Tigers’ Stewart Powers Through Pro Debut

DETROIT—As a junior at Tennessee last year, outfielder Christin Stewart batted .311/.443/.633 with 15 home runs in 50 games. He swung the bat well enough to be drafted in the first round by the Tigers.

Then he continued to hit the ball well in his first stint as a professional.

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Stewart, the 34th overall pick in the 2015 draft, hit .285/.372/.508 in 301 plate appearances for the Tigers at three different minor league levels.

“We were very pleased with his first season with us,” assistant general manager David Chadd said. “He hit a combined 10 home runs in a short season. That’s hard to do.”

Stewart hit just eight home runs in his first two seasons at Tennessee, but he broke out as a junior. He hit 13 doubles, seven triples and 10 home runs for the Tigers while playing the majority of his games at low Class A West Michigan.

That allowed him to post an .880 OPS despite the fact that he struck out nearly 23 percent of the time in 2015. He now ranks as the No. 4 prospect in the organization.

Stewart, who is 6 feet, 205 pounds, posted excellent numbers in August for West Michigan. He collected 32 hits, including 15 for extra bases, and drove in 22 runs in 29 games for the Whitecaps.

Stewart’s strong point is his bat, so a corner outfield spot is where he will stay. Chadd compared Stewart with former Cardinals star outfielder Ray Lankford, who retired following the 2004 season.

Like Lankford, Stewart bats lefthanded. Stewart doesn’t resemble Lankford on the basepaths, but Chadd said he is a bit underrated as a baserunner.

“His defense is a little bit short, but it is improving,” Chadd said. “Though he’s not a basestealing threat, he does show good instincts on the bases.”

TIGER TALES

• Six of the players included on the organization’s Top 10 Prospects list will participate in big league camp this spring. Righthander Michael Fulmer and shortstop Dixon Machado are on the 40-man roster, while lefthander Kevin Ziomek, righthander Joe Jimenez, outfielder Mike Gerber and shortstop JaCoby Jones will be non-roster invitees. Of the four non-roster invitees, only Jones has played above the Class A level.

• Outfielder Steven Moya had a loud winter-ball campaign in the Dominican League, batting .298/.350/.466 with 13 extra-base hits, including four home runs, in 35 games. He ranked sixth in the DL batting race, third with 27 RBIs and second in slugging percentage.