Detroit Tigers: Prospects entering make-or-break seasons

Grayson Greiner

There are a lot of similarities between Grayson Greiner and Derek Hill. Both were drafted in 2014, both boast good defense but have struggled to hit in the minors, and both saw their security blanket ripped away from them in the Justin Verlander trade.

While Daz Cameron represents the threat to Hill, Greiner is on the hot seat thanks to Jake Rogers. Rogers was recently named to the Minor League All-Defensive team, and has been labeled the best defensive catcher in the minors.

The 25-year-old Greiner has had short bursts of offensive success, surrounded by lengthy lapses that have held him up.

After getting drafted in June of 2014, Greiner spent the rest of the season dominating Single-A. He hit .322 with a .394 on-base percentage. That led to him starting out in High-A ball in 2015. He spent the entire season at that level, slashing an ugly .183/.254/.250 with just three home runs in 312 at-bats.

Greiner’s strongest season to date was in 2016. The right-hander hit .293 with seven home runs across three levels, mostly spent in Double-A. Greiner went backward again in 2017, hitting only .237, although he did blast a career-high 14 home runs.

Falling down the depth chart

The power is a nice bonus, but at 25 years of age and with only 18 career at-bats at Triple-A, Greiner’s clock is definitely ticking. Indeed the Tigers clearly do not think Greiner is ready for the show, bringing in veteran’s Brayan Pena and Derek Norris to compete with John Hicks to back up starter James McCann. Both Pena and Norris could start out in Triple-A, effectively blocking Greiner at that level.

More than likely, one of Pena or Norris will get released and Greiner will get his chance in Toledo. However, there’s little reason to expect the Tigers to invest in him if he doesn’t have a strong season next year. With Rogers waiting in the wings, Greiner will have to really sting the ball next season if he wants to make the big leagues in Detroit.