Andy Ibáñez makes most of 'opportunity to play' in sneaky good season with Detroit Tigers
It's easy to forget Andy Ibáñez was the Opening Day third baseman for the Texas Rangers in 2022. That's probably because he was quickly passed on the depth chart by Josh Smith, then Ezequiel Durán, then top prospect Josh Jung before being quietly placed on waivers at the beginning of the offseason.
But the Detroit Tigers took notice.
The Tigers claimed Ibáñez, who played 116 games for the Rangers in the 2021-22 seasons, off waivers in November 2022. An injury led to his promotion from Triple-A Toledo in late April, but Ibáñez earned his playing time for the rest of the 2023 season, appeared in 114 games and performed well enough to return for the 2024 campaign.
"The difference has been receiving the opportunity to play," Ibáñez said. "It's also the support that I've had from my teammates, and the support that I've had from my manager and my coaching staff that they've always been with me, supporting me, teaching me and guiding me. That has been great."
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A third baseman with the Rangers, Ibáñez settled in as the primary second baseman with the Tigers. He played 77 games at second base, ahead of Zack Short (53), Zach McKinstry (48), Nick Maton (30) and Jonathan Schoop (27).
"It doesn't matter what I play, second base or third base," Ibáñez said. "I can play everywhere, basically, so it doesn't matter where I play. Receiving the opportunity to be on the field, that's the difference."
In 2023, Ibáñez hit .264 with 23 doubles, 11 home runs, 24 walks (6.3% walk rate), 69 strikeouts (18% strikeout rate) over a career-high 114 games. He also had career-high marks in doubles and homers while putting the ball in play at an above-average rate.
His 103 wRC+ ranked 141st of 245 players with at least 350 plate appearances. His .819 OPS against left-handed pitchers ranked 81st among 215 players with at least 100 plate appearances against lefties, one spot ahead of impending free agent Teoscar Hernández.
On defense, Ibáñez showcased above-average range but below-average arm strength. The Tigers tested him at five positions, then took advantage of the fact that he fits better at second than third.
"He came here and got a lot better," Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said during his end-of-season news conference Oct. 2. "If you look at his performance since the end of May, on both sides of the ball, he had like an .830 OPS and played plus-defense at second base."
Ibáñez excelled down the stretch, but in reality, he probably isn't a long-term answer for the Tigers at second base. In a perfect world, the Tigers will mix prospects Colt Keith and Jace Jung at second and third towards the end of the 2024 season.
Until then, though, Ibáñez should continue to get opportunities because Jung needs to develop at Triple-A Toledo.
"He just got so good at second (base)," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said of Ibáñez in late September. "In our configurations, that turned to be my favorite, but as we grow and as we change and as we likely have a couple of left-handed hitters (Keith and Jung) coming up here that play at those positions, it will be important for him to continue to move around."
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Ibáñez solidified his short-term future with a tremendous finish to his first season in Detroit, hitting .294 with 10 home runs, 22 walks and 53 strikeouts over his final 87 games. His .831 OPS during that stretch, from May 30 through Oct. 1, ranked 58th among 228 batters with at least 250 plate appearances.
To put up those numbers, Ibáñez studied and tweaked his swing with the hitting coaches — Michael Brdar, Keith Beauregard and James Rowson — during the early part of the season. Reviewing old swings from the minor leagues revealed his stance was too hunched. His performance improved once he got back to standing taller in the batter's box.
"It was a tiny detail, but it helped me a lot," Ibáñez said.
Ibáñez, at the very least, is a steady option off the bench for the Tigers. He rakes against left-handed pitchers, holds his own against right-handed pitchers and can be used strategically at second base as a defensive replacement.
"I'm positive that I'll be back with the Tigers," Ibáñez said. "We'll have a great year, and we're getting closer and closer, so I think 2024 is going to be a fun year."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Andy Ibáñez makes most of chances in sneaky-good 202
