Jose Iglesias Meet Omar Vizquel
In July of 2013, the Tigers made a bold move to acquire Jose Iglesias in a 3 team swap with Boston and the Chicago White Sox. Peralta was in his final contract year, and linked to the Biogenesis debacle, forcing them to cover their ‘assets’ at shortstop. They did more than acquire a backup, they potentially received the brightest future star at the shortstop position…defensively anyway. “Iggy” has only spent one full season in the ‘bigs’, so Detroit made an astute move when they hired Omar Vizquel as their new first base coach. He will be tasked with working to improve the infield defense, which is comprised of a potentially exciting mix of current All-Stars and future stars.
What did it cost?
We won’t know for a couple of years, but the Tigers gave up a couple of prospects in the deal, most notably Avisail Garcia. This one might end up stinging a bit, as he is killing AAA pitching, and the present lineup appears to be missing one more solid bat. Regardless of the price, the Tigers may very well end up with a marquee player at short.
Why Iglesias?
What makes Jose Iglesias potentially great? This guy has already made ridiculous defensive plays. In his rookie season in the majors, Iglesias has made plays that are not only uncharacteristic of a first year player, but also mind-blowing for anybody. Take a moment to watch some of the highlights on YouTube. The one below is something that I could watch over and over, and every time I watch it, a part of me thinks he isn’t going to make the play.
There is a Downside
Iglesias hasn’t been very solid at the plate in his time in the Minors. He did have a remarkable 3 month period in Boston, but while those numbers show us a reason to hope for a bright future at the plate, he’s going to have to put in some serious work with hitting coach Wally Joyner. In 46 games with Detroit, Iglesias drew just 4 walks in 148 plate appearances, hitting at a .259/.306/.348 rate. Even in the minors (.244/.296/.292 AAA), Iglesias didn’t show a lot of patience at the plate. His walk rate was below 5%, something he can improve, but he isn’t projected to be an offensive star to say the least. There are a lot of questions that we can’t answer yet, because all players develop differently. Iglesias’ stats show that he also doesn’t strike out very often. He holds some interesting statistics once you start to dig a little bit, which denote where he needs to put some work in. He swings at more pitches out of the strike zone than most players, while swinging at less pitches in the strike zone than average. On the other hand, he makes contact with a higher percentage of those swings. This demonstrates that he needs to focus on his approach, and wait for a pitch he can handle, recognizing where his strike-zone is. Despite his offensive deficiencies, Iglesias will be on many Sportscenter highlight reels for years to come, and a high potential for some Gold Gloves.
Parting Thoughts
I doubt that the hiring of Omar Vizquel was a coincidence. Iglesias, right or wrong, has been compared to him. Vizquel has turned in a storied 24 year career, while Iglesias is only starting his second full season. It may be too early to speak of Iggy and “Little O” in the same breathe, but you have to know that having Viquel on the coaching staff can only expedite Iglesias’ progression. A quality of Jose Iglesias that doesn’t display itself in the numbers, is his humility. He doesn’t high five and jump around when he turns in a magical play, he readies himself for the next play. He’s also hungry to learn and continually improve, evident when he had this to say about having Omar Vizquel on the staff, “I mean Omar is, man, I try every time I’m right next to him, I’m always asking question(s)”. Hiring Vizquel was a brilliant move. He has a lot to teach the young infielders, and the veterans have respect for him. Kinsler is a former teammate and Cabrera and Vizquel share their home country of Venezuela. In fact, Miggy grew up wanting to be a shortstop, just like Vizquel, telling mlb.com, “He was a hero for us, still a hero for us.”
Questions for you
What year will Iglesias win his first Gold Glove?
Are you concerned about Iglesias’ “projected” offensive weakness?
What does having Omar Vizquel on staff do for Iglesias?
Share your thoughts!
