Talking hitting with Triple-A Toledo's hot stick, Ben Malgeri, who has thoughts on low line-drives
Malgeri has a .310 batting average and grand .926 OPS (not to mention a .409 on-base percentage). He's played his way into possible big-league life with a sharpened hitting focus.
It’s a bit crowded these days in the Tigers outfield.
Unlike a pitching staff that each week (if not hour) seems to report a new casualty, Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, Matt Vierling, and Wenceel Perez are intact, even if Javier Baez and Parker Meadows are on the IL.
And so, as with Max Clark, who is taking advanced baseball courses at Triple-A Toledo, Ben Malgeri has no choice but to grind it out with the Mud Hens, even when his numbers after 31 games are brilliant:
Batting average is .310. On-base is a gaudy .409. He has a .517 slugging percentage, and a .926 OPS, with five home runs, five doubles, and two triples.
These are stats that can get a man called to the big leagues. Malgeri, instead, will try to stay hot and see what shakes out for a right-hand hitter, 26, who in 2021 was an 18th-round pick from Northeastern University.
“I’m just trying to put the ball on the barrel and not do too much,” Malgeri said during a Friday conversation as the Mud Hens got ready for an evening game against Memphis at Fifth Third Field.
“It’s kind of just happening. I’m just letting my natural swing play. I’m just trying to be athletic with my swing, be relaxed, be early, and see the ball a little deeper.”
This hot start during a chilly spring is not necessarily shocking. Malgeri in 74 games last year at Double-A Erie hit .279/.351/.474/.825.
But there have been slight changes in his approach in 2026. They’ve factored in that wRC+ (weight run-creation plus) of 149, which is 49 points above league-average.
