LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers catcher Eric Haase, or in this case, the Tigers’ starting left fielder, received a fly ball off the bat of Brandon Lowe at Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, in Monday’s spring training game.
It was his first game of the spring in the outfield.
Haase, a multi-positional player, tracked the ball and caught it for the second out in the third inning. In the offseason, manager A.J. Hinch told his most-established catcher — and one of his best hitters — to bring his outfield glove to camp.
“The bulk of my (work) is going to be behind the plate,” Haase said. “We have a lot of guys I need to learn. That’s priority No. 1, and then roster construction goes in at No. 2. That’s just another thing to have in the toolbox.”
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The 30-year-old, known for his power as a right-handed hitter, is entering his third season as a catcher and left fielder.
He started 20 games in left field (and 61 at catcher) in 2021, then four games in left field (compared to 68 at catcher) in 2022. He also came off the bench to play left field, or switched mid-game from catcher to left field, twice in 2021 and seven times in 2022.
Haase hit .316 with a 1.074 OPS when he played left field in 2021.
“Maybe a little bit easier (to focus on at-bats),” Haase said. “I think it’s just those consistent at-bats. If there’s a series where I was only going to play two out of four days, but now I can play maybe three, maybe four of those games because I can play another position, then I’m able to make those adjustments because I’m seeing more pitches. That’s more opportunity for things to go right.”
For the 2023 season, Matt Vierling is the only right-handed hitting outfield expected to make the Tigers’ roster. Riley Greene, Austin Meadows, Kerry Carpenter and Akil Baddoo are left-handed hitters.
Backup catcher Jake Rogers, like Haase, is a better hitter against left-handed pitchers.
“I think it’s a legitimate tool or weapon to get more at-bats,” Haase said. “In 2021, I got another almost 100 at-bats (76 at-bats) from playing left field. It’s another way to get in…