Welcome back to another edition of the Tigers Beat newsletter. What goes into a good baseball glove? Tigers players will give you all sorts of answers on that, but there’s ultimately one: The ball. Walk by Riley Greene’s locker on a game afternoon before batting practice, and there’s a chance he’ll be sitting with his baseball glove, diligently massaging liquid into the palm and onto the webbing. "Leather conditioner,” he said last weekend at Dodger Stadium. “It’s like stuff I’d put in my car.”
As Greene has gotten older and worked through injuries, the 24-year-old has learned the value of daily maintenance on his body to give himself a chance to perform at this best for a full season. Now he’s doing that for his glove. He picked up the habit just this year after seeing other outfielders using it in Spring Training, and now it’s part of his daily routine.
Greene has always valued a good glove as a key component of his defensive prowess. When Greene made it to the big leagues, former Tigers pitcher and fellow left-hander Tyler Alexander volunteered to wear Greene’s new gloves to play catch and shag fly balls with them during batting practice to help break them in. For the last couple years, hitting coach Keith Beauregard has taken on that role, wearing Greene’s glove while he takes throws at first base before games.
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As time went on, Greene found that as his gloves aged, they tended to dry out, even as he introduced a new one each season. When Greene would run down well-hit fly balls and reach out to make a catch, he could sometimes feel the topspin of the ball trying to force the ball out of his glove.
“It’s the scariest thing ever when you feel the ball spinning out of your glove,” he said. “I’ve caught balls right in the pocket and I’ve had them spin out.”
Greene’s new daily habit keeps the glove in top form, while also providing just enough tackiness to help him hold onto a ball with spin.
Infielders can be notorious for their finicky glove habits, but outfielders can be particular as well. Jahmai Jones entertained teammates in Spring Training when he talked about breaking in his new gloves by dunking them in a hot tub for a few minutes and then letting them dry for a day or two.
Shortstop turned superutility player turned center fielder Ryan Kreidler doesn’t have any habits quite that strange. He’ll try to hammer a new glove into enough give for game use. But when he didn’t like the feel of the outfield glove he had going into the season, he decided to wear the glove he uses when he plays third base.
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“It’s just what I’m comfortable with,” Kreidler said. “It’s big enough to be almost an outfield glove. It’s kind of like what Javy [Báez] does. Javy uses kind of a smaller glove in the infield. I use a smaller glove in the outfield for now. I have a new [outfield glove] coming and I’ll try that. But for now, I’m happy with what I’ve got.”
That sliding grab on the warning track in right-center on Opening Day at Dodger Stadium? Yes, Kreidler did that with an infield glove.
"I always say: Sometimes the glove wants to catch the ball, and sometimes the glove doesn’t want to catch the ball,” Kreidler said. “And I like this glove better for catching the ball.”
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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Who is the last Tigers starting pitcher to earn a win in the team’s home opener? (Hint: It was in 2021) A. Matthew Boyd B. Michael Fulmer C. Tarik Skubal D. Spencer Turnbull |
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Triple-A Toledo: The Mud Hens, led by new manager and former Double-A Erie skipper Gabe Alvarez, lost two of three at home against Columbus last weekend before hitting the road for Round Rock, Texas, where they dropped their first two in a six-game series against the Rangers-affiliated Express. No. 7 prospect Jace Jung entered Thursday batting 5-for-15 with two solo homers, a double, a triple, seven walks and six strikeouts.
Double-A Erie: The SeaWolves begin their quest for a third straight Eastern League title on Friday night against Harrisburg at UPMC Park. Led by former Single-A Lakeland manager Andrew Graham, the SeaWolves’ roster includes nine of Detroit’s Top 30 prospects: No. 5 prospect Thayron Liranzo, No. 9 prospect Jaden Hamm, No. 12 prospect (and Opening Day starter) Troy Melton, No. 17 prospect Jake Miller, No. 19 prospect Joseph Montalvo, No. 22 prospect Roberto Campos, No. 23 prospect Max Anderson, No. 27 prospect Justice Bigbie and No. 30 prospect RJ Petit.
High-A West Michigan: The Whitecaps, led by returning manager Tony Cappuccilli, open the season at home Friday night against Dayton at LMCU Ballpark. The roster features three of the Tigers’ Top 6 prospects, all in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100: outfielder Max Clark (No. 2), infielder Kevin McGonigle (No. 3) and catcher/first baseman Josue Briceño (No. 6).
Single-A Lakeland: The Flying Tigers open their season Friday night against the Tampa Tarpons. Under new manager René Rivera, the Flying Tigers' roster includes No. 13 prospect Franyerber Montilla and No. 18 prospect Josh Randall. |
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A. Boyd beat Cleveland with 5 2/3 scoreless innings in a 3-2 win on April 1, 2021. |
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