Detroit Tigers: Four under-the-radar prospects to keep an eye on

The Detroit Tigers are beefing up their farm system with an eye toward the future. While the big name prospects get all the attention, here are four under-the-radar players who could make an impact in the Motor City.

The Detroit Tigers are in rebuilding mode, and with that comes a flurry of new prospects for Tiger fans to follow. While Franklin Perez, Daz Cameron, Isaac Paredes and Alex Faedo are getting most of the attention there are plenty of other, less heralded prospects in the Tigers farm system that could someday make an impact in the motor city.

The Tigers have a storied history of finding “diamonds in the rough”.

Bobby Higginson, who hit 187 home runs for the Tigers, was a 12th round pick in 1992.

Former first baseman Chris Shelton was a 33rd round pick by the Pirates whom the Tigers snagged in the Rule 5 draft. He went on to post back-to-back productive seasons from 2005-2006 before injuries derailed his career.

Flamethrower Joel Zumaya threw 209 innings of 3.05 ERA ball after being selected in the 11th round of the 2002 draft.

And lastly, Gabe Kapler was selected in the 57th round of the 1995 MLB draft. He went on to play in 1,104 games in the major leagues, including 137 with the Tigers.

It’s hard to say whether any of the following players will be big leaguers. However, they all have intriguing numbers in the minor leagues and could contribute for the Tigers, some as soon as 2018.

Without further ado, here are four prospects to pay attention to this upcoming season: