Story by
It wasn't a walk in the park, but Detroit Tigers' Colt Keith showed why he'll be special
- Story by
- It wasn't a walk in the park, but Detroit Tigers' Colt Keith showed why he'll be special
LAKELAND, Fla. — Three hours before the Detroit Tigers opened their 2024 Grapefruit League season, manager A.J. Hinch stood at home plate at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium, hitting ground balls to the infielders.
He was shooting rapid-fire — ball after ball after ball.
Advertisement
Smack — here came a grounder between shortstop and third base.
Javier Báez fielded it with ease and hit Colt Keith right where he likes it: Chest high. Keith touched second and twisted the double play.
"It's been good," Keith said before the New York Yankees beat the Tigers, 22-10, in a slopfest Saturday. "I feel like I'm really healthy and my swing is coming along well. Shoulder feels good. We're really coming together as a team and starting to learn each other's tendencies. For example, me and Javy have been learning each other's throws and feeds that we like at second base."
Tigers second baseman Colt Keith bats against New York Yankees during the third inning of Grapefruit League season opener at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida, on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024.
Playing games is important.
Advertisement
But all the work done before the games and on the back fields is far more consequential.
All the repetition.
Smack — Hinch hit another grounder right to Keith, who flipped it to Báez.
This is how they get to know each other — Keith, the 22-year-old prospect expected to debut this season at second; Baez, the 31-year-old veteran shortstop about to enter his 11th season.
They are learning their likes and dislikes.
MORE SEIDEL: Watching Detroit Tigers' Kenta Maeda is wild — both him and the hysteria that follows him
"He likes to come across the bag and he likes it right here by his right pec," Keith said, pointing to his chest. "I personally like it at my right shoulder because I can come back across second base, but it's been really good. He likes to make plays. It's really amazing."
Tigers left fielder Justyn-Henry Malloy bats against the Yankees during the first inning of the Grapefruit League season opener at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida, on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024.
Smash — Hinch hit a ball to Gio Urshela at third base .
Advertisement
Urshela scooped it up, fired the ball to Keith, and they had another double play.
"I'm excited to watch him," Keith said of Urshela, "and see him play and see what I can learn from him and pick his brain going forward."
LEARN THE YOUNG GUYS: Tigers' under-the-radar prospect not so anonymous after championship season
Learning the Javy way
Smash — Hinch hit another.
Báez shuffled to his right, scooped up the ball, dropped down low, contorted his body, and side-arm flipped to Keith, who turned the double play with ease.
It was pure Báez.
Pretty as heck.
With a touch of flare.
"He's really creative," Keith said before Saturday's exhibition. "Something I can do to learn from him is how creative he is just to make any play for any position and figure out a way to make it work."
Advertisement
Yes, eventually, but not right now.
While Keith's bat is ahead of his defense, the Tigers want Keith to focus on the routine plays.
Tigers designated hitter Javier Báez bats against the Yankees during the second inning of the Grapefruit League season opener at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida, on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024.
"I've told Colt on the front end we don't need him to be perfect," Hinch said. "We just need to be his best. There are plays that he can make. One of the things when players are questioned about their defense, they immediately want to respond by making massive plays. Big-range plays. State-of-the-art double-play turns. I told him he should just focus on the basic plays and then work out bigger and bigger. Start with the plays right at you, and he can make a lot of plays."
Advertisement
BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK: Why Justyn-Henry Malloy was stunned and speechless after Detroit Tigers first practice
No signs of freaking out
Let the record show, Keith struck out in his first two at-bats of the Grapefruit season. But he didn't freak out. Didn't panic. And didn't change his approach.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth, Keith fell into a deep hole, staring at an 0-2 count.
But he battled back, showed all kinds of discipline in taking three straight pitches and fought the count full.
Then, he promptly doubled to left field.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts ( Apple , Spotify ) ]
Advertisement
This is one of the reasons why the Tigers love his talent. It's not just the power.
He's just a tough out.
"Most of the time, we look at their overall numbers and their results," Hinch said. "The part that is really valuable is his ability to combine that with being a tough out. So it's not just the hits he gets. It's not just the homers — it's being a tough out. That is part of being a good hitter. He's already done that at the minor-league level. He will draw just enough walks and he will hit the ball hard. It's not, 'Oh, he needs to hit home runs to be successful.'"
Don't rush to judgment
Tigers second baseman Colt Keith walks off the field after strikeout against the Yankees during the first inning of the Grapefruit League season opener at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida, on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024.
Let me offer a word of caution.
Advertisement
Keith is gonna make some errors. Everybody does.
He's gonna struggle at times — maybe even from the start.
But we live in a rush-to-judgment world, and that's not exactly fair for a 22-year-old rookie.
How he starts this season will not necessarily say anything about his future.
"I've been around young players who adapt to the big leagues quickly and get Rookie of the Year," Hinch said. "And I've been around young players who have struggled."
So give Keith time. Don't rush to judgment. And it's important to be patient.
MUST READ FOR FANS: Tigers are finally playing 2024 games: 10 reasons why they might be fun to watch
Advertisement
But on Saturday, he showed why he's gonna be special.
I'm convinced he eventually will show it.
So are the Tigers.
Contact Jeff Seidel at jseidel@freepress.com or follow him @seideljeff .
To read Seidel's recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Colt Keith already showing signs he'll be special for Detroit Tigers
