Detroit Tigers: Nine Under the Radar Prospects to Watch in 2017

Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila has set about rebuilding the team’s minor league system. So far it has been a success. Here are some under the radar prospects to keep an eye on for 2017.

Detroit Tigers minor league affiliates haven’t exactly been the gold standard of producing Major League talent as of late.

Sure, Nick Castellanos, James McCann and Bruce Rondon have established themselves as intregal parts of Detroit’s current roster, but most of the team started their respective careers elsewhere.

From Miguel Cabrera to Andrew Romine and Michael Fulmer to Blaine Hardy, many prominent Tigers were drafted or signed by other organizations. This has forced Detroit to dip into its own farm system to acquire said players.

Initially, the strategy worked.

Cabrera was acquired for Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller and package of other players. However, neither Maybin nor Miller stuck in Florida.

Both have come into their own in recent seasons, but the Tigers came away the obvious winners. What’s more, Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez, Omar Infante and Jose Iglesias came over in similarly lopsided deals.

However, there have been some recent deals that have clearly hurt Detroit’s farm system.

Dealing Devon Travis (5.3 WAR in 163 games for Toronto) for Anthony Gose was a misfire, as was dealing David Paulino (ranked as Houston’s fourth best prospect by MLB.com) for a half season of Jose Veras.

Since becoming general manager, Al Avila has focused on keeping Detroit’s premier prospects in the system, opting to develop them instead of move them for Major League upgrades.

While the likes of Matt Manning, Joe Jimenez, Beau Burrows and Mike Gerber all likely to contribute to the Tigers down the line, Detroit is set up well for the future. However, the team may be even better off should some of the other players in the system develop.

Manning and Burrows, along with Kyle Funkhouser, Derek Hill and Christin Stewart all came in as high draft picks. They were expected to, and have become some of the organization’s best prospects.

However, players like Jimenez, Gerber and Jose Azocar didn’t enter with as much fanfare. The trio have done nothing but produce in the minors and have vaulted themselves into the discussion regarding Detroit’s best hopes for the future.

There are likely to be more players like those three in the coming seasons. While the following players may not make their Major League debut in 2017, they’re worth keeping an eye on next year.

Position Players

Will Maddox

Positions: First Base and Second Base
2016 Affiliate: West Michigan Whitecaps

Taken as an 18^th-round pick in 2014, Maddox hit .270 over 48 games in his first professional season with Connecticut.

However, after being limited to 13 games in 2015, the 24-year-old enjoyed a stellar campaign in West Michigan last season.

In 127 games, Maddox hit .339 with a stellar .380 on-base percentage. He only struck out 89 times while scoring 59 runs. What’s more, he collected 58 RBI, 28 stolen bases, 23 doubles, three triples and a home run.

All told, the Tennessee product lead the Midwest League in hits and finished fourth in batting average, sixth in stolen bases and ninth in total bases. He also ranked in the top 25 in sacrifice hits (14^th), on-base percentage (15^th) RBI (18^th), runs scored (22^nd) and doubles (23^rd).

With the rare defensive flexibility to play both first and second base, Maddox could eventually be playing in Comerica Park if he can keep hitting.

Grayson Greiner

Position: Catcher
2016 Affiliate: Toledo Mud Hens

A defensive catcher who finished up the season with a game in Toledo, Greiner turned in a productive year at the plate for both Lakeland and Erie this past season. The 24-year-old hit .293 in total, including 42 RBI, 34 runs scored, 15 doubles, seven home runs, three triples and a stolen base.

The backstop also posted a respectable .339 on-bae percentage while throwing out 33% of would-be base stealers.

Should Jarrod Saltalamacchia depart in free agency and either James McCann or John Hicks are unable to play, Grenier could make his Major League debut next season.

Kody Eaves

Positions: Second Base and Third Base
2016 Affiliate: Erie SeaWolves

Acquired from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for Jefry Marte last offseason, Kody Eaves brought plenty of promise with him.

A second baseman with the ability to stuff the stat sheet, he scored 74 runs while hitting .268 in 2014. Eaves also contributed 45 RBI, 37 doubles, 25 stolen bases, 10 home runs and seven triples for Burlington in the Midwest League.

The former 16^th-round draft pick followed that up with a 2015 season at Inland Empire (the equivalent of playing for Lakeland) where he hit .248 with 71 RBI, 70 runs scored, 21 stolen bases, 17 doubles, 11 home runs and 11 triples.

In his first season in the Tigers system, Eaves played just 106 games, but also saw time at third base. Despite a .222 batting average, the 23-year-old chipped in with 51 RBI, 42 runs scored, 24 doubles, 11 home runs, six stolen bases and four triples for Erie.

The player finished 2016 on a tear, hitting .351 with 13 hits, seven RBI, five runs scored, two home runs, a pair of walks and a stolen base over his final 37 at-bats.

While his overall batting average isn’t ideal, Eaves’ ability to contribute to the game in a number of ways is intriguing. If he can continue to be the kind of player who fills out the stat sheet, Detroit could come away with a steal.

Relievers

Mark Ecker

Throws: Right-Handed
2016 Affiliate: West Michigan Whitecaps

The first player selected by the Tigers after Matt Manning and Kyle Funkhouser, Mark Ecker has done nothing but dominate in his first 27.2 innings of professional works.

It’s obviously a small sample size, but the recent fifth-round draft pick allowed just five walks and three runs in two stops during the 2016 campaign at Connecticut and West Michigan. In addition, the Texas A&M product finished 16 games and notched nine saves.

Of the 103 batters he faced, Ecker struck out nearly a third of them (31). All told, he fanned 10.1 batters per nine innings, walked just 1.6 per nine frames and turned in a miniscule 0.98 ERA. If he can continue to find success against better competition, it may not be long before he’s pitching out of Detroit’s bullpen.

Zac Houston

Throws: Right-Handed
2016 Affiliate: West Michigan Whitecaps

Another right-handed, 2016 draftee out of college who started in Connecticut before being promoted to West Michigan, Houston may have turned in a better first season than Ecker.

Over 29.2 innings of work, the 6’5” reliever posted a 0.30 ERA while allowing 15 walks. While his walk numbers were higher than Ecker’s, so were Houston’s strikeout totals, with 49 punch outs. That equates to a rate of 14.9 strikeouts per nine innings. Like his West Michigan teammate, Houston could move quickly through the system if he can sustain his success.

Bryan Garcia

Throws: Right-Handed
2016 Affiliate: West Michigan Whitecaps

As it would happen, Bryan Garcia was also drafted out of college by the Detroit Tigers in the 2016 draft. He also started in Connecticut (yes, there’s a definite theme going on here) before making the move to West Michigan.

While Garcia struggled in his only outing for West Michigan, allowing three hits and three runs in just two thirds of an inning, he was dominant with Connecticut. The right-hander pitched to a 1.00 ERA while striking out 21 batters in 18 innings. Over the same span, he only walked three, which bodes well for the future.