Kyle Funkhouser, Matt Hall promoted to Triple-A

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

The promotions of Kyle Funkhouser and Matt Hall to Toledo headlined another busy week in the Detroit Tigers organization. This week also featured a Triple-A Home Run Derby winner, a pair of All-Star Games, and a full-season debut for a top prospect. Let’s get right to it.

Toledo Mud Hens

Due to their All-Star break, the Mud Hens played just four games, going 3-1. Their record stands at 50-39, which has them in first place in the International League West.

The All-Stars

Toledo boasted four International League All-Stars when the teams were announced a few weeks back. Jim Adduci, Chad Huffman, Ronny Rodriguez, and Christin Stewart all earned spots on the roster, but only Huffman played in this week’s Triple-A All-Star Game.

The Detroit Tigers promoted Adduci and Rodriguez to the big leagues last week, while Stewart remained on the disabled list. Toledo ended up having two representatives in Columbus on Wednesday, as Dawel Lugo was added as a replacement.

Starting as the designated hitter for the International League, Huffman went 0-for-4. Lugo entered the contest at second base in the sixth. He picked up a single in two at-bats.

Huffman put on quite a power display earlier in the week, winning the Home Run Derby. In his return to Columbus, where he helped the Clippers win the 2011 International League title, Huffman blasted nine homers in the opening round.  He added 10 more in the championship round to take home the trophy. Huffman also won the 2009 Triple-A Home Run Derby while representing that year’s All-Star Game host, the Portland Beavers.

Lugo, Manning Named to Futures Game

Each year, the All-Star festivities include the annual Futures Game, featuring several top prospects from around baseball. This year, the Detroit Tigers will send two representatives, Dawel Lugo and Matt Manning.

Lugo has had a strong showing in his first season in the organization. Spending the entire campaign with Toledo, the 23-year old is hitting .274 and ranks in the top-five in the IL in hits. Ranked as the no. 12 prospect in the system by MLB Pipeline, Lugo has primarily played second and third base for the Mud Hens.

A former first rounder, Manning earned a promotion to High-A Lakeland recently. The righty made his second start for the Flying Tigers earlier this week, yielding two runs on four hits while striking out five in five innings. Between West Michigan and Lakeland this year, Manning sports a 3.15 ERA, with 90 strikeouts in 65.2 innings (12.3 K/9).

Lugo, who hails from the Dominican Republic, will represent the World Team in the game, while Manning will represent the U.S. Team. The Futures Game is set for Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

Machado Joins Hens

Following a prolonged slump, Dixon Machado was designated for assignment by the Detroit Tigers earlier this month. Machado cleared waivers this week, and was assigned to Toledo.

Machado made his debut for the Mud Hens Thursday night, going 2-for-4 with a single, a walk, and a run scored. The Tigers hope he can level out his swing, leading to more consistent results going forward. With Jose Iglesias a candidate to get dealt before the trade deadline, don’t be surprised to see Machado back in the Motor City before too long.

Lakeland Flying Tigers

The Flying Tigers turned in a 3-4 week, brining their overall record to 48-41. Lakeland sits in second place in the Florida State League North’s second half standings.

Perez Debuts

After making three rehab starts for GCL Tigers East, the Detroit Tigers activated Franklin Perez from the disabled list this week and sent him to Lakeland. Perez pitched for Lakeland on Tuesday, working three innings. The Tigers top prospect gave up two runs, three hits, two walks, and had one strikeout.

The righty sports a 4.91 ERA through four starts across the two levels in 2018. Many expect him to join Double-A Erie at some point in the near future, but he may be kept in Lakeland a little longer to stretch him out a little more. Perez has yet to go longer than three innings in any of his four starts since his return.

Soto So Good

Gregory Soto turned in an excellent outing on Sunday, his lone appearance of the week. The southpaw yielded just a pair of hits and one run in six innings. He added nine strikeouts, while issuing a pair of free passes.

Despite the strong outing, Soto remains mired in a mediocre season for Lakeland. The best left-handed pitching prospect in a system full of righties, Soto sports a 4.43 ERA through 16 starts.

Soto boasts a strikeout rate of 9.7/9, but walks always seem to get in the way of him posting better numbers. In 2018, his walk rate rests at 6.9/9, which would be his highest since 2015, his first season stateside.

Even in his better seasons, Soto struggled with free passes. Last year, Soto claimed both Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star nods in the Midwest League. In 18 starts for West Michigan, he posted a 2.25 ERA and nearly 11 K/9 before a promotion to Lakeland. Despite those strong numbers, he still issued 5.1 walks per nine. Soto remains the best lefty in the system, but needs to work on limiting walks as he continues to climb the organizational ladder.

Paredes Leads Attack

The Flying Tigers posted one of their best offensive games of the season Wednesday, scoring 15 runs on 15 hits. Lakeland’s barrage was led by Isaac Paredes, who collected three hits, scored three times, and drove in three.

The 19-year old infielder is raking in July. Through 10 games this month, Paredes owns a .378/.452/.730 slash line. For the season, he leads Lakeland in homers and RBIs, and ranks in the top-five in the Florida State League in doubles, extra-base hits, and runs.

West Michigan Whitecaps

The Whitecaps broke even for the week, going 3-3. At 11-10, West Michigan sits in a tie for fourth in the Midwest League Eastern Division’s second half standings. Overall, they are 47-44 in 2018.

Rotation Remains Strong

Despite the promotion of Matt Manning to Lakeland, West Michigan’s rotation continues to put up good numbers. In his second start since a promotion from Connecticut, Wilkel Hernandez posted his best start of the year.

Hernandez turned in his first quality start of the campaign, working a season-high six innings. The 19-year old gave up two runs on three hits and struck out seven, without issuing a free pass.

Fellow former Angels farmhand Elvin Rodriguez followed up with a quality start of his own a few days later. The 20-year old also allowed two runs on three hits over six frames. He added eight strikeouts, while walking three.

Jesus Rodriguez added a quality start of his own Thursday night. The righty gave West Michigan seven strong innings, allowing one earned run and fanning a season-high tying seven. Rodriguez has now gone seven innings or more in three of his last four starts.

Catching Duo Heating Up

The backstop tandem of Joey Morgan and Brady Policelli are having good months at the plate for West Michigan. Last year’s third rounder, Morgan owns a .308/.419/.462 slash line for the month.

Although his season average remains at just .221, Morgan has shown the ability to draw walks all season. His walk rate sits just a tick below 10 percent, a three percent increase from his 34-game stint with Connecticut in 2017.

A 2016 13th rounder out of Towson, Policelli is putting together his best month at the dish since hitting .320 in April. He enters the weekend riding a 10-game hitting streak, which includes three multi-hit efforts. During the streak, Policelli is 13-for-43 (.302), which has bumped his season average back up to .257.

Connecticut Tigers

The Connecticut Tigers won four of their six games this week to bring their record to 12-14. Connecticut sits in a tie for third in the New York-Penn League Stedler Division.

Swapping Spots

Former catcher Arvicent Perez made his first three professional appearances on the mound this week for Connecticut. The righty twirled three scoreless frames without allowing a hit, struck out two and walked two.

Perez began his season as a catcher with Erie. He hit .256 in 11 games with the SeaWolves before heading back to extended spring training to begin his transition. Perez had been a catcher in the Detroit Tigers organization since 2012.

Pair of 2018 Draftees Promoted

First baseman Nick Ames and right-hander Chance Kirby both earned promotions to Connecticut this week after starting with GCL Tigers West. A 15th rounder out of UNLV, Ames put together a ridiculous three-game stretch from July 4-7.

Ames started with a two-homer, four-RBI game on July 4. In his next game, he hit a grand slam and drove in five. He launched two more homers in his final game in the GCL, plating five more runs in the contest.

The Tigers promoted him to Connecticut following that red-hot three-game run. In three games since his call-up, Ames is 4-for-12, including another long ball.

Kirby also started strong with Tigers West, yielding just one run over 12.2 innings in three outings. He also struck out 15, while walking three. The 25th rounder dominated in his debut for Connecticut on Wednesday, surrendering a lone hit in six shutout frames, and adding 12 strikeouts.

GCL Tigers

Tigers West turned in a 4-3 week, bringing their season record to 12-7. They remain in first place in the Gulf Coast League Northwest Division. Tigers East went 2-4 for the week, bringing them to 10-10 for the campaign. They sit in second place in the Gulf Coast League Northeast.

Stewart’s Rehab

Christin Stewart returned to action this week, starting with a three-game stint in the Gulf Coast League. The powerful outfielder appeared for both Detroit Tigers Golf Coast League affiliates, going 2-for-9 with a pair of home runs.

Stewart rejoined Toledo’s lineup Thursday, their first game after the Triple-A All-Star break. In his return, Stewart hit third and went 0-for-5.

Smoking Hot Shortstop

Tigers West shortstop Wenceel Perez caught fire this week. The 18-year old recorded three multi-hit games for the week, going 12-for-27 (.444) in seven games.

Perez launched his first two professional homers in a five-hit effort on Tuesday, then followed that up by going 4-for-4 with four runs scored and a pair of RBIs on Wednesday. In 18 games this year, he’s slashing .356/.447/.521. Last year in the Dominican Summer League, he posted a .314 average, in what was his first season as a pro.

Next: Exploring Trade Possiblities for Jose Iglesias

That concludes another week of the Detroit Tigers Minor League Report. Make sure to check back each Friday for the latest news and updates from around the Detroit Tigers system.