https://www.detroitathletic.com/blog/2016/03/08/cameron-maybin-hurt-in-spring-training/
Maybin's injury leaves center field situation uncertain.
Detroit Athletic
If goal No. 1 of spring training is building up the arm strength of your pitchers, then goal No. 1a is to avoid injuries. Unfortunately, the Detroit Tigers have not been able to achieve that goal, not with the news that Cameron Maybin has suffered a non-displaced fracture of his left wrist and will miss the next four to six weeks.
Maybin had already reported to camp with a sore shoulder, caused when he slipped on some black ice at his home in North Carolina. The injury to his wrist, completely unrelated to the shoulder problem, occurred three days into the Tigers? exhibition game schedule, when Maybin was hit in the wrist during a split squad game against the New York Yankees. Maybin?s hand will be placed in a cast for two weeks and then removed so that a second set of X-rays can be performed.
The Tigers had slotted in Maybin, a trade acquisition during the winter, as their starting center fielder. Now that he?ll miss Opening Day and perhaps several weeks of regular season play, the Tigers will be forced to use Anthony Gose more often in center field. Gose can handle the position defensively and has the kind of speed that the Tigers need, but he remains an offensive question mark, with a career batting average of .243 and a lifetime on-base percentage of only .311. The lefty-swinging Gose is especially vulnerable to left-handed pitching (hitting only .192 against southpaws last year), leaving Detroit in a search for another center fielder who can help out.
The Tigers have several veteran outfielders in camp who have experience in center field, but none are logical platoon mates for Gose. Both Tyler Collins and Nate Schierholtz bat from the left side, so a platoon with Gose wouldn?t work. Another option is the versatile Mike Aviles, but his experience in center is limited; manager Brad Ausmus regards him as an emergency center fielder and nothing else. And then there is John Mayberry, Jr. At one time, he was a productive player with the Philadelphia Phillies, but he hit so feebly for the New York Mets last season (at a time when the Mets were desperate for offense) that they released him in midsummer.
Among minor league prospects that the Tigers have in Lakeland, the most suitable option would be Wynton Bernard, who hit .301 in the Eastern League last year and has a ton of experience playing center field, but has never played above Double-A ball. Bernard is already 24, but he is almost certainly not ready for the major leagues; few position players can make the jump from Double-A to the big leagues. Even if he impresses during the Grapefruit League season, the Tigers would be wise to remain cautious with Bernard and send him to Triple-A Toledo for additional maturing.
Given the lack of credible readymade options in center field beyond Gose, there had already been speculation that the Tigers might reach out to one of their former players, Austin Jackson. I think Jackson can still play?he is still only 29 and has something to prove after a fractured and disappointing 2015 season that saw him bounce from Seattle to Chicago?but the White Sox signed AJax to a one-year contract for $5 million late on Sunday. His agent is Scott Boras, who was unwilling to budge from what many feel were unreasonable demands for Jackson?s services. Jackson and Boras initially turned down an offer from the Los Angeles Angels, who were willing to give the center fielder a one-year deal worth as much as $6 million, but that would have been in a fourth outfielder role. Boras and Jackson obviously felt going to the south side of Chicago offered a better prospect for playing time in 2016.
Jackson was the only remaining unsigned free agent who had the ability to start in center field, so if the Tigers do pursue someone to fill in until Maybin can return, it might have to come via the trade market. One name that has been mentioned is that of Michael Bourn, but his acquisition would make little sense. Like Gose, he is a left-handed hitter. More importantly, Bourn is 33, coming off a season in which he batted .238, and is scheduled to make $14 million in 2016. Even if the Atlanta Braves, his current team, were willing to pick up the majority of his salary, I wouldn?t touch Bourn. He?s a player who relies on speed, and players like that don?t age particularly well.
Another rumored name is Ezequiel Carrera, the former Tiger who is currently buried on Toronto?s bench behind starting center fielder Kevin Pillar. Carrera is only 28 and coming off a season in which he batted a respectable .273, but he doesn?t walk much and has almost no power. Furthermore, he bats left-handed, so again a platoon with Gose would not work. He?s really nothing more than a journeyman stopgap, and probably one who could offer little more than Collins or Schierholtz.
All things considered, the outside options at center field are not particularly desirable for the Tigers, either in terms of talent or expenses. The team might be better off standing pat, letting Gose sink or swim as the everyday center fielder and hoping that Maybin can return sooner rather than later.
Sometimes the best move to be made is nothing at all.
