Detroit Tigers Minor League Report: Week 2

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.

The first two weeks of the minor league season are in the books for the Detroit Tigers affiliates. While some players are off to hot starts, others are trying to work their way back to Detroit. We’ll start with a first place team that has won four straight.

Toledo Mud Hens

Pitching has been carrying the Mud Hens to their 9-3 start. During their four-game winning streak, the starting pitcher has not allowed more than one run.

The trend started Saturday night, with A.J. Ladwig, Johnny Barbato, and Mark Montgomery combining on a three-hit shutout.

After inclement weather postponed Sunday’s game, Warwick Saupold worked three scoreless innings on Monday. On Tuesday, Ryan Carpenter allowed one run over six innings with nine strikeouts. Wednesday, Blaine Hardy went five innings, giving up a run on two hits to complete a Toledo sweep of Durham (Tampa Bay).

Detroit Tigers fans have seen Saupold, Carpenter, and Hardy before, two of them already this year. Saupold started the season with the Tigers, but was sent down when Mike Fiers was activated from the disabled list.

Carpenter made his MLB debut in a spot start back on April 1 against Pittsburgh. Hardy hasn’t been with the Tigers this year, but was a contender for a bullpen spot this spring before he was slowed by injury. Expect all three to contribute again in Detroit sooner rather than later.

The Offense

It was a quieter week offensively for Toledo. Dawel Lugo’s season-opening nine-game hitting streak was snapped, but he’s hitting .321 with hits in 11 of 12 games.

Lugo has played exclusively at second base, despite most of his minor league experience coming at shortstop or third base. That seems to suggest he’s being groomed to be the second baseman of the future.

The question then becomes, will Lugo be replacing Dixon Machado? Or will Jose Iglesias be traded and Machado moved to shortstop to make room for Lugo? It’ll be interesting to see how the middle infield situation develops throughout the season.

Prior to the season, our Andy Patton made a list of prospects entering make-or-break seasons. One of the quartet he mentioned was catcher Grayson Greiner.

Greiner was slow out of the gates, going just 4-for-28 to start the season. Hopefully that’s now behind him, as the former third round pick went 4-for-4 on Wednesday night.

Finally, there’s Mikie Mahtook, who started the season in left field for Detroit. Mahtook was sent down last week after a 4-for-31 start. The change of scenery has not helped, as Mahtook is 2-for-15 with seven strikeouts.

Mike Gerber getting the call-up to be the 26th man for today’s doubleheader is telling. It’s a message from management that Mahtook must turn things around in Toledo before getting a chance to reclaim the left field job with the Tigers.

Lakeland Flying Tigers

The Flying Tigers are having an even tougher time than Erie right now, having dropped five straight.

We’ll start with last year’s first rounder, Alex Faedo. Faedo made his third career start on Wednesday, and ran into his first bit of trouble. In six innings, the righty gave up four runs, three of which were earned, and seven hits.

Despite getting hit around a bit by Jupiter (Miami), Faedo continued to pound the strike zone. He struck out six and walked one, while throwing more than 70 percent strikes for the third straight start. For reference, Chris Sale and Clayton Kershaw led the majors with a 68.2 strike percentage last year.

In three starts, Faedo has now struck out 15 and walked just one in 16.1 innings. Despite the seven hits surrendered Wednesday, opponents are hitting .190 against him.

Elsewhere among starters, Venezuelan righty Anthony Castro has yet to give up a run in two starts. Castro tossed seven shutout innings last Friday, allowing four hits while striking out six.

In 2017, Castro posted a 2.49 ERA in 21 starts for West Michigan. So far, it appears the 23-year old is picking up right where he left off.

The Offense

Local product Blaise Salter has led Lakeland’s offensive attack thus far. The Detroit Tigers drafted him twice, first out of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in 2011, and then again in 2015, after his senior year at Michigan State.

Their persistence has paid off, as all Salter has done in the minors is hit. Between West Michigan and Lakeland last year, he hit .304 with 39 doubles and 75 RBIs.

So far this year, Salter is hitting .327, and has multiple hits in five of 13 games. He currently leads the Flying Tigers in hits, doubles, and RBIs.

Daz Cameron is off to a so-so start at the plate, hitting .234. His defense, however, is already giving fans flashbacks to his father, three-time Gold Glove winner Mike Cameron.

West Michigan Whitecaps

Like the Detroit Tigers, West Michigan has been fighting Mother Nature a lot to get games in this April. The Whitecaps have played just four games since last Friday, with weather postponing games four days in a row.

Despite all the bad weather, West Michigan has managed to continue their strong start. At 8-3, they’re tied for first in their division with Dayton (Cincinnati).

The Whitecaps record is due in large part to their pitching. Currently, the staff is sporting a collective 2.20 ERA, and 9.1 K/9. Leading the rotation are lefty Eudis Idrogo and righty Garett King.

Through two starts, Idrogo has allowed just one run in 11.0 innings and owns a 0.91 WHIP. King has allowed two runs in 11.1 innings, and struck out eight in both of his starts. The righty has also only walked one, giving him a staggering 16:1 strikeout/walk ratio.

The starters have been supplemented by a strong bullpen. Among them are a pair of Venezuelan right-handers that have not been scored upon in three outings apiece.

Oswaldo Castillo has gone at least two innings in each of his appearances, and has fanned 10 in seven and two-thirds. Wladimir Pinto has saved a pair of the Whitecaps wins, and allowed one hit in three and two-thirds innings. Seven of the 11 outs he’s recorded have been strikeouts, for a rate of 17.2 K/9.

The Offense

Cole Peterson, who we touched on last week, continues to lead the offense. Peterson’s three-hit night on Thursday was his fifth multi-hit game of the year, and brought his average up to .356. Last year’s 13th rounder leads West Michigan in average, hits, runs, and steals.

Next: Who should start in left field?

The first two weeks of the season are in the books for the Detroit Tigers affiliates. Make sure to check back each Friday to stay up to date on the latest happenings from around the system.