Kevin

Witt

Eric Munson appears to be the ''odd man out’’ when Witt is the DH, and manager Alan Trammell goes with Dmitri Young at third and Craig Monroe in left field. Witt, whose personal web site hypes him as ''one of professional baseball’s most feared power hitters,’' is off to a good start with an 1121 OPS in his first six games.

''At first I might DH Pena, just to make sure he’s OK, and use Kevin at first,’' Trammell said. When Pena is healthy enough to play first base, Witt, hitting .277, likely will get his share of at-bats as the DH.

After going 0-for-13 in the three games before the break, Witt’s average was down to to .265 and his OPS was 721. Nevertheless, the Tigers seem content to stick with him as their DH against right-handers. He has some value in AL-only leagues.

The 30-year-old Witt had 36 homers for Durham, but that came with 131 strikeouts. He was batting .289/.359/.578 in 481 at-bats. He can be compared to the player he’s replacing on Tampa Bay’s roster, Russell Branyan, but he can’t match Branyan’s on-base skills and he’s not an option at third base. Delmon Young will be a better choice for at-bats next month.

Witt, 28, hit .306/.353/.600 for Triple-A Memphis last season. He’s batted .249/.287/.393 in 338 AB in the majors.

Witt could be about as much of an asset as Craig Monroe if he gets the playing time, but the Tigers need to stick with Carlos Pena and Eric Munson at the infield corners, leaving Witt to fight for at-bats at DH. Wait and see what happens over the next few days before you consider picking him up.

Witt was used at DH and Craig Monroe received the night off. If Witt starts tomorrow and has another fine game, he’ll be someone to consider picking up in AL-only leagues.

Witt got his big break this season, but even though he showed decent power, he was unable to really capitalize, managing only a 726 OPS in 241 at-bats against right-handed pitching. There are plenty of veteran minor leaguers more worthy of bench spots.

Witt will get an invitation to spring training, but that won’t be announced until later. The 28-year-old first baseman hit .263 with a 726 OPS in 241 at-bats for the Tigers last season. The Cardinals will give him a chance to make the team as a reserve.

Witt helped his case for a bench spot, but since he was just 4-for-23 entering the day, he’s still on the outside looking in for now.