Lakeland, Fla. — The Cuban flag is tattooed on his left arm. He was born in Havana and defected to the United States in 2014. That tells you all you need to know about how much playing for Team Cuba means to Tigers’ non-roster invitee Andy Ibanez.
But here’s the rub: Ibanez is in a dogfight to win a roster spot. He’s among a thick group of players vying for at least a share of the third base job. And playing for his country is going to take him out of the competition for a while.
“It was a very tough situation,” Ibanez said through Tigers’ interpreter Carlos Guillen. “But in the end, I already gave my word to the Cuban team and I am going to keep my word.”
Ibanez, who turns 30 in April, got the start at third in the spring opener Saturday, hitting in the second spot in manager AJ Hinch’s lineup. He singled in two at-bats in the Tigers’ 4-2 win over a Phillies split-squad team at Joker Marchant Stadium.
“We fully support it,” Hinch said of players committing to play in the WBC. “Especially from for somebody like Ibanez whose life story is a lot different than a lot of guys. For him to be able to represent his country, for him to represent his ancestry, it’s such an important aspect for these players’ non-baseball life.
“I realize there are at-bats that are lost and looks that are lost. But if he’s the best option, we will still give him every opportunity to make our roster.”
Hinch said the plan is to get Ibanez into four of the first six games before he has to leave camp. And, depending how deep Cuba goes in the tournament, he will play in games before the end of camp.
“It illustrates the point that we are going to take these evaluations much deeper than any spring training performance,” Hinch said. “There is going to be somebody that plays really well and doesn’t make our team. And there’s going to be somebody who has a mediocre spring that a longer evaluation makes him a better fit for our team.
“We have to be careful not to be so much stuck on a the four- to five-week small sample.”
Interesting that Hinch would say that. Ibanez’s whole world was turned upside down by a rough four- to five-week stretch last season.
He was the Texas Rangers’ opening day third baseman last season, but struggled out of the gate and was sent down on June 7. He spent the rest of the season in Triple A. The Tigers claimed him off waivers in November, designated him for assignment soon after and then signed to a minor-league deal after he cleared waivers.
Harsh business.
“It was pretty tough,” Ibanez said. “Everything was kind of spiraling downward. Fortunately, I could rely on God. I rely a lot on God. And beyond that, I have people who care about me. I have family and my coaches and trainers. It’s pretty to nice to know that when you are struggling at certain points of your career you have people cheering for you and supporting you and taking care of you.
“I feel blessed to have that.”
Always a solid defender, playing third, second, first and corner outfield, his bat started to perk up in his last two stints in Triple-A — slashing .300/.375/.497 in 2019 and then .342/.411/.640 after the pandemic year in 2021, earning his first big-league call-up.
He provided an immediate spark for the Rangers, hitting seven homers and posting a 106 OPS-plus in 76 games, earning him the third base job for 2022. And then, poof, it was gone.
“Last year’s situation, it helped to motivate me,” Ibanez said. “It’s helped to change my mentality, just to take it day by day and keep a positive mindset.”
Among the players in competition with Ibanez for the same third base/utility roster spot are Tyler Nevin, who started at first base Saturday, Nick Maton, Matt Vierling, Ryan Kreidler and Zack Short, along with non-roster invitees Cesar Hernandez and Jermaine Palacios.
“I am going to be here for four of five games,” Ibanez said. “Then I am going to play for Cuba. When I come back I’m going to keep fighting for an opportunity.”
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky