Detroit Tigers Prospect Report
Breaking down each top 100 prospect in the Detroit Tigers farm system, and also who have been their biggest risers and fallers this season?
The Tigers have a young core of players, a Cy Young favorite, and one of the better systems in all of baseball. I know what you are saying. We’ve heard this before, yet the drought continues.
However, with a (still) new front office and the excellent work from player development director Ryan Garko, fans should have reasons to be excited.
As always, prospect list are reevaluated and shuffled after each summers draft. Today, I want to highlight the changes, top prospects, and a few other names to keep an eye on.
Top 100
When you scroll through top 100 lists you’ll see several Tigers mentioned. No matter which list, the consensus is high on this system. For this exercise, we will us our own top 100 along with MLB Pipelines. Baseball America is behind a paywall, so we will keep their list to subscribers.
Just Baseball Top 100: Jackson Jobe (P) no. 4, Max Clark (OF) no.19, Kevin McGonigle (SS/2B) no. 21, Bryce Rainer (SS) no. 64, Thayron Liranzo (C) no.82, Jace Jung (3B/2B) no. 86
MLB Pipeline: Max Clark no. 7, Jackson Jobe no. 8, Kevin McGonigle no. 33, Bryce Rainer no. 61, Jace Jung no. 64
Jackson Jobe is going to be a fan favorite in Detroit. A high 90s fastball averaging 18 inches of induced vertical break paired with a high spin slider that will keep batters off balanced. You saw the flashes in spring training. The kid just has that It factor. Very likely we’ll see him in Detroit in 2025, if he can stay healthy.
Max Clark is the first of four pure lefty bats (Liranzo – switch-hitter) and a true five tool athlete. I think he’ll continue to grow into more power but even if he doesn’t, his ability to hit to all fields plus his speed and defense in center will make him a very valuable player.
He has a certain moxie that will play well with fans. I’m sure he’ll reach Double-A at some point next year, which is always an important measuring stick.
The next bunch could be a vast majority of the Tigers future infield. McGonigle has a beautiful swing and his barrel lives in the zone. He struck out less than 10% in Low-A and his short stint in High-A. An injury ended his season, but I think he has a chance to be the best pure hitter in the Tigers lineup.
We’ll see what Rainer, a 6’3″ shortstop with plenty of size and ability to grow into and eventually becomes. He’s a ways away and I’d like to see him in Low-A before getting too excited, but the reports are positive out of the draft.
Jung and Liranzo are the two highest variance players from this list, in my opinion.
Jung, who was just added to the Tigers roster, has a patient approach beyond his years, some swing and miss, and enough power to breach the 20 home run mark. Defense is the big question and rather or not he can stick at third.
Defense is also the question for Liranzo, who was acquired from the Dodgers in the Flaherty trade. The switch-hitting catcher has the power of an F 350, but his hit tool is concerning. A move over to first could happen with so much work needed behind the plate. Remember, catchers typically take longer and need time to refine their craft.
MLB Pipeline Movement
Movement across prospect list should be expected. Poor performance, newly drafted player, prospects graduating, movement is natural. Below is Pipeline’s May list (left) and most recent August update (right), which includes recent draftees.
| May 2024 | August 2024 |
| No. 1 Jackson Jobe – P | Mac Clark – OF |
| No. 2 Max Clark – OF | Jackson Jobe – P |
| No. 3 Jace Jung – 3B/2B | Kevin McGonigle – SS/2B |
| No. 4 Ty Madden – P | Bryce Rainer – SS – ’24 1st Round |
| No. 5 Kevin McGonigle – SS/2B | Jace Jung – 3B/2B |
| No. 6 Justyn-Henry Malloy – OF | Thayron Liranzo – C/1B * |
| No. 7 Keider Montero – P | Jaden Hamm – P |
| No. 8 Wilmer Flores – P | Hao-Yu Lee – 2B |
| No. 9 Sawyer Gipson-Long – P | Dillon Dingler – C |
| No. 10 Troy Melton – P | Josue Briceno – C/1B |
| No. 11 Justice Bigbie – OF | Owen Hall – P – ’24 2nd Round |
| No. 12 Dillon Dingler – C | Troy Melton – P |
| No. 13 Hao-Yu Lee – 2B | Brant Hurter – P |
| No. 14 Brant Hurter – P | Ethan Schiefelbein – P – ’24 CB- B |
| No. 15 Paul Wilson – P | Franyerber Montilla – INF |
| No. 16 Max Anderson – 3B/2B | Ty Madden – P |
| No. 17 Josue Briceno – C | Enrique Jimenez – C |
| No. 18 Jaden Hamm – P | Joseph Montalvo – P * |
| No. 19 Enrique Jimenez – C | Max Anderson – 2B/3B |
| No. 20 Wenceel Perez – OF | Trey Sweeney – SS* |
| No. 21 Eddys Leonard – UTL | Josh Randall – P – ’24 3rd Round |
| No. 22 Carson Rucker – SS/3B | Michael Massey – P – ’24 4th Round |
| No. 23 Dylan Smith – P | Justice Bigbie – OF |
| No. 24 Roberto Campos – OF | Paul Wilson – P |
| No. 25 Peyton Graham – SS | Carson Rucker – SS/3B |
| No. 26 Cristian Santana – SS | Zach Swanson – ’24 9th Round |
| No. 27 Tyler Mattison – P | Roberto Campos – OF |
| No. 28 Blake Dickerson – P | Lael Lockhart – P |
| No. 29 Izaac Pacheco – 3B | Eric silva – P* |
| No. 30 Trei Cruz – UTL | Nestor Miranda – 3B |
Risers
The Tigers had a few significant risers in the recent update. Franyerber Montilla, a 19-year-old switch-hitting infielder, went from not in the top 30 to 15. Montilla has posted an OPS of .800 or higher in his past two stops and now is in Low-A Lakeland. A sweet swing that looks effortless and tools you can’t deny have helped him skyrocket up the list, and I think that trend will only continue.
The next big jump is from pitcher Jaden Hamm, a 2023 5th round selection. Hamm has been nothing short of excellent in High-A West Michigan posting a 2.75 ERA, 3.23 FIP, 11.21 K/9 and only 2.85 BB/9.
Recently he’s walked a few more batters and you have to wonder if he’s starting to run out of gas. I expect him to be in Double-A Erie next season and could also be a fast riser to Detroit. Fastballs with around 20 inches of induced vertical break tend to play well, especially when you have a curveball to help put batters away.
The last two risers are infielder Hao-Yu Lee and catcher Josue Briceno. Lee, acquired in the Michael Lorenzen trade, makes plenty of solid contact, resulting in a .298/.363/.488 slash in in Double-A.
We’ve also seen a dump in power (12 HR, .190 ISO), which is a trend I hope continues as he develops. Another prospect which limitations defensively, Lee could round out a platoon role or even a starting spot in the next couple of seasons.
Briceno, who has missed most of the year due to injury, is another big power bat who might end up at first. However, his power does not come with much swing and miss which makes him even more intriguing.
Fallers
Of course, adding six draftees to the list, along with players who have performed, some will be moved down or off the list all together.
Off the List: Wilmer Flores (P), Sawyer Gipson-Long (P), Eddys Leonard (UTL), Dylan Smith (P), Peyton Graham (INF), Cristian Santana (INF), Tyler Mattison (P), Blake Dickerson (P), Izaac Pacheco (3B), Trei Cruz (UTL)
Falling (no. of spots): Ty Madden (12), Justice Bigbie (12), Paul Wilson (9)
The biggest name on this list is Ty Madden, who has had a disastrous start to his Triple-A career.
A 8.17 ERA, 5.52 FIP, and a significant jump in his BB/9 to 4.46 is not a recipe for success. I had my concerns about Madden previously and I think a move to the bullpen is much more likely. His fastball could play up and he would not have to focus as much on his secondary offerings.
While Justice Bigbie was a fun story last season, I think we all knew to be cautiously optimistic about an older 19th round pick. Bottom line, he doesn’t impact the baseball enough. Little to no power since reaching Triple-A and he isn’t hitting for average like he did last year. A Rule 5 eligible player this December who very well could go unprotected.
The biggest drop came from Flores, but it comes with an asterisk. Since the original ranking, Flores has moved to the bullpen (less valuable), struggled in Triple-A, and dealt with injuries. He’s walking as many as he’s striking out, but I’m far from giving up on him. He still needs to show better strikeout stuff and I think the move to a relief role can help him reach his potential.
Sawyer Gipson-Long also went from top 10 to off the list. Perhaps he’s aged out of prospect rankings, or his season long injury played a factor. However, I still think Gipson-Long could be a back of the rotation option. He’s been up and down throughout his career but has the stuff to strike anyone out. Plus, I can’t help but to dream on those 20 innings in Detroit last year.
As for some of the others, Cruz is an older prospect in Double-A without an array of tools, but none really plus. Pacheco has done nothing but struggle for two years.
Mattison, who I like, has been injured, copy and paste the same for Leonard. Graham brings little to nothing and Santana is a sub-.200 hitter with power but not enough else to be considered a top prospect. Nothing too surprising with a new class rolling in.
Quick Notes on Other Top 30 Prospects
- Dillon Dingler just feels like he’ll have a long career in Detroit. His defense has improved and now looks like a plus and his power really flashed in Toledo (17 HR, .251 ISO). He’s off to a slow start in the majors, but I’ll give him some time to adjust.
- Another pitcher I like more than most is Troy Melton. His jump to Double-A has come with a 4.95 ERA and 4.40 FIP. However his 10.59 K/9 and 2.62 BB/9 is impressive. He has enough of an arsenal to stick as a starter and his breaking pitches will keep batters off balanced knowing his plus fastball is always there.
- Joseph Montalvo, acquired in the Carson Kelly trade, was a sneaky good addition for a rental backup catcher. The 22-year-old posted a 2.44 ERA, 3.97 FIP, 11.14 K/9, and 2.90 BB/9 in High-A before coming over to Detroit. At each stop in his career his ERA has been below 3.00. If he can get his fastball to sit closer to 95 instead of his usual lower 90s, watch out.
- I’ll continue to say Trey Sweeney is underrated. The former Yankee first-rounder doesn’t have one tool that you can dream on, but he’s solid across the board. He’s already reached the Majors, something that won’t happen for several names above him. He hit the cover off the ball (.381/.447/.469) in Toledo before his contract was selected. Even if he’s a platoon bat, or back up, that’s a good result for a guy ranked in the 20’s.
- Glad to see one of my favorite under the radar prospects, Lael Lockhart, made the list. The lefty has some filthy offerings leading to plenty of swing and miss. His fastball has some interesting movement, but I worry the velocity will never be enough. I’m not sure what role he will play but even a 7th rotation option would be a good outcome.
- Former big money international free agent, Roberto Campos, has shown improvements this season but he still has a ways to go. His incredible May (.942 OPS) has helped his overall numbers but he has posted a .721 OPS or worse in every other month. He’s only 21, but will need to start hitting more.
Names to Know Outside the Top 30
- By now, you have heard about Andrew Navigato. The utility man is slashing .285/.373/.529 with 18 home runs, 19 stolen bases, and a 132 wRC+. Honestly, he’s earned a shot even if he’s an older prospect and likely more of an organizational depth type. Navigato has done nothing but produce solid number the past couple of years.
- I know better than to read too much into a college draftee playing well in the lower minors. But, Andrew Sears has something to him. The 6’3″ lefty has a a unique delivery and enough funk to be intriguing, even as a bullpen arm. In 79.2 innings he has 89 strikeouts and a 2.49 ERA.
- Outfielder Seth Stephenson comes with speed that often finds their way on a roster. After stealing 70 bases last year, he already has 54 in only 94 games. He’s hitting .452 in August which has helped raise his average to .262 on the year. Never count out a speedy outfielder.
- A name that will likely start to land on top Tigers prospect list is Rayner Castillo. The 6’3″ 20-year-old right from the Dominican Republic has a fastball that will play with secondaries that are good enough to produce some swing and miss. He’s also pitching to a 59% groundball rate so far. The strikeout stuff hasn’t translated so far in Low-A, but a 2.54 ERA and 3.97 FIP isn’t bad for the start of his career.
- Gage Workman was on the Top 30 for years topping out at No. 11. After a subpar 2023 forced a High-A reset, Workman has performed much better this year in Erie. Slashing .259/.352/.437 with 13 home runs and 24 stolen bases, Workman is back on radars.
A lefty bat who can play around the infield with some speed and pop is always intriguing. I think he ends up being a solid minor league depth piece, which is highly underrated . Creating good depth in the minors is important, as we have seen first hand this year.
Notable December 2024 Rule 5 Draft eligible players: Ty Madden, Joseph Montalvo, Justice Bigbie, Roberto Campos, Lael Lockhart, Andrew Navigato, Andrew Magno, Eliezer Alfonso, Trei Cruz, Austin Bergner
Final Thoughts
While it is still too early to say if Scott Harris is a good GM or not, the revamping of the system has been a big win for him. Player development changes, thanks to Garko, are starting to show on the field. Detroit has a system with a few high level prospects, power bats, several players who are above average across the board.
The depth of the system can be debatable, but that is fairly common with most teams. Another starting pitcher breaking out would surely help me feel even better about the system. Jobe and Hamm look like major leaguers, but others carry questions.
Briceno and Liranzo potentially not sticking behind the plate is not as much of a concern to me. Two similar players, the hope is at least one pans out and if even one can catch, cherry on top.
We’ll see how the recent draftees look. I try not to dig too deep into those players until they see pro ball. Too much unknown until then.
Like I said to begin the article, a young core is in place. A few of these prospects are likely to join that core and I think there’s enough here to round out depth.
Having highly rated prospect list is great, but the game is still played on the field. The Tigers are not too far and pieces outside of the organization need to be added. Next step – seeing if Harris is willing to move any of these players. Time will tell.
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