Detroit Tigers Top 25 Prospects: 20-18, Turnbull, Houston and Garcia

Detroit Tigers minor league pitchers Spencer Turnbull, Zac Houston and Bryan Garcia all have promising futures. They rank 20^th through 18^th on Motor City Bengals’ list of Detroit’s top 25 prospects.

Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila has set about rebuilding the franchise’s farm system. After years of trades, the Tigers building for a sustainable future.

Through the draft, Avila has added high-upside players like Matt Manning and Kyle Funkhouser to add to an already promising nucleus.

That nucleus, or future nucleus as it were, also includes the likes of Michael Fulmer, Nick Castellanos, Daniel Norris, Joe Jimenez, Christin Stewart, Matt Boyd, JaCoby Jones and Bruce Rondon.

All told, the future is bright in Detroit.

In addition to the aforementioned names, players like Derek Hill, Tyler Alexander, Jose Azocar and Mike Gerber have show plenty of promise in the minor leagues.

As of late, the Tigers have fared in terms of selecting pitchers in the early rounds of drafts.

The likes of Manning, Funkhouser and Burrows obviously possess high ceilings, but there is intriguing upside in other recently-drafted pitchers.

Checking in ahead of the likes of Jairo Labourt, Victor Alcantara, Gerson Moreno and Myles Jaye, these three pitchers could be key parts of the Detroit Tigers’ future.

19. Zac Houston
Age: 22
Throws: Right-Handed
Role: Relief Pitcher
2016 Minor League Affiliate: Connecticut Tigers

A potential steal in the 11^th round of the 2016 draft, Houston enjoyed an outstanding first season in the professional ranks.

Starting the season off at Connecticut in the New York-Penn League, the 6’5” right-hander didn’t allow a run in his first 10 innings. Over the same span, he racked up 19 strikeouts to just three walks.

Unfortunately, Houston did allow an earned run after his promotion to West Michigan.

The Mississippi State product saw his ERA rise from 0.00 to 0.46 after allowing just a single run in 19.2 frames for the Whitecaps.

In addition to keeping runners from crossing home plate, the 22-year-old also continued to strike batters out at a high rate.

During his time with West Michigan, the prospect punched out 13.7 batters per nine innings.

Potential Future Role With the Detroit Tigers

Considering that Houston made such light work out of opposing hitters in both the New York-Penn League and the Midwest League it would be a surprise to see him advance even further in the minors next season.

The right-hander will have to keep his walks down (5.5 free passes per nine frames with the White Caps), but his ability to keep runs off the board and strike batters out should see him reach Detroit’s bullpen sooner rather than later.

18. Bryan Garcia
Age: 21
Throws: Right-handed
Role: Relief Pitcher
2016 Minor League Affiliate: Connecticut Tigers

Similar to Houston, Bryan Garcia is looking like a shrewd draft selection by Al Avila and the rest of the Detroit Tigers front office.

The 21-year-old also made the jump from Connecticut to West Michigan in his first taste of pro ball.

In 18 innings of work, the former sixth-round pick turned in a pristine 1.00 ERA while finishing 12 games.

All told, Garcia allowed just one home run and three walks in his time with Connecticut.

Additionally, the right-hander showed an affinity for striking batters out by fanning 21 hitters. That’s good for 10.5 punch outs per nine frames.

Potential Future Role With the Detroit Tigers

While Garcia struggled in his lone appearance for West Michigan, allowing three runs in just two thirds of an inning, he shows plenty of upside moving forward.

Like Houston, the former University of Miami pitcher could also progress through Detroit’s system quickly if he can continue to post strong strikeout numbers.

What’s more, Garcia also has closing experience, with six saves already in his first professional season.

Next: Detroit's #21 Prospect

If the right-hander can continue to miss bats and record outs, he could eventually settle into a late-inning relief role for the Tigers.