better I am in the outfield — like seeing the ball, anticipating, my glove work.
“I really enjoy it.”
Would Vierling grow into an All-Star-caliber left fielder if he played there every day? Maybe. Would that make the Tigers a better team in 2023, more so than moving him around and allowing Hinch to use other players to exploit matchup advantages around the diamond?
Probably not.
“I really do think there is benefit to playing everywhere,” Vierling said. “You hear, ‘Oh, just focus on one position and you can get better at it.’ Or, ‘You do everything, so you stay just about average at all of them.’ No. I feel I get better doing everything the more I work on it.”
Not every player has the same elite athleticism that Vierling has. Not everyone can adapt to different positions as easily. But the Tigers, who don’t have nine everyday players to lock in at nine positions, need to explore every option and try to create and exploit every favorable matchup.
“I can think of some young hitters who might not make our team out of camp but will certainly want to be considered if something happened during the season,” Hinch said. “If we don’t practice it and commit to it, then it’s unfair.”
Out of nowhere?
You aren’t going to find right-handed reliever Brendan White among the Tigers’ top prospects. But you very well might find him making his big-league debut at some point this season.
White, 24, a 26th-round draft pick in 2019, was somewhat unexpectedly added to the 40-man roster after the season to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
“We’re pretty stingy how we hand out our 40-man spots,” Hinch said. “But he probably would’ve been gone the fastest had we not protected him. He’s more likely an option for us in the season than now, but he’s earned his right to be on the 40-man and get a look.”
He put himself on the radar with a workhorse season at Double-A Erie last year. He posted a 2.67 ERA covering 67.1 innings in 48 games with 73 strikeouts and only 17 walks.
“His pitch shapes, the aggressiveness, he fits the profile of a multiple-pitch guy who can miss bats and pitch often,” Hinch said. “He has some intensity to him and he performs.”
White brought a new tool with him this spring. He’s adding a cutter to his mix.
“I tend to cut my fastball anyway, so it was easier for me to develop,” White said. “It’s just different dynamic that I can use against righties and lefties. It allows me to go to my other weapons later and gives me the opportunity to hide my best pitches.”
White’s calling card is his high-spin slider (3,000 rpm), which he throws off a 91-92 mph four-seam that has played well for him up in the zone.
“I’ve always had this idea that knowing how to manipulate a baseball is really important, depending on what you see and what you need against a hitter,” he said. “Make it run, make it cut, make it ride and sink — understanding how to make a ball move is important.”
Around the horn
As of Sunday morning, the only player not in camp ahead of the first official, full-squad workout Monday was third-base prospect Colt Keith. He is expected to be on the field Monday.
… Outfielder DJ Peters, toting his Texas Rangers equipment bag, reported to Tigers minor-league camp Sunday. Peters, 27, has played for the Dodgers and Rangers and spent last year playing in Korea. “Ryan Garko (director of player development) brought him over for depth,” Hinch said. “He’s got to make a minor-league team and see if he can fit into a broader plan here. We might see him in some games as a backup this spring. We’re intrigued by his power but, not to sound like a broken record, but it’s about the strike zone. If he can get contact rates up and control the strike zone better, the power will play.”
… A group of little league players from Puerto Rico were on the backfields watching the Tigers’ workout Sunday. Their day was made when Báez stopped by to sign autographs and pose for a picture.
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky