Ryan Vilade is still searching for his first hit.

He surpassed 600 hits in his minor-league career last season, reaching 662 by the end of the year with Triple-A Indianapolis in the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization, but hasn't gotten his first hit in his MLB career despite 11 trips to the plate.

"I never got that first hit either," Vilade said. "That's one thing that's kind of been eating at me."

The Detroit Tigers signed Vilade, who turns 25 in mid-February, to a minor-league contract in November. He received a non-roster invitation to big-league spring training in Lakeland, Florida, though he seems destined to start the season in Triple-A Toledo.

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The former prospect sometimes thinks about his three games with the Colorado Rockies in September 2021. At the time, he was 22 years old and four years removed from being the No. 48 overall draft pick out of high school. He hadn't yet put 400 games on his minor-league resume.

He received seven plate appearances and put five balls in play for outs, with one walk and one strikeout. In the third game, he entered as a pinch runner in the bottom of the seventh inning but didn't play beyond that half-inning. Then, the Rockies sent him down to Triple-A Albuquerque for the remainder of the season.

Vilade hasn't been back to the big leagues since Sept. 23, 2021, despite now having played 626 games (with 662 hits) in his six-year career in the minor leagues.

"Debuting in '21 was amazing," Vilade said. "As a kid, you always dream of playing in the big leagues. I accomplished that goal, but obviously, the goal is to get back. I think Detroit, there's a good opportunity here. I'm trying to get that opportunity and play winning baseball."

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There are always a lot of moving parts, but the Tigers wanted to fill a multiple-positional depth role with a right-handed bat. Vilade, a right-handed hitter who plays several positions, fit what the Tigers were looking for and signed before Thanksgiving.

The biggest question about Vilade centers around above-average power potential but below-average power in games. His lack of power, possibly because he hits too many ground balls, has followed him over the past few seasons.

"That's one of the most-asked questions in my career," Vilade said. "Yeah, the power is there. I've been working really hard with my swing and trying to make that last adjustment, trying to figure out that last piece that will help the power numbers."

He posted an impressive 12.5% walk rate last season, so he is aware of the strike zone. Right now, his approach boils down to being ready for fastballs and trying to adjust to secondary pitches.

In 2023, Vilade hit .271 with a .370 on-base percentage in Triple-A Indianapolis, walking 64 times, striking out 127 times and launching just six home runs across 122 games. In the past three seasons, he's hit 19 homers across 367 games — all at the Triple-A level, plus three games with the Rockies and 23 games in the Arizona Fall League.

"Being able to do damage is an important part of the game," Vilade said. "I know that, and I'm making strides this offseason that I think we'll see in spring training, for sure. Part of that is contact point. I've always been a bat-to-ball guy. It's maybe taking more chances at the plate."

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A lot of his drills this offseason implement the velocity machine.

"It's more of putting a simple move on the ball and not trying to do too much," Vilade said. "Whenever you're facing guys with high velo, you want to slow things down and let them provide the power rather than gearing up for that fastball and trying to swing harder. I think that's a mistake you see in young hitters. Being able to put a simple move on the ball is what I'm working at this offseason."

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On defense, Vilade can do just about everything. He came up as a shortstop in the Rockies' farm system but eventually transitioned to third base.

He played for at a shortstop and third baseman for High-A Lancaster in 2019, didn't play in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and made his MLB debut as a left fielder for the Rockies in 2021. It was a quick rise to the big leagues with a big change from the infield to the outfield. By 2023, he started 58 games in center field, 18 games in left field, 17 games in right field, 14 games at third base and four games at first base.

Vilade feels comfortable at third base.

"I've been working everywhere, first, third, second, all outfield positions," Vilade said. "You never know what happens in this game. Injuries, trades, I mean, you know how it goes. It could be one day playing left, one day playing second and one day playing first. If that's how I can get in the lineup, I'm all for it."

There's no doubt Vilade will play an important role in the lineup at Triple-A Toledo, likely coming out of spring training, but he hopes to find his way into the lineup with the Tigers at some point in the 2024 season.

Only then will he get another chance at the coveted first hit.

"I got a very small sample size," Vilade said. "I got six at-bats, and I thought I had really good at-bats, too. It's been tough."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Ryan Vilade must clear final hurdle: Power at plate