Keeping in mind that we shouldn’t overreact to anything that occurs on Opening Day, Tigers fans rode quite the emotional roller coaster on Monday in regards to new shortstop Alex Gonzalez.
Trading for the 37-year-old infielder was a head-scratching move for Detroit general manager Dave Dombrowski. Yes, the team needed a shortstop following the likely season-ending stress fractures in both of Jose Iglesias’ shins. But the Tigers supposedly coveted a good glove at the position and Gonzalez hasn’t played good defense there in about four years, according to FanGraph’s Ultimate Zone Rating. A solid bat would compensate for defensive shortcomings. Yet Gonzalez hit .177 in 118 plate appearances last season.
The defensive concerns seemed more than justified early on in Monday’s game between the Tigers and Royals.
On a fourth-inning double by Kansas City’s Salvador Perez, Gonzalez didn’t make a relay throw to home plate that might have gotten Alex Gordon out. (Would he have thrown Gordon out? Judge for yourself, but I don’t think so.) Four batters later, Gonzalez booted a ground ball from Norichika Aoki that would’ve gotten the Tigers out of the inning. Instead, the bases were loaded and a run scored when Justin Verlander walked Omar Infante, giving the Royals a 3-1 lead.
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
However, in trading for Gonzalez, the hope seemed to be that he would provide more offense at shortstop. Later in the ballgame, Gonzalez proved that the Tigers may have been on to something. In the seventh, he smacked a triple off Aaron Crow to left-center field that tied the score at 3-3. Then in the bottom of the ninth, Gonzalez hit a single off Royals closer Greg Holland that drove in the game-winning run.
Both RBI hits came on sliders that hung in the middle of the plate. Kansas City might want to change their scouting report on Gonzalez. Or Royals relievers have to make better pitches, instead of hanging them in the strike zone.
What a difference five innings makes. After his error, Tigers fans and media covering the team were ready to run Gonzalez out of town. How long until Dombrowski caves and signs Stephen Drew? Can Detroit afford to wait until after the draft when he won’t cost a first-round pick? But without Gonzalez, the Tigers don’t win their 2014 season opener. How’s that for some in-game redemption?
In one game, Detroit saw the best and worst of what Gonzalez has to offer. Deep down, the Tigers probably won’t be able to live with the errors and defensive miscues. That is, unless Gonzalez continues to get big hits with runners on base. Trading for the aging shortstop looked like a desperate move by Dombrowski. But for one day, it appeared to be a smart one.
