Selectivity Is On The Menu For Dominic Ficociello

LAKELAND, Fla.—Dominic Ficociello took a step backward offensively in 2016, his first season at Double-A Erie. But the first baseman has taken one step forward in the mind of Tigers manager Brad Ausmus, who has seen plenty of him the past two springs.

“He seems to be becoming more selective at the plate,” Ausmus said. “He’s not chasing out of the strike zone as often. He’s more polished.”

He’s also a bit bigger. The 24-year-old Ficociello, who is listed at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, spent a good amount of time in the offseason working to add weight. The switch-hitter went 8-for-37 (.216) with three home runs and eight RBIs through spring games as of mid-March.

The three homers Ficociello hit added up to more than half the total he hit in the Eastern League last year.

Ficociello, a 12th-round pick in 2013 from Arkansas, hit .248/.329/.348 with five homers in 123 games last season. His OPS fell to .677, which was a substantial drop from 2015, when he recorded a .765 mark at high Class A Lakeland.

Ficociello took a pass on winter ball to focus on weight training.

“I just wanted to focus on hitting the weights hard, eating right and giving myself the best chance to succeed physically,” Ficociello said, “before I came in and worked on the mental stuff with (hitting coach) Lloyd (McClendon) and Brad and all the hitting guys.”

His hard work paid off early.

“He’s a little bigger,” Ausmus said. “He is definitely driving the ball more, especially to the opposite field.”

Ficociello is bound for the upper levels of system and will play first base, third base and in the corner outfield. Whether he ends up playing one position or several remains to be seen.

“He’s probably a corner-infield guy, maybe some outfield,” Ausmus said. “The more he hits, the more he plays.”

TIGER TALES

• Righthander Sandy Baez struck out nine and allowed four hits through seven spring innings. He finished last season at low Class A West Michigan.

• Outfielder Mike Gerber had one hit (a single), no walks and nine strikeouts through 18 spring at-bats.

— Chris Iott is a writer based in Detroit