Detroit Tigers Minor League Report: Week 1

The Detroit Tigers are in rebuilding mode. “Future Friday” is a segment where we examine the bevy of prospects in Detroit and their future impact in the Motor City.

In last week’s minor league preview, we took a look at players to watch at each level of the Detroit Tigers system. As the season rolls on, we’ll examine how players are doing as they try to climb the organization ladder.

Toledo Mud Hens

Toledo has started their 2018 season 5-2, thanks in large part to some hot bats. Through seven games, the Mud Hens are hitting .281 as a team.

Edwin Espinal is 9-for-20 and hit a homer off the scoreboard in the Mud Hens home opener Thursday.

Dawel Lugo is raking in his first taste of Triple-A. The top infield prospect has at least one hit in all seven games, and two hits in five of them.

Two different Mud Hens were within one hit of the cycle this week. On Opening Day, Mike Gerber was a triple shy, and on Tuesday, Jim Adduci was a double short. Adduci played in 29 games for the Detroit Tigers last year, while Gerber is likely to make his MLB debut in 2018.

Jason Krizan had the biggest game of them all. On Monday, Krizan had four hits, including a pair of homers, and drove in six.

The Mud Hens also welcomed Mikie Mahtook this week, as he was sent down after Wednesday’s game against Cleveland. Lefty Chad Bell was called up to take his place on the Detroit Tigers 25-man roster.

Bell gave up a run on two hits with five strikeouts in his lone start for Toledo. Andy Patton wrote earlier in the week that this is the right move for both Bell and the Tigers.

Erie SeaWolves

The SeaWolves started 3-0, but have now lost four straight under new manager Andrew Graham. Erie’s great start was due in large part to the starting pitching. Beau Burrows, Sandy Baez, and Spencer Turnbull each turned in strong outings in their first starts of 2018.

On Opening Night, Burrows dealt five scoreless frames, allowed one hit, and struck out six. The next night, Baez did not yield a run over four and two-thirds, and fanned 10. Turnbull then allowed one run over four and two-thirds, while striking out seven.

Offensively, Erie has been led by shortstop Sergio Alcantara. Alcantara came to Detroit as part of the deal that sent J.D. Martinez to Arizona. In the first two Double-A games of his career, Alcantara went 5-for-7.

The 21-year old leads the SeaWolves in average (.385), hits (10), and RBIs (six). Not bad production for a guy who has started six of seven games in the nine slot. On the down side, Erie has eight errors already, and Alcantara made three of them.

James McCann’s former college teammate Dominic Ficociello has also had a good start at the plate. Ficociello has hit safely in all seven games and is hitting .346.

Jake Rogers drove in three in the SeaWolves first two games, but had a rough week after that. One of the prizes in the Justin Verlander deal, Rogers is hitting .208, with zero extra-base hits. He’s also already had two passed balls. Not exactly what you’re looking for from one of the best catching prospects in the minors.

Good luck to the SeaWolves in their home opener tonight against Altoona at UPMC Park!

Lakeland Flying Tigers

The Flying Tigers are off to a 3-5 start. The big story for Lakeland this week was the pro debut of Alex Faedo.

Faedo took the ball last Friday night, and pitched very well after a rocky start. Last year’s first round pick, Faedo gave up back-to-back homers, and then hit a batter with one out in the first inning.

After a flyout and a caught stealing by Andres Sthormes ended the frame, Faedo went into cruise control. The righty did not allow a base runner the rest of the night, retiring the final 13 batters he faced.

Another solid outing followed on Wednesday night. Faedo allowed one run on two hits in five and a third. Through two starts, Faedo has struck out nine in 10.1 innings, hasn’t walked a batter, and yielded just four hits, for a .118 opponent’s average.

Like Beau Burrows for Erie, Gregory Soto also pitched very well on Opening Night. The late-blooming lefty gave up one hit and struck out five through five scoreless innings. He got knocked around a little in his second start, but still managed to fan seven in four and a third.

After being hit by a pitch in his first High-A plate appearance, Isaac Paredes homered his next time up on Opening Day for Lakeland. Unfortunately, he has struggled since. He’s 3-for-23, with no walks and five strikeouts. However, Paredes is only 19, which is very young for High-A, and has huge upside for the Tigers.