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

Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila is in the midst of building a more sustainable farm system. Here are eight players in the lower levels of the minors worth watching next season.

Detroit Tigers fans haven’t exactly seen the gold standard of farm systems in years past.

Under former general manager Dave Dombrowski, the franchise opted to deal many of its brightest minor league talents for upgrade at the Major League level.

Sometimes, this strategy worked out brilliantly as the prospects traded away didn’t pan out while the players Detroit received thrived.

While the respective acquisitions of Miguel Cabrera, Doug Fister and Jhonny Peralta were all definite wins for the Tigers, there were losses as well.

The Devon Travis–Anthony Gose swap stands out as a retrospectively poor deal for Detroit. The same can likely be said of the trades to acquire Edgar Renteria, Jose Veras and Joakim Soria.

However, things are different with Al Avila at the helm.

Detroit’s current general manager already added intriguing talent in his first draft in charge. The likes of Matt Manning, Kyle Funkhouser, Mark Ecker, Bryan Garcia and Zac Houston all have the upside to be key members of the Tigers roster.

Prospects like Manning, Christin Stewart, Funkhouser and Beau Burrows are some of the more notable names in the system, but there are plenty of other prospects to keep an eye on.

Here are eight players from the lower levels of the Detroit Tigers farm system that are worth monitoring next season.

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.

Kody Eaves
Age: 23
Position: Infielder
2016 Minor League Affiliate: Erie SeaWolves

Acquired from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for Jefry Marte, Eaves wrapped up his first full season above the Single-A level in 2016.

The 23-year-old only hit .222 with Erie, but did post a career-high .733 OPS at Double-A.

What is perhaps most impressive about the prospect is his ability to fill the stat sheet.

In 134 games for Advanced-A Inland Empire in 2015, the former 16^th-round pick collected 71 RBI, 70 runs scored, 21 stolen bases, 17 doubles, 11 triples and 11 home runs.

Eaves continued to contribute in a number of different ways for Detroit’s Double-A squad last season.

Overall, the infielder drove in 51 runs while also adding 42 runs scored, 24 doubles, 11 home runs, six stolen bases and four triples.

Able to play both second and third base, Eaves could eventually find a role as a contributor with the Tigers.

Ryan Milton
Age: 25
Position: Relief Pitcher
2016 Minor League Affiliate: West Michigan Whitecaps

At 25-years-old, Milton isn’t your traditional prospect, but it’s hard to argue with his results so far in the lower minors.

The right-hander owns a 2.76 ERA in 84.2 frames since being drafted in the 23^rd round in 2015.

Additionally, Milton has also struck out 11.5 batters per nine innings since becoming a professional.

Milton will obviously have to continue his success against better competition. However, if he does, there’s upside to be had coming out of the bullpen.

Anthony Pereira
Age: 20
Position: Infielder
2016 Minor League Affiliate: Erie SeaWolves

On the surface, Pereira’s .208 batting average and .560 OPS don’t jump off the page.

However, in the infielder’s 38 games played last season, he routinely played against significantly older competition.

Per the player’s Baseball Reference page, opposing players were an average of 2.1 years older than him in the New York-Pennsylvania League.

Following his jump to West Michigan, his colleagues in the Midwestern League were 2.5 years older.

The same story was true in Pereira’s stops in the Florida State League (3.7 years older) and the Eastern League (5.3 years older).

If the Tigers were comfortable with promoting him against older competition, he clearly has upside. Watch this space.

Zach Shepherd
Age: 21
Position: Third Baseman
2016 Minor League Affiliate: Lakeland Flying Tigers

Similar to Pereira, Shepherd also spent the 2016 season hitting against players who were much older than him.

According to the Australia native’s Baseball Reference page, Shepherd’s competition in the Florida State League this season was 2.7 years older than him.

While the infielder’s .186 batting average wasn’t anything to write home about, Shepherd did manage to turn in a .301 on-base percentage. What’s more, he also started to showcase some power.

Next: Nine 2016 Tigers Draft Picks to Watch Next Season

In 121 games, Shepherd smashed 15 home runs to go along with 20 doubles and a triple. The third baseman also chipped in with 64 walks and 62 runs scored.