Former Tigers infielder Short now sees bright future for his old team

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – Infielder Zack Short has joined a new team, but he will never forget the memories he created over the past three seasons with the Detroit Tigers.

The Tigers acquired Short in a trade with Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline in August 2020. He played 179 games with the Tigers, hitting .204 and 13 home runs across 450 plate appearance, as well as 196 games with Triple-A Toledo.

The Tigers placed Short, a defensive specialist in the infield, on waivers in November 2023. He was claimed by the New York Mets, and is having fun in spring training learning a new team and its processes.

“It’s fun competing,” Short said Sunday morning, standing in front of his locker inside the Mets’ clubhouse. “It’s fun learning from a bunch of older guys, compared to what it was last year.”

Short, a former 17th-round draft pick out of Sacred Heart University, talked to the Free Press about his three-year career with the Tigers, spending last season with future Hall of Fame player Miguel Cabrera and his expectations, from afar, for the 2024 Tigers. (Questions edited for clarity.)

For the Tigers, you played 61 games in 2021, six games in 2022 and 110 games in 2023. How did you manage the ups and downs, and what did you learn?

“It was tough, especially when you feel like you should have had a shot at some point that year (in 2022) with how everything transpired with that team in general. But again, it’s such a learning curve. I played OK for the majority of the year last year (in 2023). It was a huge jump for me, even playing that much more and producing at some sort of level for the most part. I learned a lot about myself and about my mental game, getting ready to come off the bench and learning what pocket is mine. It almost felt like an old National League game. I knew I was going to get in there at some point, especially with how the roster was constructed. If you weren’t playing, you were playing. I think that’s a skill of when to get your body ready and when to get mentally locked in as opposed to burning yourself out really early. I think it’s a learning curve each and every year. I’m very grateful for the time that I was over there.”

I’ll never forget when Miguel Cabrera walked into the clubhouse, when you joined the team for a doubleheader, and shouted, “Shorty’s here! We’re safe.” What was it like being on Cabrera’s team throughout his final season?

“You can’t make that stuff up. He’s the best. I haven’t reached out to him or anything, but especially in his last year, it was so unbelievable to watch him go into the stadium, and it says his career numbers. He’s obviously hitting over .300 everywhere with a zillion hits and a zillion RBIs. Just watching him still be special at some capacity when he was 39 years old and fighting through a lot of injuries from his career. I was seeing him hit backside homers or backside doubles off the wall. It was like, just imagine what he was doing in 2012 and 2013 when he was mixing in homers and doubles every other game.”

What was your relationship with manager A.J. Hinch?

“It was great. He was such an open book, where if you had a question about anything, he was down to answer it, no matter what. He treated me well over the years. Learning how his mind works and what’s going through his mind when he’s pinch-hitting somebody in certain situations, or not pinch-hitting, was really cool to learn. That was the first time I really got close with a manager, where I really did learn from him talking to me as opposed to just watching. He was down to have any conversation, and he would shoot you straight on whatever he could. Watching his process and how he treated guys, even when we were on that nine-game losing streak, he was still out there talking to us, not closed door and pissed off. I think that’s a testament to him and how he’s constructed things in his career, learning as a player and then shooting through the staff ranks when he was done playing. He’s a smart guy. I think how he treats people and keeps those relationships is a huge part of his success and what they’re going to do moving forward.”

What did you think about the fans in Detroit?

“That’s a special group over there, especially that town. It feels like an intimate city. It’s been a while. The fans want to win. For the most part, they were great. They’re passionate. I think it’s going to be really special when that team does finally turn it around, and I think it’s coming in the near future. I have nothing but good things and thanks to say about them.”

What do you think about the Tigers in 2024?

“Those are some of my best friends, especially a guy like (Jason) Foley. He is going to have such a pivotal role on that team. We watched each other grow up and become men. To see him at the highest level and having that much success is so special. I grew with a lot of guys last year, as a team, like (Matt) Vierling. I didn’t know him before, but I got super-close with him. It’s such a unique, young group, and it just feels like they have people coming from every direction. It’s going to be fun to watch. I have my own business over here, but I’m going to keep tabs. Those are some of my best friends. We went through a lot together, whether it was the highs of the highs or the lows of the lows. It’s going to be cool watching some of your best friends have success.”