Bigbie 'a phone call away' from Majors after strong spring

LAKELAND, Fla. -- A.J. Hinch keeps track of prospects’ progress in the farm system as closely as any Tigers manager has done over the past 20 years. And even he has learned a lot about Detroit's No. 13 prospect, Justice Bigbie, this Spring Training.

A year ago, Bigbie was an extra player in a couple of Grapefruit League games, brought over from Minor League camp. He didn’t even get an at-bat.

This year as a non-roster invitee to big league camp, he played in 14 of a possible 17 Grapefruit League games, batting 6-for-23 with a double and an RBI, and drawing more walks (four) than strikeouts (three). And as he headed over to the Minor League clubhouse, Bigbie could take confidence: He’s a mystery prospect no more. While the breakout comparisons to Kerry Carpenter are legit, he’s making a name for himself, and he has a good chance of joining Carpenter in Detroit this year.

“The organization has been telling us in the big leagues how much improvement he's had. We got to see it on the field in the span of only a few weeks,” Hinch said Thursday morning. “He's a phone call away [from the Majors] and progressing nicely as a player.”

Bigbie won’t wait long to get a call this spring. He’s already on the travel roster for Friday’s split-squad game against the Blue Jays. He’ll also be a central player for the Tigers’ squad in Saturday’s Spring Breakout prospect game against the Phillies at Joker Marchant Stadium. While the game is a showcase for the future of Major League clubs, Bigbie’s Major League future is closer than most, and way closer than many might have imagined a year ago.

• Check out the Tigers' Spring Breakout roster

The comparisons between Bigbie and Carpenter have been well-documented. Both were 19th-round Draft picks out of college, Bigbie selected in 2021 after a four-year career at Western Carolina. Both were unranked prospects after their first pro season, then burst onto the developmental radar with breakout campaigns the next year following offseason swing changes with Aaron Judge’s hitting instructor, Richard Schenck.

“I just wanted to work more out in front of the plate with my bat path, and I wanted to work on my lower half, as well,” Bigbie explained recently. “But I think the key emphasis for me going into it was my lower half. I wanted to fix my lower half.”

The changes helped unleash Bigbie’s power while maintaining his opposite-field approach with a combined 19 home runs, 25 doubles and a .343 average across three Minor League tiers last season. His .537 slugging percentage was a 157-point rise from 2022, and his .942 OPS was a 215-point jump.

The performance sent Bigbie skyrocketing up the system from High-A West Michigan to Double-A Erie to Triple-A Toledo, then a stint in the Arizona Fall League. He played 135 games between the four stops. He sustained his approach and impact at each level.

“Moving forward with [the changes], a lot of the guys here have helped me along the way with that, like [hitting instructor Jeff] Branson, [hitting director] Kenny Graham. We worked on my lower half and we're still working on it.”

While Bigbie showed off his opposite-field power with a 105.8 mph double to the right-field fence on March 9 against the Pirates, he also did damage to the pull side, including two singles to left against the Rays on Feb. 25. That was a priority for Bigbie going into this year.

It wasn’t just Bigbie’s hitting that made an impression. When Bigbie singled to left-center on Feb. 28 against the Pirates, he anticipated the throw from center field going to third to try to get lead runner Wenceel Pérez. Bigbie sped up around first without hesitation, taking second and setting up the game’s tying run in an eventual 5-3 win.

That instinctiveness opened some eyes, especially for a player not known for speed on the bases.

“Very good play,” Hinch said. “We work on that stuff, and game speed happens fast. We like to see guys take advantage. He had his head up and he read the exact great play.”

Those impressions kept going in the locker room as camp unfolded. While other prospects were early moves to Minor League camp, Bigbie stuck around for a reason.

“His comfort level in this environment, around our Major League staff, around his teammates, grew as the spring went on,” Hinch said. “I felt like he really grew into a comfort routine, the defensive work, the routine in the cage. His game actions got better and better as the camp went along.”

Bigbie has played his way into Detroit’s outfield picture. For the 25-year-old, the future is coming fast.