Izaac Pacheco impresses in batting practice at Comerica Park
DETROIT — The crowd around the batting cage at Comerica Park as Izaac Pacheco took his swings Monday afternoon included assistant general manager David Chadd, assistant hitting coach Mike Hessman and several current Tigers players. Robbie Grossman was among those who said hello in the dugout. Pacheco’s agent, Scott Boras, was in the stands behind home plate with his family.
“It’s huge,” Pacheco said of his first impression of Comerica Park, echoing the sentiments of many Tigers Draft picks before him. “The two cars [on top of the fountain] I’ve heard have engines in them, that they’re real cars. So that’s pretty cool. Getting to play every day in this ballpark is a dream.”
Looking at Pacheco’s 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame, it isn’t difficult to see him as a big league hitter, even though the 18-year-old has plenty of development to go. He already has the physique, and a big one for a shortstop. Combine that with a fluid, efficient swing that generates launch angle, and it’s a sight to behold.
“It was really cool,” Pacheco said. “I honestly went to pretty much all of his World Series games and playoff games down in Houston. And getting to see what he did down there in Houston and the success he had, you can already see the great things he’s doing here, so it was really cool to me.”
This isn’t the first exposure to the big leagues that Pacheco has had this summer since signing with the Tigers. He batted against Matthew Boyd while the left-hander was rehabbing at the club’s Spring Training complex in Lakeland, Fla., and he homered in a similar setting off veteran righty Julio Teheran.
Pacheco also hit a homer in the Florida Complex League, his first exposure to pro ball in a game setting. He batted .226 (24-for-106) with four doubles, two triples, seven RBIs and a .669 OPS. His 43 strikeouts against 18 walks show where he could improve, but his extra-base power shows his impact when he connects.