Tigers' Stewart making progress with glove

Christin Stewart's bat has vaulted him to a spot among the top prospects in baseball.
The Toledo outfielder currently is considered the No. 5 prospect in the Tigers system after an impressive start to the 2018 season with Toledo. Stewart ranks second in the IL with 16 home runs and is sixth with 53 RBIs.

What's more, the mid-season IL All-Star has been ranked the No. 94 prospect in the game because he has cut his strikeout total down from 138 in 136 games with Double-A Erie last season to 69 in his first 81 games this year.
But the tool that will determine Stewart's baseball future may well be his glove, not his bat. And the Tigers like the progress the 24-year-old has made defensively.
"Christin is never going to be a Gold Glove defender, but he will make all the routine plays," said Gene Roof, Detroit's minor-league outfield coordinator. "Every year he gets better, and he's way better than when we first got him.
"He listens, and he takes the lessons he learns into the games. He has the work ethic and desire to be good."
Roof has worked with Stewart on defense ever since the Atlanta native was selected by the Tigers with the No. 34 pick in the 2015 draft out of the University of Tennessee. Much of the early work centered on changing the arm slot from which Stewart unleashed his throws.
"When we first got him, his throws came straight over the top, and he struggled to get the ball to the cutoff man," Roof said of Stewart. "So he did the work on making throws from a better arm slot, and he's better.
"His footwork is getting better, and his throwing is pretty accurate. You can't just run on him anymore."
In his first 74 games in the outfield this season - 66 in left and eight in right - Stewart has three outfield assists. He would have more, but on at least two occasions he made throws to the plate that would have resulted in outs except the catcher either dropped the throw or failed to tag the runner.
"Right now I'm really proud of the throws I've been making," Stewart said. "I think they have been strong and on-target, even if I'm not getting outs.
"I think I'm doing better at getting to the ball quickly and getting it to the cutoff man as fast as I can."

Stewart's improvement on defense is a testament to his work ethic. And that work ethic extends to every part of his game, not just areas where he excels.
"You have to have a routine each day to get you completely ready to play that day," Stewart said. "If you are feeling good that day, maybe you will do a little bit more. But you have to work on everything.
"You'll always make time for things you have a passion in, and baseball is my passion. So I always try to make time for every part of my game."

In brief

Hello, Newman: Indianapolis infielder Kevin Newman has been one of the sparkplugs for the Indians offense, leading the IL with 62 runs scored thanks to a .292 batting average, three homers and 27 RBI. Newman also is tied for the league lead with 22 stolen bases and ranks fourth in hits (102). The versatile defender has played 62 games at shortstop and 21 at second base for Indianapolis.
Milone on a roll: Syracuse LHP Tommy Milone has won his last three starts for the Chiefs and has not lost since May 22 - a span of 11 starts. On the season the 31-year-old is 7-4 for a team that has just 40 victories, the second-lowest total in the IL. Milone ranks fourth in the league with 113 strikeouts and stands second among starters with his ratio of 1.97 walks per nine innings.
Home sweet home: Pawtucket outfielder Rusney Castillo has reached base in 38 consecutive games at McCoy Stadium this season, far and away the longest such streak in the league. Since April 10 Castillo has a .386 on-base percentage at home thanks to 56 hits and 13 walks; the next-longest streak of reach base in home games for an IL batter is just 22 contests.
Two is enough: Norfolk scored just two runs in a doubleheader July 19, but that was enough to give the Tides a doubleheader sweep of Rochester. In the first game Norfolk LHP John Means threw a seven-inning three-hit shutout, striking out six and walking none. The Tides scored the game's lone run in the second inning when Drew Dosch hit a sacrifice fly that scored Chance Sisco. In the second contest three Norfolk pitchers shut out the Red Wings on two hits in eight innings, and Andrew Susac's sacrifice fly scored Adrian Marin with the winning run.