Tigers' Dixon Machado: Has clear path to second base job, for now

Machado appears to be the frontrunner to open the season as the Tigers' starting second baseman.

Throughout his time in the Tigers' system, Machado's glove has been more advanced than his bat. While his presence at second base on a regular basis would likely be a positive for the team's pitching staff, he appears to have a very limited ceiling as a hitter. Although he scuffled to a .621 OPS over 73 games with the Tigers last season, Machado showed passable on-base skills as a 24-year-old at Triple-A Toledo in 2016, parlaying a 58:75 BB:K over 569 appearances into a .266/.349/.356 line along with 17 steals in 22 attempts. The Tigers may elect to bring a late free-agent signing into the mix to take over the job, but barring a move to add competition for the job, Machado should be considered the favorite ahead of Alexi Amarista to start.