Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
In March of 2014, the Detroit Tigers acquired Andrew Romine from the Los Angeles Angels as part of the response to losing shortstop Jose Iglesias for the entire season. In 94 games with the Tigers, the switch-hitting Romine batted only .227/.279/.275 with two home runs and 12 RBIs. At the end of the day, he was was 0.0 fWAR and 0.2 bWAR, making him the definition of a replacement-level player.
Out of minor league options, Romine’s role with the Tigers looked unclear heading into Spring Training of this season, especially with the slick-fielding Iglesias returning to action. However, he ultimately made the Tigers’ 25-man roster out of Spring Training as a utility man. Romine and Hernan Perez figured to fill the void left by Don Kelly, who signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins over the offseason.
While Perez was claimed off of waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this month, Romine has been thriving in a part-time role with the Tigers. As a matter of fact, he may be on his way to having a better season than Kelly ever did.
A player with multi-position capability, Romine has only received starts at third base and shortstop, but he has also come in to play second base, first base and left field. It is likely fair to say that he can play everywhere that Kelly played for the Tigers, with the possible exception of center field. Perhaps most surprisingly, Romine’s bat has perked up. Through 46 games this year, Romine is slashing .290/.338/.419 with two homers and six RBIs. He has also racked up 0.6 fWAR and 1.0 bWAR so far.
Although Romine struggled when he had a chance to lock down the shortstop position last year, it appears that being a bench player may be his true calling. He could be a very important ingredient to the team’s success in that role moving forward.
Brad Faber is a Senior Writer and Sabermetrics Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Brad_Faber, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on LinkedIn or Google.
