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

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: