Windsor: Iglesias' stellar defense rubbing off on Tigers

It may not be fair to start with the ball that rolled under Jose Iglesias' glove Friday at Comerica Park, but it's a useful place to consider anyway. Mostly because of the shock … that the shortstop didn't come up with the screamer hit deep in the hole.

That's how good he has been. How good he is.

"Wow," said pitcher David Price, when asked to describe Iglesias's early season performance. "Wow. He's the best shortstop I've ever played with, and probably ever seen. It's crazy. He's so smooth. He's a thrill to watch."

It's hard to overstate what Iglesias' return to the team has meant. Thrilling, yes, but the ripple effect is more tangible than that.

As second baseman Ian Kinsler said, when a player that good plays alongside you in the field, it lifts your own performance. "(It) raises your level of concentration and intensity," he explained, "and what you (expect) of yourself."

Kinsler is a gifted defensive player himself, and both he and Iglesias made jaw-dropping plays in Pittsburgh last week that helped the Tigers win the sort of low-scoring affair critical to earning a spot in the playoffs.

The bats won't always be there, and actually haven't been lately. Still, the Tigers raced out to a 9-2 start in their first 11 games. Credit timely hitting. Credit the pitching.

And credit the defense.

"There are a lot of ways to change a baseball game," said Kinsler.

That wasn't the case around here recently. We'd almost forgotten what defense looks like, save for the occasional deep-gap line drive Austin Jackson would run down.

But even Jackson doesn't run like Anthony Gose does. The team's new centerfielder sprinted toward shallow center Friday to snag a broken-bat flare early in the game against the White Sox.

"I don't think there are a lot of outfielders that can get to a ball like that," said Kinsler.

If the ball drops, maybe a rally starts. Or maybe it doesn't.

Either way, the Tigers don't have to worry about it — because Gose made the play. Just as Iglesias has made plays, except for one.

"I should've had it," he said. "I will next time."

Yes, he will.

How do we know?

"Because I don't take anything for granted," he said.

Not his health. Not his ability. Not the superlatives starting to come his way. Not the opportunity to win the game with a walk-off hit, which is what Iglesias did Friday, with a runner on third and one out.

After Iglesias poked a grounder through the second-base hole — the infield was playing in for a chance to make a play at the plate — he rounded first and leaped into the air, pumping his fists.

"You don't get many chances like that," he said of the exuberance.

Besides, he'd missed the season a year ago because of balky shins, an ailment that had given him trouble before. When he came over from Boston the year before — in 2013 — he played only a quarter of the season.

That was enough time to see his gifts in the field, but long enough ago that we'd forgotten exactly what those gifts meant, and the percussive effect of a sublime glove.

The Royals got to Game 7 of the World Series a year ago making similar plays all over the diamond. Though Kansas City's bullpen got the publicity, the glove work of its fielders — particularly its outfielders — reminded us why defense means so much.

These Tigers now have a handful of did-you-see-that performers, and solid gloves just about everywhere else — even third baseman Nick Castellanos made a superb, game-swinging stop late against the White Sox Friday.

Like Kinsler said, it can be contagious, both in performance and expectation.

Iglesias is providing both.

Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @shawnwindsor.