Defense has been a minor problem for the Detroit Tigers, who just finished the 2026 season with their infielders recording -19 Fielding Run Value, placing them fourth-worst in the major leagues, tied with the Los Angeles Angels. Wait, not everything is that chaotic. The infielders still stand out for their ability to successfully turn double plays, with the fifth-best mark in Inf. DP, but they have fallen to 29th place, also tied with the Angels in Range.
Between 2024 and 2026, shortstops have a -4 in FRV, among the worst in baseball at one of the key positions in the infield. When you hear these numbers, I suppose the names of the main players who have covered the position over these last three seasons quickly come to mind. If you thought of Javier Baez (169), Trey Sweeney (130), and Zach McKinstry (106), you are on the right track, as they are the three players with the most appearances at shortstop for Detroit.
Kevin McGonigle, whom Detroit worked to prepare as a third baseman and shortstop starting in spring training, also started 90 games during the 2026 season. His presence in the lineup was key, as McKinstry went on the injured list in April and returned in May, while Baez also dealt with issues that kept him out of the lineup.
What will the Tigers do to solve their defensive problems at shortstop?
I don’t think it is difficult to see where the problems have been when you consider that McKinstry has been one of the American League shortstop Gold Glove candidates this season.
His defensive value has been a major exception in this breakdown, as McKinstry has the only positive mark among the three, with 6 Fielding Run Value in the 756 innings he has played at the position between 2024 and 2026. His 2024 season was much better, when he recorded 4 FRV, but in 2026 he was also above average (2), although his playing time dropped considerably to just 191 innings.
That said, players who failed to provide defensive value were Sweeney and Baez, who combined for -8 FRV, -3 in Range, and -5 in Inf. DP, three key metrics that perfectly illustrate the problem with range and, most importantly, the ability to turn double plays.
The Tigers haven't had an elite strikeout pitching staff and ranked 18th in the major leagues with an 8.43 K/9 rate over the last two seasons. We have to keep in mind that they will not have Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize in the rotation for 2027. However, they have made up for that slight drop in strikeouts with the sixth-best ground-ball rate allowed over the same stretch of the last two seasons, with 44.3% in 2026, their second-best mark in a single season over the last decade, behind only the 44.5% from 2021.
Therefore, after analyzing all these aspects, it seems difficult to imagine a plan that can work in 2027 without McKinstry as the starting shortstop.
McGonigle took on the challenge in 676 innings playing shortstop during his debut season in 2026, with 0 FRV and -1 in Range, below league average, although he finished with a positive mark (1) in double plays. He is not an option to dismiss and, in fact, he did much better at third base. Following that line, Hao-Yu Lee and Colt Keith would be the candidates to start at third base. If offense is once again the priority, Lee would be the best option, but it turns out that his defense was among the worst in the entire league, with -5 FRV. In contrast, Keith, who fell from the 53rd to the 32nd percentile in Batting, would fit as the player capable of adding more defensive value.
Based on how Detroit has handled its pieces in recent seasons, there will be many aspects they will test in spring training to find the best balance between the offensive and defensive value they need in the lineup every day. Now, what I do not doubt is that McKinstry’s candidacy for the American League Gold Glove this year —he has averaged 2.8 fWAR and 117 wRC+ as a shortstop over the last two seasons— could weigh on any decision, because the Tigers cannot afford to keep falling back in their overall defensive value.
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