By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier
Detroit Tigers right fielder Brennan Boesch was on a tear last season, hitting over .300 for the first half of the season before seeing his average dip to near .220 in the second half, but then a thumb injury sidelined the slugger for the remainder of the season and the playoffs. Boesch struggled in the two spot in the lineup in 2011 but with the kind of protection he will have in 2012 Boesch looks to be poised for a career season.
During 2011 Boesch hit .020 points higher when he was hitting third as opposed to second, but Manager Jim Leyland was determined that he was the Tigers No. 2 guy in the lineup and Boesch continued to struggle. When he was hitting third he had Miguel Cabrera as protection behind him, but when he was shifted to second he wasn't afforded that same protection and it showed.
In 2012 however, Boesch will have all the protection he could ever want and some. Leyland's scheduled every day roster has Boesch hitting second behind Austin Jackson and in front of Cabrera and the Tigers new favorite weapon, Prince Fielder. If that isn't enough protection, then it isn't possible to protect Boesch.
Boesch isn't having the kind of Spring Training that you would write home about, hitting just .222 with an OBP of just .216, but he has only appeared in 12 games this spring. In those 12 games he has gotten 36 at-bat's and gotten hits in eight of those at-bat's for a total of 18 bases.
Three of his eight hits this spring have been long balls and in his small 12 game sample Boesch has driven in nine RBI. He is also slugging .500 and boasting a OPS of .716. While spring training doesn't always translate to the regular season, Boesch will most certainly pull his batting average up when he gets in the every day lineup in the regular season and will start putting balls into the right field bleachers soon enough.
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