Just like another team in their division, the Royals, the Tigers are in the midst of a complete rebuilding of their major league roster and their farm system. It’s well-known that the Tigers haven’t been good for a few years now but the question is what have they been doing with the trades and draft picks they’ve made in the last several seasons in order to get the organization back to a more competitive level and make more regular playoff and division runs.
Top Prospects In The System
Pos. - RHP Ht/Wt - 6’3” 220 lbs. Bats: R Throws: R Age: 22
Level - Double-A Drafted - 2018 (1.1) ETA: 2021
Grades: Fastball: 60 Slider: 60 Splitter: 70 Control: 60
Mize was, by most accounts, the unquestioned number one overall pick in the 2018 draft after a dominating junior year at Auburn. The billing as the first overall pick has shown to be accurate given his first full-season started so well that he was promoted to Double-A by the end of April and then threw a no-hitter in his first start for Erie. However, he did spend some time on the shelf with shoulder discomfort and after running his stuff wasn’t quite as dominant. That stuff is anchored by a near-elite splitter that just eats up hitters and misses tons of bats. The fastball sits 93-95 and touches 97 with plus command to both sides of the plate. The mid-80s slider is also a plus-pitch and has tight break to it and occasionally can turn into a harder cutter when he wants. The command is exceptional and really allows him to put pitches wherever he wants to in any count. The stuff, size, delivery, and durability is there for Mize to be a true ace for the Tigers starting potentially as soon as 2020 depending on how quickly he gets to Triple-A.
Pos. - RHP Ht/Wt - 6’6” 215 lbs. Bats: R Throws: R Age: 22
Level - Double-A Drafted - 2016 (1.9) ETA: 2021
Grades: Fastball: 60 Curveball: 60 Changeup: 55 Control: 55
Manning was taken with the ninth overall pick in the 2016 draft out of the California Prep ranks and since that time, the progress has been noticeable. Manning was thought of as a high-upside, highly-athletic prep arm when drafted but he has put it all together a lot faster than most believed he would as he paced the Tigers’ farmhands in strikeouts in 2018 with 154 and then won Eastern League Pitcher of the Year in 2019 with a .98 WHIP, 148 Ks, and a 2.56 ERA in 133.2 innings. The 6’6” frame helps gain extension in his delivery and downhill plane on his pitches including the lead pitch of the arsenal being his 92-95 mph fastball with high spin rate. The fastball is followed up with a plus-curveball that is a true hammer and is his primary out pitch. His third pitch is an above-average changeup that has made major gains in the last year or so and also makes his fastball and curveball better. The walk rate also improved from 2018 to 2019 and he now profiles squarely as a number two pitcher in a major league rotation.
Pos. - OF Ht/Wt - 6’3” 200 lbs. Bats: L Throws: L Age: 19
Level - Class-A Drafted - 2019 (1.5) ETA: 2021
Grades: Hit: 60 Power: 55 Run: 50 Arm: 55 Field: 50
Greene was a highly-touted hitter out of the Florida prep ranks especially after pacing the US U-18 team in RBI at the Pan-American Games following a stellar high school career. The young outfielder climbed three levels in his first introduction to pro ball and made it to Class-A already with 57 games played total in 2019 with a .271/.347/.403 slash line with five home runs, 11 other XBH, 34 runs, 28 RBI, and five steals. The left-handed stroke is fluid and is as good at making contact as it is at producing power though the power is more on the pull-side right now, and with a projectable frame like Greene’s and advanced approach at the plate, there should only be more expected from him as he traverses the Tigers’ system. He’s been playing center field for the moment but he fits more in line with a corner outfield spot, likely left field, given his average speed and below-average routes taken to the ball but the defense isn’t a hindrance as it still grades out as an average trait overall. I’m not a big person on comps but a comp of J.D. Martinez seems pretty apt here with a slightly lower batting average and better defense.
Pos. - LHP Ht/Wt - 6’3” 215 lbs. Bats: L Throws: L Age: 23
Level - Double-A Drafted - 2018 (9.255) ETA: 2021
Grades: Fastball: 60 Slider: 60 Curveball: 55 Changeup: 55 Control: 55
Sometimes, we can’t judge players strictly by where they get drafted. In fact, that’s one of the worst things you can do and if you’ve read any previous Farm Reports, you’ll see that a player’s draft position hasn’t been a deterrent to putting them in these write-ups. The same can be said for Skubal who was a ninth-round pick coming off an up-and-down senior year at Seattle University and coming off Tommy John surgery when the Tigers may have stumbled upon the steal of the 2018 draft. The southpaw sits in the low-to-mid-90s with the fastball that has excellent late life on it and he backs that pitch up with three secondary pitches that can be wipeout depending on which one we’re talking about. The slider is a plus pitch at times and works very well being buried at the back foot of the right-handed hitters. The curveball can bleed together with his slider at times but the pitch is still distinct enough to be a third separate pitch. The changeup is still being worked on but will be a weapon and possibly a plus offering when fully rounded into form. Interestingly, even though he led the minors in swinging-strike rate at 18.1-percent, he had reverse splits and was better versus righties than lefties, though still good against LHH with a .233 batting average compared to a .180 mark against RHH. He’s got the upside of a number two starter which isn’t bad from a ninth-rounder.
Pos. - OF Ht/Wt - 6’2” 195 lbs. Bats: R Throws: R Age: 23
Level - Triple-A Drafted - 2015 (1.37) ETA: 2021
Grades: Hit: 45 Power: 50 Run: 55 Arm: 55 Field: 55
Cameron was a first-round pick of the Astros in the same class as Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker and is the son of former Major Leaguer Mike Cameron. After an inconsistent start to the pro career through the first year and a half or so, he put everything together enough to entice the Tigers to take him as part of the Justin Verlander trade. Cameron made Triple-A Toledo at age 21 but then the inconsistencies returned to his game. The approach can draw a healthy amount of walks for the young outfielder but he still has remarkably high strikeout totals as he has trouble with pitch recognition and can get into tough counts. While the defense is Gold Glove-caliber to be sure, the offense lags behind but when he does make contact it’s a solid line drive approach that will play well in the deep outfielder gaps at Comerica Park. He slashed .214/.330/.377 with 13 home runs, 68 runs, 43 RBI, and 17 steals in 120 games at Toledo. If the average comes up, he’s a top of the order type hitter who could be up in the second half of 2020, though likely 2021 with the delay to the start of the year this season.
Prospects To Watch For
3B/SS Age: 21 Double-A ETA: 2021
Paredes was previously a Cubs’ farmhand before being dealt for Justin Wilson and Alex Avila and since coming to Detroit he’s been quite consistent and impressive. Paredes has a keen eye at the plate and rarely chases pitches out of the zone as evidenced by him walking (57 times) nearly as much as striking out (61 times) in 2019 at Double-A leading to a .282/.368/.416 slash line with 13 home runs, 66 RBI, and 63 runs, with five steals. He is a stocky infielder at 5’11” and 225 pounds while the height says shortstop, the weight and projection in growth left says third base which is why he split time between the two in 2019. However, the offensive profile is more of a middle infielder at the moment as he possesses more gap-to-gap power than raw power that is typical of a corner infielder. That’s not to say it won’t come with some more refinement of the swing and a bit more physical maturity, but the Tigers could use the top-of-the-order type approach he brings regardless of the defensive position he’s playing.
SS Age: 22 MLB ETA: 2020
Castro came over to the Tigers in the Leonys Martin deal with Cleveland in 2018 and since joining Detroit has been very impressive for them. In 119 games at Triple-A Toledo in 2019 he had a breakout campaign with a career-high in SLG percentage, home runs, and triples and nearly missed tying a career-high in doubles as well in addition to making the International League All-Star team. Castro did so well in fact that he earned a promotion to the majors though his first 30-game stint in Detroit saw him drop back offensively and defensively as well. He is a switch-hitting shortstop with a line-drive geared swing that makes great contact on the barrel regardless of which side he’s swinging from and he doesn’t have the typical split issues that other switch-hitters do. Castro is a spectacular defender up the middle though may transition to second base in the majors, not only to help the defense stay spectacular but also because Detroit doesn’t have a long-term answer at the Keystone. His approach at the plate is solid though he could stand to draw more walks. He’s likely the type of bat that extends a lineup from the sixth or seventh hole while playing Gold Glove defense in the middle of the diamond.
RHP Age: 24 Double-A ETA: 2020
Faedo was taken out of the University of Florida in the 2017 June draft just before winning the Most Outstanding Player in the College World Series. The following year though, he struggled in pro ball as the Slider was flat and the fastball dropped off as well and he was a lot more hittable than the plus-to-above-average stuff suggested he should’ve been coming out of college. In 2019 however, he retooled his delivery to make it more upright and a more consistent arm slot and the velocity and stats came back too. In fewer innings in 2019 than 2018 (115.1 to 121) he had a K:BB ratio at 134:25 against 110:35 and knocked an entire run off of his Double-A ERA between 2018 and 2019. Faedo is a slider-first pitcher with a plus breaking pitch that can look like two different pitches depending on if he’s throwing it for a strike or if he’s trying to make it a swing-and-miss pitch. The fastball sits in the mid-90s and has a high-spin rate with late life that makes it tough to barrel up consistently. The changeup has made big strides in pro ball after him not having to throw it much in college but it grades out as a major league average pitch that plays well off the slider for a different look. Consider Faedo like a right-handed Patrick Corbin and in the mold of a number three type starter.
3B Age: 18 Rookie ETA: 2023
Signed in July of 2018 and making his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2019, Reyes is a bit of a tweener prospect right now in terms of defensive positioning between third base and shortstop. He’s 6’1” and 195 pounds right now which is still a solid size for a shortstop but the issue is that he’s just 18 and likely to continue to physically mature both in height and adding muscle once Reyes makes his stateside debut in 2020 and gets on a regular weight training schedule. If he gets much bigger, it’s tougher to keep him at shortstop but he benefit is that the average power he has right now should transition to above-average to plus and make the bat play well at third base. Reyes has a good approach at the plate and doesn’t really chase pitches but there is some refinement to do in the swing to make it cleaner and quicker to the ball at times. Overall he profiles as a guy who should have an average hit tool with above-average power while playing solid defense at third base long-term for the Tigers.
LHP Age: 22 Double-A ETA: 2021
Wentz came over from the Braves in the deal for Shane Greene at the deadline last year and immediately improved his season at Double-A Erie with the change of scenery. In his five starts for the Tigers’ affiliate, the southpaw posted a 37:4 K:BB ratio and it’s possible he got a boost from pitching with Casey Mize , Matt Manning , and Alex Faedo . The lefty is more of a finesse pitcher, and I don’t mean that in the negative connotation it usually is said with for left-handers, as his fastball sits in the low-90s and the changeup is in the upper-70s and he relies on pinpoint control to miss bats the way he does. The issue with the lack of velocity is that it limits his upside in the rotation to more of a backend starter but a good comp for him would be Kyle Hendricks with the way he uses mixing pitches and keeping hitters off-balance to make his stuff play up, just like Wentz does right now. If he continues to show the ability he should in the second half of 2019, expect a short stint in Triple-A before Wentz joins the big league rotation.