Mercer willing to play anywhere for Tigers
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- When Tigers third baseman Jordy Mercer unleashed a strong throw to record the final out of the third inning on Sunday, it caught the attention of his coaching staff.
"We asked him if he took a lot of aspirin today because normally he never throws the ball hard," manager Ron Gardenhire quipped. "He really let that one go. We were like, 'Wow, Jordy, you must be really feeling good. It must've been all those days off I've been giving you.' He's still got it. He knows when to use it and when not to."
Last year's Opening Day shortstop, Mercer finds himself back in Detroit's camp as a non-roster invite. After Jeimer Candelario and Dawel Lugo played in Saturday's exhibition against the Twins in the Dominican Republic, Mercer got the nod at third base in Sunday's 7-5 Tigers Grapefruit League win over the Nationals at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.
The 33-year-old Mercer made all three plays at the hot corner, including the first out of the bottom of the first inning, and knocked a two-run homer to left-center in the sixth off Nats reliever Ryne Harper. He improved to 5-for-18 (.278) with four RBIs and a .794 OPS in 20 spring plate appearances.
An eight-year veteran, Mercer played his first seven in Pittsburgh before signing with Detroit in 2019, when two injured list stints (right quadriceps strain) limited him to 74 games. Upon his return, he saw action at all four infield positions, like he has this spring.
Mercer has appeared in 831 MLB games at short, 41 at second, six at first and three at third. His role with the ballclub could be akin to the Gordon Beckham-type utility player, and with the 26-man roster, there lies the possibility of him providing a right-handed bat to counter Harold Castro's lefty swing.
That experience last season has helped Mercer this spring, particularly in terms of positioning for bunt coverage, double plays and cutoff relays. He takes daily reps at each spot.
"It's a new opportunity for me," Mercer said. "It's something I'm excited about. I've played different positions before in the big leagues, but not in regularity. It's been fun. It's been different to not just focus solely on one position, to bounce around and play a bunch of different positions. Hopefully it can add a few years to my career and [I] continue to play."
According to Mercer, the Tigers haven't asked him to play outfield yet, but he'd be "willing to do it." Mercer manned right field for two innings on May 10, 2014, in his lone outfield appearance.
And with Niko Goodrum and Willi Castro projected as the club's shortstops, Mercer would add insurance to the position. He served as the Pirates' everyday guy at short from 2014-18. Mercer hopes to bring stability to the middle infield of a young ballclub, and if he's needed at either of the corners, he's more than game.
"Jordy just knows how to play," Gardenhire said. "You can play him anywhere out there. He's a veteran presence. He talks to those young kids all the time. As a manager and coaches, we need that. Sometimes young guys get real nervous when we talk to them, but when Jordy or somebody like that talks to them, they know that he knows his stuff. And it's not just always about baseball, it's about a lot of different things. Jordy's very valuable that way. He was that way last year when he was with us, too."