Andy Ibáñez leads off, plays 3B. Detroit Tigers' A.J. Hinch explains Opening Day lineup
CHICAGO — Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch had to make a decision when filling out the Opening Day lineup card.
He had to pick between Andy Ibáñez and Gio Urshela, a pair of right-handed hitting infielders who perform best against left-handed pitchers, to start at third base against Chicago White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet.
Hinch picked Ibáñez.
"These are decisions that come up," Hinch said of Ibáñez and Urshela. "Andy is certainly deserving. Gio is deserving, as well, for a lot of reasons. Two good decisions. I just made one."
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Hinch also decided to put Ibáñez, a right-handed hitter, as the leadoff hitter.
That's because he wants Ibáñez to get as many plate appearances as possible against Crochet. In 2023, Ibáñez had a .939 OPS against left-handed pitchers in his final 87 games.
This is the way Hinch plays chess.
He capitalizes on the strengths of his players.
"Andy has been really good against left-handed pitching," Hinch said. "He's going to play virtually every game against lefties, and he's going to mix in against some righties. I told Gio to be ready, as soon as early in the game, to pinch-hit for a variety of guys, and then potentially come in for defense."
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Hinch also thinks about the potential countermoves.
That's why he wrote Spencer Torkelson in the two-hole, ahead of Riley Greene. Putting Ibáñez and Torkelson ahead of Greene means two right-handed hitters at the top of the lineup before the first left-handed hitter in Greene.
"If they want to bring Crochet through to Greene (a second or third time), they have to go through Andy and Tork to get there," Hinch said. "It's something I've toyed with this spring. I know that most teams target Riley as a guy that they're going to either leave their starter in to face or they're going to target with their bullpen, so this gives them something to think about."
Still, Hinch kept Urshela — who had a .868 OPS against lefties last season — on the bench against a left-handed starter.
Probably because he likes Urshela more than Ibáñez on defense at third base in the later innings of the game, and maybe because he also likes Urshela more than Ibáñez against right-handers.
Crochet threw 80 pitches in his final spring training game.
At some point, the White Sox will use a right-handed reliever in the first game of the season.
That's when Hinch can deploy his bench: Urshela, outfielder Kerry Carpenter, utility player Zach McKinstry and catcher Carson Kelly. Carpenter, in particular, is guaranteed to enter the game as a pinch-hitter upon Crochet's exit, as long as the White Sox bring a right-handed reliever out of the bullpen.
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Carpenter, a left-hander who hits for power, hit .278 with 20 home runs in 118 games last season, but he struggled against left-handed pitchers. He posted a .841 OPS against righties and a .657 OPS against lefties.
The Tigers' starting lineup in Game 1 of 162: Andy Ibáñez (3B), Spencer Torkelson (1B), Riley Greene (LF), Mark Canha (DH), Matt Vierling (RF), Colt Keith (2B), Jake Rogers (C), Javier Báez (SS), Parker Meadows (CF).
"Going into a season, you have no idea how they're going to deploy their people," Hinch said. "Crochet is built up to whatever they want him to be built up to, especially with the off day tomorrow. They can leave him in as long as they want, or they can pull him early and turn it into a bullpen game with a free off day tomorrow. There's a little bit of curiosity on that.
"But I felt like the defense in the outfield was important and getting Andy as many looks at Crochet was also key, which is why he's at the top of the order and playing third. We had a lot of choices. It's a fun lineup to write. I feel good with this one."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why A.J. Hinch went with Andy Ibáñez at 3B for Tigers on Opening Day
