Detroit Tigers hitting coach Joe Vavra got his first up-close view of Jeimer Candelario in 2017. At the time, he was the Minnesota Twins' bench coach.
After the Tigers traded catcher Al Avila and closer Justin Wilson to the Chicago Cubs, Candelario — who came to Detroit in the exchange — became the team's everyday third baseman. He hit .330 with two homers and 13 RBIs in 27 games.
"He had the ability to use the whole field and looked like a pretty natural hitter," Vavra said Friday. "I had that in the back of my mind that, if he was once that guy, he could probably get back.