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

Kody Eaves

Kody Eaves was originally drafted out of high school by the Los Angeles Angels in the 16th round of the 2012 draft.

He swiped 22 bags in a half season with the Angels rookie affiliate in 2013 before getting the promotion to A-Ball in 2014. Eaves hit .268 with 10 home runs and 25 stolen bases at that level.

He spent all of 2015 at High-A, hitting .248 with 11 home runs, 21 stolen bases and 71 RBI.

After the season, the Tigers traded first baseman Jefry Marte to acquire Eaves, then ranked the No. 22 prospect in the Angels system.

At the time of the deal, General Manager Al Avila was quoted as saying:

“He’s a second baseman, but he can play second, short, third, left field,” Tigers general manager Al Avila said. “Right now he’s going to play mostly second base. He hits left-handed, can run a little bit. He’s got a good arm. He can hit a little bit. He’s got a little pop. He’s going to start in Double-A.”

Eaves indeed spent all of 2016 at Double-A. While his batting average dipped to .222, his walk-rate skyrocketed to 10.4% and he added 11 home runs and six stolen bases.

2017 was Eaves’ strongest professional season, as he slashed .272/.343/.472 with 13 home runs and nine stolen bases. He also posted a 124 wRC+, the highest mark of his career.

That earned him a call-up to Triple-A Toledo, where Eaves went 7-for-27 (.259) in eight games.

Defensively, Eaves has started 119 games at third base and 64 games at second base while in Detroit’s organization.

It’s hard to say exactly what changed Avila’s mind, but with Jeimer Candelario blocking Eaves at third base his route to the major leagues will either be as a second baseman or as a utility infielder.

However, the 25-year-old will get a shot at the utility infielder role out of camp. Expect him to start the season out at Triple-A Toledo, but Eaves could make his big league debut in 2018.

Paul Voelker

The Tigers drafted Voelker in the tenth round of the 2014 draft out of baseball powerhouse Dallas Baptist. Voelker immediately made an impact, tossing 27 innings between rookie ball and short-season that summer and striking out 31.

2015 saw Voelker climb from A-Ball to High-A to Double-A. He threw 55.1 total innings and

We are looking at a guy who has similar size, velocity and offerings as former Tiger Al Alburquerque.

carved hitters up, striking out 63 and only walking 20.

His ERA at each level was 2.25, 1.64 and 2.60.

Voelker saw an uptick in his ERA across a full season at Double-A in 2016, but his strikeout numbers remained elite. In fact, the right-hander struck out 79 in just 54 innings of work. He acted as the closer, locking down 13 saves despite the 4.17 ERA (2.71 xFIP).

Voelker got his first taste of Triple-A in 2017. Although he only tossed three innings in Toledo, he posted a 2.17 ERA and struck out 30 in 29 innings at Double-A Erie.

Across 172.1 career minor league innings, Voelker has struck out 217 and walked only 62.

Voelker’s high strikeout numbers and good command point to a career in a major league bullpen. While his ceiling is that of a closer, he seems more likely to land in a middle relief capacity, possibly falling into a set-up role if needed. Voelker gets his fastball up into the mid-90’s, but his slider could be his best pitch.

We are looking at a guy who has similar size, velocity and offerings as former Tiger Al Alburquerque. Voelker has posted better walk numbers than Alburquerque did in the minors, so if he can keep that control he could be a valuable piece in the Tigers bullpen for many years.

At 25 years old, Voelker has the best chance of anyone on this list of making his major league debut in 2018.

Up next we have the son of a Tiger’s great whose performance is starting to look more like his father’s:

Cam Gibson

The son of legendary Tigers outfielder Kirk Gibson, Cam Gibson was drafted by the Tigers in the fifth round out of Michigan State in 2015.

After three games in rookie ball, Gibson finished the year out in short-season A-ball, where he hit .252 with six home runs and four stolen bases.

His first full season in 2016 was ugly, which significantly hurt his prospect stock.

He spent the entire year at Single-A. Across 394 at-bats, Gibson hit .221/.302/.330 with just six home runs and 26 stolen bases. While the speed was nice, Gibson’s inability to get on base and his 24.6% strikeout rate were cause for concern.

However, Gibson quietly rebuilt a lot of his stock last season. He started out at Single-A and hit .273 with 10 home runs and 12 stolen bases in 263 at-bats. His 14.9% strikeout rate was a dramatic improvement from the season previously, and his .205 ISO was nearly 100 points higher than he had in 2015.

His strong start at Single-A earned him a promotion to High-A, where he hit .240 in 146 at-bats. However, he posted a 12.6% walk-rate and added three home runs and seven steals.

Gibson’s success last season has earned him some attention. FanGraph’s Chris Mitchell profiled Gibson as one of the most improved hitting prospects during the season last year.

With a .274/.351/.496 batting line, Gibson seems to be growing into a speedy center fielder who can both hit and hit for power. Those can be quite valuable.

At 23 years old, Gibson is still a few years away from being MLB ready. However, his hitting has continued to improve at each level and it may not be long before another member of the Gibson family is wearing the Old English D.

Finally, we have a pitcher who posted some jaw-dropping numbers in West Michigan last year:

John Schreiber

A soon-to-be 24-year-old who has yet to pitch above Single-A rarely screams “big league potential”. However, Schreiber’s numbers at Class-A West Michigan last year were nothing short of eye-popping:

In 50.1 innings, Schreiber went 5-1 with 11 saves. He posted a 0.54(!) ERA and a 0.66 WHIP. He had a ridiculous 70:8 K:BB ratio. That equates to a 12.52% strikeout rate and a 1.43% walk rate. While he definitely had some luck on his side, his 1.37 FIP and 1.91 xFIP indicate a lot of his success was legitimate.

Schreiber came to the Tigers via the 2016 draft, where he was selected in the 15th round out of the University of Northwestern Ohio. His 2016 was spent in short-season A, where he threw 29.1 innings with a 2.76 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP.

His 2017 numbers were gaudy, but not a lot is known about Schreiber otherwise. Scouting reports are thin on kids from small colleges who get drafted on the third day of the draft.

However, numbers like Schreiber’s don’t come along all that often, and he is worth keeping an eye on as he progresses through Detroit’s system. He’s listed at 6’3 and 215 pounds, so he has the build to be a major league reliever. Strikeout numbers like his tend to point to high velocity, but that is purely speculation.

Next: Future Friday Prospect Report: Franklin Perez

There’s a real chance all four of these players enjoy a big league career in the Motor City. There’s also a chance none of them do. All prospects are volatile, regardless of the rankings.

Still, this group has shown some intrigue and promise in the Tigers farm system, and it is often the under-the-radar guys who make the biggest impact.

When the Tigers are competing in 3-5 years, players like these will have been the difference maker.