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Detroit Tigers Links: Hot prospect, Jose Iglesias progresses, more David Price rumors

By Matt Pelc |

The Detroit Tigers have been knocked for years for not having a lot of pieces in their minor league system.

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Yet time and time again, the team has traded parts of the “crappy” minor leagues for top-caliber major league talent. One prospect that is rising up through the minor league ranks for the organization is Angel Nesbitt. Though his highest level to this point was a stint in Double-A, the Tigers love his pitch speed and wouldn’t be opposed to seeing him in Detroit in 2015.

Next up, the all important update on Jose Iglesias. The Tigers traded another young shortstop in Eugenio Suarez earlier this month, which seems to indicate that the team is confident in Iglesias’ health for next year.

Yesterday we discussed how the Tigers and lefty starter David Price have not engaged in contract extension talks and that he could be on the trade block. More news on that below.

Detroit Tigers prospect Angel Nesbitt improves secondary pitches, could reach majors in 2015 – Chris Iott, MLive

“He throws in the upper 90s, so who’s to say that all of a sudden he’s not ready to pitch for us?” Dombrowski said. “This guy, he throws hard. He’s a good pitcher, too. Other hard throwers that we’ve brought up in the past, he’s in the same neighborhood as them. He was successful at Double-A for us.”Nesbitt, a 24-year-old right-hander, is listed at 6-feet, 1 inch tall and 237 pounds. His best pitch is his fastball, which he generally throws at 94 or 95 mph but sometimes touches 98.Tigers assistant general manager Al Avila said Nesbitt also has an “above-average” changeup and a slider that shows a lot of promise.“Angel really made strides with control and command last year of both those pitches,” said Avila, who said Nesbitt could end up in Detroit this season whether he starts it in Toledo or Double-A Erie.Nesbitt is 13-12 with a 3.71 ERA in six professional seasons, but his numbers have been much better over the past two seasons. Nesbitt went 3-4 with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.209 WHIP in 52 relief appearances for Single-A West Michigan in 2013, then posted a 3-0 record, a 1.48 ERA and a 0.990 WHIP in 2014 while splitting time equally between Single-A Lakeland and Double-A Erie.

Tigers SS Jose Iglesias makes progress toward return – Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press

Iglesias, 24, is expected to return and assume the Tigers’ starting shortstop role in 2015.He’s running on a physical therapy treadmill designed to put less pressure on his feet.“He’s running almost 100% on that,” Dombrowski said, saying he is where he needs to be without any pain.“All very encouraging,” he said. “They tell me he’ll be OK.”

MLB Trade Rumors: Buzz Surrounding David Price, Blue Jays’ Next Move – Kenny DeJohn, Bleacher Report

In an ideal world, the Tigers would be able to both re-sign Scherzer and keep Price next season. By not giving Price an extension now, that would free up the necessary funds to ink the right-hander.Scherzer’s market has been slow to develop, despite him being head-and-shoulders the best pitcher left on the market. It could take a major move for the dominoes to start falling.Trading Price qualifies as a major move.Not that many teams would have the necessary prospects to get something done. The Boston Red Sox, Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs do, so they would likely be players.

Next: Tigers and David Price not discussing long-term deal

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