Detroit Tigers: Five prospects you could see on the Opening Day roster in 2018

Detroit Tigers fans could see a very different team begin the season in 2017. While a number of the team’s top prospects aren’t fully ready for the Majors, a handful could conceivably be on the Opening Day roster.

Detroit Tigers pitching prospect Franklin Perez could join the team in the Majors at some point in 2018.

The centerpiece of the Justin Verlander trade, Perez made it to Double-A Corpus Christi in the Houston system before being dealt to Detroit.

He didn’t make a start for Erie down the stretch, but the fact that he’s in Double-A suggests a Major League call up might not be far off.

It all depends on whether the extremely-advanced Perez is ready of course, but he could be in a Tigers uniform by the time July, August or September rolls around.

Sometimes pitchers don’t need much time in Triple-A before heading to the Majors.

Just look at Michael Fulmer, who threw just 15.1 innings for the Toledo Mud Hens in 2016 before joining Detroit’s rotation.

Of course, each situation is different and Perez only has 32 Double-A innings under his belt, but he’s potentially a strong start at Erie away from moving to Toledo.

After that, he’s just a phone call away with the Mud Hens.

Perez is one of a number of Double-A prospects who could be in Detroit by season’s end—if not earlier—in 2018.

The rest include slugger Christin Stewart, infielder Dawel Lugo and fellow starting pitcher Beau Burrows and Grayson Long.

This is all speculative mind you, but one other name to watch out for is Matt Hall.

The left-hander throws one of the more effective curveballs in the system as the pitch helped him rack up 149 strikeouts in 138.1 innings between Advanced-A Lakeland and Double-A Erie.

Despite not being able to overpower hitters, Hall’s curveball could be a weapon in a relief role before he moves back into the rotation in 2019.

Still, Hall has just six starts (35 innings) at Double-A so far in his career. If he made it to the Majors, it would likely be later in the season.

With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the Detroit Tigers prospects who could conceivably make the Opening Day roster.