Detroit Tigers Bring Back Jordy Mercer on Minor League Deal
It was in the 2019 season that the Detroit Tigers chose to sign Jordy Mercer on as their starting shortstop. He was taken on as one of two veteran additions, with double play partner Josh Harrison taking up position at second base. Yet issues arose during the season when both Mercer and Harrison weren’t able to compete in as many games as the team had hoped.
While Mercer only played 74 games, thanks to a nagging hamstring injury that kept returning throughout the season, Harrison only saw time on the field for 36 games. As the 2019 season came to an end, Harrison was released by the Tigers, with the team stating that they weren’t intending to have him play much for the rest of the season anyway. This has since seen Harrison return to IL instead.
Yet, Mercer will return to Detroit for the 2020 season, reports suggest. It was on Thursday, January 30 that Mercer signed his minor-league deal, insiders say. That deal also includes an invitation to major league spring training at the same time.
Last season saw Mercer hit .270 with nine home runs and 22 RBI, despite his gameplay being significantly shortened due to the aforementioned hamstring injury. Plenty of people also ended up placing bets on or against the Tigers last season, which is expected to occur once again when the 2020 season starts. Fortunately, there are some online sports books like Betwinner that provide special offers to their players, too. To involve yourself in such, just use the Betwinner promo code that can be found at Efirbet in order to claim something a little extra.
Expectations of Mercer and the Signing
The deal that Mercer has been signed to is a sensible one, although many believe it’s not really so necessary to the Tigers. Generally speaking, Niko Goodrum will head into the spring training as the team’s starting shortstop, although he hasn’t ever played that position on an everyday basis in the MLB. So, it seems like common sense for the Tigers to have enough depth behind Goodrum for the 2020 season. Should he falter or end up being injured, they need someone (Mercer) to take the strain. Willi Castro cannot be turned to for the time being, as he still requires time to develop in the minor leagues, having only been called up in August 2019.
Therefore, with Mercer being a steady shortstop who managed to move around the diamond once Castro took over towards the end of September 2019, he fits the role well. Mercer went on to play eight games at the second base position, five at the first base and a single game at third base. So, it looks as though Mercer will arrive in the Detroit Tigers’ camp as one of the favorites to make up the 26-man team.
Whether he will prove to be a necessity to the Tigers and their ascension up the rankings in 2020 remains to be seen.
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