FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Dillon Dingler, the Detroit Tigers outstanding catcher prospect, crouched behind home plate, acting nonchalant. Setting the trap.
Kelvin Melean, the Fort Wayne TinCaps second baseman, was the unsuspecting prey. Melean took a big lead and started to drift off second base on Tuesday night.
“He did get a little bit far,” Dingler said. “(Second baseman Andre Lipcius) kind of gave me a look.”
After the next pitch, Dingler sprang to his feet and fired a missile to second, picking off Melean.
That one play showed many of the reasons why the Tigers took Dingler in the second round of the 2020 draft: his athleticism, his catlike reactions, his above average arm strength and his high baseball IQ.