DETROIT — Byron Buxton got one more chance to face the Tigers on Monday, nearly five months after his last meeting with them at Comerica Park in the season-opening homestand. Buxton at least didn’t have to worry about hitting the ball to Ryan Kreidler again — at least not this season.
Buxton played two games in Toledo last week on a rehab assignment for Triple-A St. Paul. In the first game, he hit a Matthew Boyd offspeed pitch for a sharp line drive in the hole. What looked like a leadoff single in the fourth inning became an out with a quick read by Kreidler, who made a diving grab in the hole at shortstop.
“I’ve watched his swing a bunch on the offensive side,” Kreidler explained last week at Fifth Third Field. “I kind of took that with me on defense. I tried to do my homework on their lineup. Boyd does a great job of changing speeds, so when changeup was put down [on the signs], I knew he had a good chance of pulling that thing, so I felt like I was in the right spot.”
It’s an example of the adjustments Kreidler has made at Triple-A ball after being promoted from Double-A Erie to the Mud Hens two weeks ago.
“You definitely have to be dialed in at this level,” he said. “I think when people talk about the game moving faster, I don’t know if it’s necessarily the runners. I think it’s more mentally, how you can dial into each pitch and be prepared before something happens. And so, yeah, knowing what pitches are coming is a huge part. Obviously, I haven’t gotten the chance to play behind Matthew very much, but going forward I would love to play with him.”
Kreidler’s work playing against big league competition in Spring Training is part of the reason he’s in Toledo as he wraps up his first full professional season. His impression in Grapefruit League play, combined with his work at the alternate training site and instructional league last year, earned him a jump to Double-A to begin the season. After a few rough weeks there, he settled in and became a steadying presence in the SeaWolves’ infield, providing consistent defense amid the ebbs and flows of his hitting.
“He puts himself in a good position,” Mud Hens manager Tom Prince said. “He reminds me of Jay Bell, a lot of Jordy Mercer, guys that I played with. He’s a bigger man and he positions himself well. He makes the routine play. That was a really good play [on Buxton], but he makes the routine play look really easy.”
While Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene, ranked as the Nos. 1 and 2 Detroit prospects by MLB Pipeline, were the headline players in the wave of promotions from Erie to Toledo a couple weeks ago, Kreidler’s move was nearly as important. The Tigers don’t have to worry about adding him to their 40-man roster this offseason, so this is all about getting him a look against advanced competition.
So far, Kreidler has made an early impression on both sides of the ball. He homered in his first two Triple-A games, going 11-for-20 in his first week. He entered Monday’s off-day having hit safely in 10 of 12 games, batting .385 (15-for-39) with six walks, 11 strikeouts, eight runs scored and a 1.094 OPS.
The biggest difference Kreidler has seen between Double-A and Triple-A pitching is in the bullpen.
“There’s kind of a competitive edge to each guy,” Kreidler said, “because a lot of these guys have big league time or might in the near future. So I try to do as much homework as I can on each guy.”
While the Tigers are expected to explore a deep market of free-agent shortstops this offseason, Kreidler’s season has put him into the conversation as an eventual in-house option. His late-season audition at Triple-A should put Kreidler in position for a long look in Spring Training and a call to Detroit at some point next year — maybe as a shortstop, maybe as a utility infielder, depending on the club’s needs.
It’s quite a jump for a 2019 fourth-round Draft pick out of UCLA, but it’s something he tried to prepare for. It reflects in his rise from unranked prospect last year to cracking MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 at the start of the season to Detroit’s No. 10 prospect now.
“This is what I worked for,” Kreidler said. “Obviously I’m honored to be here, and it’s an exciting new experience for me. I wouldn’t say I’m surprised by anything. You’re working all offseason for this, just trying to capitalize on each opportunity.”
Tigers promote Daniel Cabrera to Double-A
While one Cabrera hit a milestone this month for Detroit, another is a step closer to the big leagues. Outfielder Daniel Cabrera, the Tigers’ No. 16 prospect, was promoted from High-A West Michigan to Erie.
The 22-year-old Cabrera, a second-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft out of LSU, batted .242 in 99 games for the Whitecaps with nine home runs, 64 RBIs and a .695 OPS. He hit .281 (34-for-121) with an .842 OPS from July 25 through Sunday, driving in 26 runs over his last 31 games.