Detroit Tigers: Connections to the 2018 NCAA Tournament

South Region

1. Virginia: Three Detroit Tigers will be rooting for the tournament’s number one overall seed. As Andy Patton noted earlier, catcher John Hicks is almost certain to make the Opening Day roster and righty Artie Lewicki could be up with Detroit again at some point in 2018.

The last of the trio is Danny Pinero, who was a ninth round pick in 2016. The 23-year old Canadian-born infielder hit .289 in 120 games with Class A West Michigan last year.

3. Tennessee: Like Virginia, there are three Tigers who played collegiately at Tennessee, led by former first round pick Christin Stewart. Stewart, Will Maddox, and A.J. Simcox played together for the Vols in 2013, and each played at least part of 2017 at Double-A Erie.

6. Miami (FL): After helping the Hurricanes reach back-to-back College World Series, Bryan Garcia was a sixth round pick of the Tigers in 2016. In his first full minor league season last year, the righty reached Triple-A Toledo. His progress will be slowed in 2018 however, after finding out last month he needed to have Tommy John surgery.

7. Nevada: A corner infielder, Jordan Pearce was a 21st round pick last year out of Nevada. Pearce hit .266 in 57 games across three levels last summer.

8. Creighton: Three former Bluejays are in the Detroit Tigers farm system, led by outfielder Mike Gerber. Gerber is hitting .316 this spring as he tries to crack the majors for the first time. Righty Kurt Spomer is another who could be with Detroit at some point, logging time at Triple-A in each of the last four years.

Rounding out the trio is outfielder Danny Woodrow, who hit .271 in 116 games for Class A West Michigan in 2017.

10. Texas: After spending 2017 in indy ball and Mexico, veteran lefty James Russell signed with the Tigers in the offseason to add depth. The other former Longhorn in the organization is new manager Ron Gardenhire.

East Region

4. Wichita State: A pair of former Shockers right-handers are currently in the minors with the Tigers. A.J. Ladwig started games at three different levels in 2017, including a pair of outings with Triple-A Toledo. John Hayes made 17 relief appearances with Short-Season Connecticut a year ago, and owns a 3.04 ERA in 47.1 professional innings.

6. Florida: The lone former Gator in the system is last year’s first round pick, righty Alex Faedo. Faedo has yet to throw a pitch for a Detroit Tigers affiliate, but already ranks as one of the top prospects in a rapidly improving farm system.

7. Arkansas: Joining big league backstop James McCann among former Razorbacks is Dominic Ficociello. Primarily a first baseman, Ficociello hit well enough with Double-A Erie last year to earn his first promotion to Triple-A Toledo, and an invite to big league camp this spring.

9. Alabama: Representing the Crimson Tide is former second round pick Spencer Turnbull. The righty had a tough time in his first stint at Double-A last year, making 2018 an important year in his development.

11a. St. Bonaventure: Shortstop Cole Peterson will be one of the first to see his team in action as his Bonnies play in the First Four Tuesday night in Dayton. A 13th round pick in 2017, Peterson hit .246 with Short-Season Connecticut in his debut campaign.

11b. UCLA: Shane Zeile, nephew of former big leaguer Todd Zeile, is Detroit’s lone former Bruin. UCLA is St. Bonaventure’s opponent in the First Four, making Zeile and Peterson the first two to have their alma maters go head-to-head. Zeile is a catcher that has been in the system for four years, climbing as high as Class A West Michigan.

13. Marshall: Righty Burris Warner is a former 22nd round pick who owns a 3.88 ERA in his first two minor league seasons. Fellow right-hander Brandyn Sittinger started his college career at Marshall before transferring to Ashland University in Ohio. Sittinger has an era of 1.94 in 51.0 pro innings.

14. Stephen F. Austin: A 12th round pick last year, Will Vest got his pro career off to a great start last summer. The right-hander posted a 2.83 ERA and struck out 28 in 28.2 innings.