The Detroit Tigers drafted left-handed Christian Stewart with the number 34 overall pick from Tennessee. Six years later, the organization fired the outfielder as a free agent in the minor league.
Along with the incumbent Triple-A East MVP Aderlin Rodriguez, Stewart is one of 20 minor league free agents from the Tigers’ farm system. On Tuesday, Baseball America provided the full list of free agents for all 30 teams.
While these players can sign elsewhere, the Tigers could bring some of them back.
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Toledo Mud Hen’s outfielder Christin Stewart will strike the Nashville Sounds in Toledo, Ohio on Tuesday, May 4th, 2021.
Stewart, 27, played 157 games in the majors from 2018-2020, scoring .255 with 15 home runs, 59 RBIs, 49 walks and 146 strikeouts. In the shortened 2020 campaign, he reached .167 with three homers, nine RBIs, five walks and 30 strikeouts in 36 games.
His poor results forced the Tigers to demote him to Triple-A Toledo in September 2020.
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Stewart didn’t make the 2022 opening day list, which was no surprise, and spent the year in Toledo. He hit .254 with 21 homers in 89 games for the Mud Hens. He has a career .263 batting average with 48 homers in 233 games at the triple-A level.
Toledos Aderlin Rodriguez (46) will slide into third base during the Indianapolis Minor League baseball team’s home opener against Toledo on Tuesday, May 11, 2021 at Victory Field.
Rodriguez, 29, received the Triple-A East MVP award for his 2021 performance.
He hit .290 with 29 homers, 94 RBIs, 42 walks and 127 strikeouts in 116 games. While Rodriguez is a solid player for organizational depth, it’s hard to see he’s making his MLB debut for the Tigers considering he’s limited to first base, third base, and the designated hitter.
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The story goes on
Rodriguez has 12 years of minor league experience and plays for the new York Mets, Seattle Seafarers, Baltimore Oriole, San Diego Padres and Tiger. Detroit signed him to a minor league contract in January 2021.
Here is the full list of Detroit’s new minor league free agents:
RHP Jose Appleton
C Juan Centeno
RHP Cale Coshow
RHP Israel De La Cruz
2B Yariel Gonzalez
RHP Drew Hutchison
RHP Xavier Javier
RHP Mark Leiter Jr.
3B Josh Lester
RHP Henry Martinez
RHP Gerson Moreno
RHP Pedro Payano
RHP Ricardo Pinto
RHP Vladimir Pinto
3B Adelin Rodriguez
LHP Robert Ross
RHP Zachary Shepherd
LHP Locke St. John
BY Christin Stewart
3B Drew Ward
Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more about the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Christin Stewart Among the Detroit Tigers MiLB Free Agents
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