The Tigers have reached a deal with their first non-drafted free agent, agreeing with Loyola Marymount University first baseman Trevin Esquerra.
The university announced Esquerra’s deal on their Twitter account and website. The Tigers have yet to announce any non-drafted free agent signings.
Esquerra just completed his senior season for the Lions, leading the team in its abbreviated 16-game season with three home runs, 11 RBIs, 16 runs scored and a .492 slugging percentage to go with a .286 batting average. He hit .322 with 16 home runs and 60 RBIs in his junior season.
Esquerra finished his four-year career with 27 home runs and 101 RBIs. In addition to first base, he also played the outfield during his collegiate career. Ironically, he’s part of the same Loyola Marymount class that Matt Manning had committed to join as a baseball-basketball athlete before the Tigers drafted him ninth overall and signed him in 2016.
According to his college bio, Esquerra is ambidextrous and can throw with either hand as well as switch-hit. He is listed as a left-handed thrower.
While some teams, notably the division-rival Royals, have been aggressive in adding non-drafted free agents since the signing period began June 14, the Tigers have been notably quiet. They’ve pursued free agents but lost out to other clubs in some cases. Teams can sign as many eligible players as they choose, but are limited to a $20,000 bonus per player, making it somewhat of a recruiting contest. General manager Al Avila said two weeks ago that the Tigers had selling points in their investment in analytics and opportunities to advance up the system to Detroit.