Detroit Tigers Rookie Impresses with Strong Day at Plate in Spring Training Win

The Detroit Tigers are going to be relying heavily on this rookie, and he seems to be moving in the right direction.

Feb 23, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Detroit Tigers third base Jace Jung (17) rounds third base against the New York Yankees in the fourth inning during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers earned another victory on Sunday afternoon to get to a 2-0 record in the Grapefruit League having defeated the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday and the New York Yankees yesterday.

Strong performances from unheralded and forgotten about pitchers like Kenta Maeda and Casey Mize dominated the headlines over the weekend, but it was the day at the plate on Sunday for a potentially critical Tigers rookie which everyone should be talking about on Monday morning.

In two at bats, former highly-rated infielding prospect Jace Jung had two at bats and went 2-for-2 with two pulled doubles to right field:

Nice start to spring for Jace Jung — a double off the wall in right. pic.twitter.com/w6GjHoYrFD

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) February 23, 2025

The first double bounced off the wall in right field and required Jung to dig it out. A better throw might have nailed him, but the second double hit to a similar place saw him slide in a bit more safely:

Jace Jung with his second double in as many ABs. pic.twitter.com/XmpfSeod6d

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) February 23, 2025

Jung, who made his MLB debut for Detroit last season but played just 34 games, showed flashes of the kind of talent he has but to this point has yet to put it all together as he was dealing with a wrist injury while simultaneously making a tough transition.

Slashing .241/.362/.304 without a home run and just three RBI in his 94 plate appearances, Jung did not necessarily demonstrate that he is a roster lock for this season by any means.

His likely appearance on the Opening Day roster comes more out of need than anything with a thin at best third base situation. Though he is a natural second baseman - and reasonably could take over there in 2026 - Jung may be called upon the play a significant number of games at the hot corner this reason with the only other realistic option being utility man Matt Vierling.

In 91 Triple-A games in 2024, Jung certainly looked like someone ready to make the jump, slashing .257/.377/.454 for an OPS of .831 with 14 home runs and 60 RBI for Toledo. This was coming off an impressive showing in Double-A the season prior with 14 home runs in just 47 games.

Now 24 years old, Jung is right in that sweet spot where expecting him to begin producing at the MLB level is not unreasonable. His fit at third base looks like a question mark, but similar to many rookies the Tigers will be relying on the bat to make up for what will likely be some growing pains on the defensive side of the ball.

If Jung can prove his early struggles at the Major League level last season were just a blip on the radar en route to becoming one of the team's most important hitters this year. It would also go a long way towards helping Detroit compete to take the next step as a franchise.