Detroit Tigers Top Prospects: #10-#6, Smith, Baez, Hill, Alexander and Gerber

Detroit Tigers minor league players Drew Smith, Sandy Baez, Derek Hill, Tyler Alexander and Mike Gerber all show promise. They check in at #10-#6 on Motor City Bengals’ list of the top Tigers prospects.

Detroit Tigers fans have seen a number of veteran teams in recent memory.

Much of the team’s success in the past decade have been because of veteran standouts like Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander and Victor Martinez.

While the trio still play key roles on the roster, Detroit has integrated some exciting young talent into the team.

Michael Fulmer has shown that he’s already a frontline pitcher despite having just one season of Major League experience.

Elsewhere, Nick Castellanos is developing into a middle-of-the-order bat.

What’s more, James McCann, Bruce Rondon, Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd have all become consistent contributors.

With top prospects JaCoby Jones and Joe Jimenez likely becoming a part of the Major League roster in the next season, the Tigers are getting younger by the year.

Jones and Jimenez are two of the next wave of young Detroit Tigers players to carry the team into the future.

Here’s a look at five more of those prospects, who comprise the first half of Motor City Bengals’ top 10 Tigers prospects.

#10 Drew Smith
Age: 23
Position: Relief Pitcher
2016 Minor League Affiliate: West Michigan Whitecaps

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, the Detroit Tigers are developing another hard-throwing reliever.

Similar to the likes of Adam Ravenelle, Paul Voelker and some of the team’s 2016 draft picks, Drew Smith could be pitching out of Detroit’s bullpen for years to come.

Armed with a blazing fastball and a solid curveball, the former third-round pick has been excellent on the mound as a professional.

A reliever with the potential to pitch towards the end of games, Smith has done nothing but strike batters out in his minor league career.

Over the course of 79.2 innings in the last two seasons, the 23-year-old has struck out nearly a third (100) of the batters he’s faced (315).

All told, that’s good for 11.3 punch outs per nine innings.

It hasn’t just been the strikeouts either, Smith has done an excellent job of keeping runs off the board.

Since making his debut in 2015, the reliever has allowed just 17 total earned runs. If he continue at that rate, he could be pitching out of the Tigers bullpen sooner rather than later.

Potential Future Role With the Detroit Tigers

It remains to be seen who the Tigers’ closer of the future will be, but the team certainly isn’t short on options.

Smith could eventually pitch at the end of games, and gives Detroit another power arm to build around.

#9 Sandy Baez
Age: 23
Position: Starting Pitcher
2016 Minor League Affiliate: West Michigan Whitecaps

This past offseason, the Detroit Tigers added a trio of pitching prospects to the 40-man roster.

Two were Chad Bell and Myles Jaye, both acquired from Texas in the Bryan Holaday and Bobby Wilson deals.

Both Bell and Jaye could contribute in the Motor City next season, but the third prospect added is a few years away from being ready.

That would be Sandy Baez.

Baez, who spent the 2016 campaign with West Michigan, likely won’t make his Major League debut next season. However, when he does, he could have a sizeable impact.

The 23-year-old right-hander can dial up his fastball, flirting with triple digits in the process. What’s more, he also mixes in two promising off-speed pitches.

In 113.1 innings with West Michigan, the prospect turned in a 3.81 ERA and 7.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

While Baez didn’t overwhelm with strikeout numbers, he has the stuff to rack up more punch outs as time goes by.

Additionally, the starter limited damage, giving up just 2.2 walks and 0.6 home runs per nine innings.

Potential Future Role With the Detroit Tigers

Detroit has some intriguing starting talent coming through the ranks. Baez will certainly be in the mix for a rotation spot down the road given his upside.

#8 Derek Hill
Age: 21
Position: Center Fielder
2016 Minor League Affiliate: West Michigan Whitecaps

We interrupt the pitching section of this article to bring you former first-round pick Derek Hill.

A center fielder armed with elite speed, Hill has been slowed by injuries early in his minor league career. However, when he’s been on the field, he flashes significant upside.

In just 193 games played, the 21-year-old has already swiped 71 bases. What’s more, his bat is beginning to improve.

Over the span of 93 games for West Michigan in 2016, the 21-year-old hit 266 with a .312 on-base percentage.

He also chipped in with 66 runs scored, 31 RBI, 17 doubles, six triples and a home run.

Potential Future Role With the Detroit Tigers

Hill will miss part of the 2017 season after suffering an arm injury in early August last season. When healthy, he has the upside to be an exciting part of Detroit’s future.

Should he reach the Majors, Hill could eventually force JaCoby Jones to another position.

Long-term, the Tigers could have an elite outfield defense with the former first-round pick and Jones covering two-thirds of the outfield grass.

Coupled with young defenders like James McCann and Dixon Machado, Detroit could possess one of the league’s best defenses.

#7. Tyler Alexander
Age: 22
Position: Starting Pitcher
2016 Minor League Affiliate: Erie SeaWolves

The Detroit Tigers have a number of promising prospects to fill out the team’s future rotation. Michael Fulmer, Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd will be part of the equation, as will Matt Manning.

Additionally, Baez, Kyle Funkhouser, Beau Burrows, Spencer Turnbull and Myles Jaye could all be in the mix. However, despite the talent, expect Tyler Alexander to be part of the equation.

A second round pick in 2015, Alexander has already made it to Double-A.

In 136.1 innings split between Advanced-A Lakeland and Double-A Erie, the starter turned in a sparkling 2.44 ERA while notching a 1.049 WHIP.

He also struck out 6.9 batters per nine frames while allowing just 1.3 walks and 0.7 home runs per nine innings.

What is perhaps most impressive about Alexander’s 2016 stat line is that he hit the ground running in his first six starts with the SeaWolves.

Over six starts, the 22-year-old gave up four walks compared to 23 strikeouts. The TCU product also logged a 3.15 ERA in 34.1 innings.

Potential Future Role With the Detroit Tigers

Alexander will eventually be starting games for Detroit. The fact that he’s already reached Double-A is an obvious plus, as is his ability to limit walks.

With solid command an ability to induce grounders, Alexander will be a solid starter for the Tigers.