Detroit Tigers Prospects Ready for September Audition

The Detroit Tigers may be limping to the end of a disappointing season but September gives fans a chance to look into the team’s future. In a couple of days talent from the minor league system will begin arriving at Comerica Field to begin their auditions for a role on the 2016 roster.

Beginning September 1, the Tigers play 26 of their final 32 games against AL Central competition. If any prospects want to prove their ready to compete on the Major League level there’s no better way than to do it against a heavy schedule of division rivals.

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There are a handful of 2016 hopefuls who are already on the scene in Detroit.

Daniel Norris, acquired in the David Price trade, made four starts for the Tigers before landing on the 15-day disabled list with a right oblique strain. He was  1-1 in two decisions but the team was 3-1 in the four games he started. Norris pitched 21.1 innings and struck out 16. It’s likely his 2015 season is over but he’s expected to be a front-runner for a spot in the starting rotation in 2016.

Matt Boyd, another acquisition in the Price trade, is 1-2 in his four starts. He’s had a tougher run than Norris in his time with the Tigers but will get opportunities to impress in September and win a job in the rotation next spring.

Buck Farmer impressed the team in spring training but has yet to find success with the Tigers in the regular season. With the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens in 2015 he was 7-3 with a 4.15 ERA but his FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) of 3.28 shows promise. With Anibal Sanchez on the disabled list and expected to miss the rest of the season Farmer may never get a better chance to show what he can do on the big stage.

Relievers Drew VerHagen and Guido Knudson are also getting extended chances to prove they belong in Detroit in 2016. Here are others who have earned an oportunity to impress the Tigers and their fans this September.

May 23, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher

(53) pitches in the second inning against the Houston Astros at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Lobstein, Starting Pitcher

Lobstein didn’t make the team out of spring training but was the man the Tigers called on when Justin Verlander started the season on the disabled list. He was 3-5 with a 4.34 ERA in his eight starts before he was put on the 60-day disabled list due to soreness in his left shoulder.

Lobstein wasn’t a dominant pitcher but was only hit hard  in one start and was a stabilizing force in the rotation as the fifth starter while the team waited for Verlander to heal.

Lobstein has already completed one rehab start at Single-A Lakeland and has pitched twice for Toledo. He should be activated and back in Detroit in September.

Feb 28, 2015; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers right fielder

(63) poses during Photo day at Joker Merchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Wynton Bernard, Outfielder

Bernard was going nowhere in the San Diego Padres’ system before the Tigers picked him up for 2014. He was invited to the Tigers big league camp in spring training this year and played the season with the Double-A Erie SeaWolves.

Bernard totaled 145 hits in 493 at-bats for a .294 average and walked 33 times to give him a .343 OBP. He stole 39 bases on just his speed last season and will improve on that once as he gains professional experience.

He’s younger and has more potential at the plate than Triple-A outfielder Dan Fields and it’s not uncommon anymore for a player to make the jump from Double-A to the Majors. Of these two outfielders on the 40-man roster Bernard should get a chance in September to show what he has to offer.

May 14, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers catcher

(50) hits a single in the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Bryan Holaday, Catcher

Holaday backed up Alex Avila in 2014 and spent time in Detroit when Avila was on the disabled list earlier in the season. Now with James McCann entrenched as the starting catcher and Avila likely on his way out the Tigers will see if Holaday is still the man they want as the backup in 2016.

Holaday hit .271 in his 48 plate appearances earlier in the season but has struggled this season in Toledo. Defensively he has the skills most teams look for in their backup catcher.

He was sidelined in August with a dislocated thumb that initially looked like it would end his season but he recovered quickly and is healthy for September.

Michael Fulmer, Starting Pitcher

Fulmer came to the Tigers in the deal for Yoenis Cespedes and just finished his season at Double-A by being named Eastern League Pitcher of the Year. For Binghamton in the New York Mets’ system and Erie for the Tigers Fulmer made 22 starts with a 10-3 record, 2.06 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 120.2 innings pitched.

The Tigers would have to make a move to add Fulmer to their 40-man roster so he’d be available for a September call-up but that scenario is not as farfetched as it seems. Detroit has to add him to the roster prior to the Rule 5 Draft in December or risk losing him to another team. Why wait if the move is going to be made anyway?

Fulmer may be ticketed for a full season at Toledo next season but the Tigers should reward fans after a disastrous 2015 with a taste of what’s to come.

May 30, 2014; Toledo, OH, USA; Toledo Mud Hens third baseman

(27) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Charlotte Knights 3-2 at Fifth Third Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Hessman, Third and First Base

No, the Tigers are not going to make a roster move just to bring the Minor League’s career home run champion to Detroit for a final big league hurrah, but it sure would be fun if they did. What better way to remind fans that Major League Baseball is essentially just a bunch of adults playing a kids game for money (granted, loads and loads of money).

Earlier this month Hessman became the MiLB’s Sultan of Swat with home run No. 433 for his career. Crash Davis can only dream of the numbers Hessman has put up since his professional baseball career began in 1996, where he hit one home run for the Atlanta Braves’ Gulf Coast Rookie League team.

In parts of five seasons in “The Show” Hessman collected only 42 hits in 250 plate appearances but 14 of those were home runs. He spent time in 2007 and 2008 with the Tigers and his last appearance in a big league uniform was in 2010 with the Mets. He’s planning to retire anyway. Why not bow to the magic of baseball and let him do it as a Major Leaguer.