Detroit Tigers: Eight Prospects in the Low Minors to Keep an Eye on in 2017

Felix Viloria
Age: 20
Position: Relief Pitcher
2016 Minor League Affiliate: Connecticut Tigers

After two seasons of posting strong numbers in the Dominican Summer League, Viloria made the jump States-side and thrived.

A pitcher with starting experience, the 20-year-old threw exclusively out of the bullpen in stints in the Gulf Coast League and the New York-Pennsylvania League.

All told, the left-hander turned in a sparkling 1.40 ERA in 25.2 frames. He also struck out 10.5 batters per nine innings of the same span.

Matt Hall
Age: 23
Position: Starting Pitcher
2016 Minor League Affiliate: Lakeland Flying Tigers

A sixth-round pick in the 2015 edition of the draft, Hall was solid (2.91 ERA, 9.0 K/9) in his first 11 professional starts in his debut season.

However, the prospect gained attention for his numbers with Single-A West Michigan last season.

In just 12 starts, or 66.1 innings, Hall dominated.

The left-hander turned in a microscopic 1.09 ERA while punching out 9.8 batters per nine frames. What’s more, he limited walks, with just 21 total. That spits out to only 2.8 free passes allowed per nine innings.

A promotion to Advanced-A Lakeland saw the pitcher’s ERA rise to 4.15, but he still struck eight batters per nine innings.

Overall, Hall went 11-2 with a 2.55 ERA and 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings during the 2016 season.

If he can post similar numbers in his next few minor league stops, he could eventually force his way into the Detroit Tigers rotation.