Ryan Strieby went deep again today in his first at-bat with a deep shot. He is off to a great start this Spring showing that his wrist injury is probably healed fully.
Last year he was really doing a great job at the plate at AA-Erie despite being in year-long battle to keep his wrist healthy. He was limited to 86 games but he made the most of it. He posted a slash line of .303/.427/.565....good for an impressive .992 OPS. His walk rate was very solid and his ISO was an impressive .262. He has a power/patience combo that isn't exactly in over-supply in the Tigers minor league system. If Strieby was a lefty bat he'd be poking around near the top of prospect lists....but even though he's a righty his level of production has him knocking hard on the door.
So what can we expect from Mr. Strieby moving forward. The hope here is that he keeps smoking Spring Training pitching and really starts to force the hand of Dave Dombrowski to find a spot for him. Can Strieby make the adjustment from 1B to LF? If he can just make himself a slightly below average fielder in Left Field it looks like he'll hit enough to off-set the defensive shortcomings out there. As long as he doesn't become "Adam Dunn-ish" and bumble/stumble around out there the Tigers might make it work. Especially if Austin Jackson's promise as a defensive CenterFielder is fulfilled....Jackson playing to a very solid level in CF and flanking Strieby can work.
It will be very interesting to see if Strieby is going to maintain this pace through the Spring. If he does get sent to Toledo to start the season I think there is a good chance that he keeps hitting and forces his way to Detroit. A healthy wrist is going to make the difference....
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