."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Farmers onlyFeaturesPlayoffsHistory/Hall of FameLatest NewsHot StoveAlex Wood wins arbitration hearing against Cincinnati RedsNew Prince Fielder Jersey ,72commentsThe lefty will take home his desired salary in 2019.ESTShareTweetShareShareAlex Wood wins arbitration hearing against Cincinnati RedsRichard Mackson-USA TODAY SportsThe entire baseball arbitration process is brutally awkward. If an eligible player and team cannot agree on a salary for the upcoming season, they each submit fixed offers to an independent number cruncher, and rather than that independent number cruncher deciding exactly how much that player should be payed, he decides between the two offers based on the arguments presented.Essentially, said number cruncher gets to watch both parties suggest how wrong each other is, respectively, and then side with one over the other. Sets quite the stage for a working relationship, no?Well, on Wednesday new Cincinnati Reds pitcher Alex Wood officially found out how much he’ll be earning during the 2019 season, as the arbiter sided with him over his new employer, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported earlier. That means Wood will take hom $9.65 million for his efforts in 2019 rather than the $8.7 million initially suggested by the Reds. Nothing like an extra million bucks, right?Wood Adrian Beltre Jersey , now 28, took home an even $6 million during the 2018 season, and 2019 will be his final year of arbitration eligibility before he can become a free agent at the end of the season. That, of course, is barring a contract extension, something that new teammate Sonny Gray inked earlier this winter to avoid the entire free agency process.Wood has pitched to a stellar 3.20 ERA combined over the last two seasons, topping 150 innings in each while compiling 4.7 total bWAR in that span. The Reds will hope that he, Gray, and fellow newbie Tanner Roark can help solidify a starting rotation that has been busted by pretty much every single batter who has faced it over the previous three seasons as the Reds try to emerge from the NL Central cellar for the first time since the 2013 season. And now that the paperwork is officially out of the way, one can only hope his transition from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Reds can get going on a smoother track. Candelario’s history and a rough opening series suggest he might perform better in a table-setting position."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Detroit Tigers AnalysisDetroit Tigers Prospect NotebookDetroit Tigers Game ThreadsDetroit Tigers NewsDetroit Tigers PodcastsThe Tigers should consider moving Jeimer Candelario up in the lineupNew,21commentsCandelario’s history and a rough opening series suggest he might perform better in a table-setting position.EDTShareTweetShareShareThe Tigers should consider moving Jeimer Candelario up in the lineupKim Klement-USA TODAY SportsSmall sample alert! As the Tigers finish their first series of the 2019 MLB season against the Toronto Blue Jays, the offense has yet to fully reach its potential. In 39 innings of play so far this season Nolan Ryan Jersey , the Tigers have only scored in three innings. They have been outscored by six runs (12-6) in three games.A big reason for the quiet offense has been Jeimer Candelario, who, in the first three games, went 1-for-12 with seven strikeouts batting in the cleanup spot.On Sunday, manager Ron Gardenhire batted Candelario in the leadoff spot — where he spent the majority of his time in the last two months of the 2018 season — while regular leadoff hitter Josh Harrison was taking the day off. Candelario immediately responded by going 5-for-6 with two RBI, including this beautiful RBI single where he extended his bat outside of the strike zone to poke a ball out to left.Jeimer Candelario 2-RBI singleEdited by Adam Dubbin / Property of MLB.tvCandelario’s big day helped lead the Tigers to a 4-3 victory, and a road series split.Now, the typical knee-jerk response would be to keep Candelario in the leadoff spot. Do not mess with something that is not broken.Taking a look at his split stats, there may be some validity to this. Jeimer Candelario batting order splitsSplitPAHRBB%K%AVGOBPSLGSplitPAHRBB%K%AVGOBPSLGBaseball-reference.comCandelario has spent the majority of his MLB playing time batting in the first, second, and fourth spots in the lineup. His best performance, by far Rougned Odor Jersey , has come batting second (.255/.354/.459) while the weakest performance has come with him batting fourth (.149/.200/.234). These are small samples, of course, but just like we hypothesized with Josh Harrison, mentality could play a part in the approach that Candelario takes at the plate.In the first few games of the season, it seemed like Candelario put too much pressure on himself, perhaps because he was batting fourth in the lineup and counted upon to drive in runs. We don’t know for sure, but the stats (small samples and all) indicate he may be more relaxed batting anywhere else. Harrison should probably stay in the leadoff spot for now, while Candelario could take over batting second.This means shaking up the lineupNicholas Castellanos has been batting second so far this year, and many people (myself included) believe that this is the best spot for him in the Tigers’ lineup. Having power in the No. 2 spot is a strategic measure, as it immediately puts pressure on the pitcher only two batters into the game.However, in Castellanos’ case, his best performance just so happens to be in the cleanup spot http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-moore-jersey , where he is batting .333/.381/.550 in a handful of plate appearances.Nicholas Castellanos batting order splitsSplitPAHRBB%K%AVGOBPSLGSplitPAHRBB%K%AVGOBPSLGBaseball-reference.comCastellanos has batted anywhere from the No. 2 to the seventh spots in the lineup. His lowest sample size by far (268 plate appearances) comes while batting fourth, so take that for what it is worth.Castellanos has enjoyed a breakout year in 2018, batting .298/.354/.500 with a 130 wRC+. So far in 2019, he is hitting .294/.333/.471 and he seems to have success wherever he bats in the lineup. Over a large enough sample size, split stats usually even themselves out, and it is not something to get overly excited about. However, the Tigers’ offense could use a jump start, and moving hitters into positions they may be more comfortable in could help provide that spark.