Detroit Tigers: A look at new right-hander Logan Shore

The Detroit Tigers received right-hander Logan Shore as the second player to be named later from their August trade of Mike Fiers.

Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila struck two trades at this season’s deadline. First, he flipped outfielder Leonys Martin to the AL central rival Cleveland Indians in exchange for infield prospect Willi Castro. Then, Avila waited until a few days into August to send right-hander Mike Fiers to the Oakland A’s in exchange for two players to be named later.

The first PTBNL was announced shortly after: right-handed reliever Nolan Blackwood ended up tossing eight innings for Double-A Erie after coming over from Oakland’s Double-A affiliate.

Now, the team has announced that the second PTBNL is right-hander Logan Shore, completing the deal. So let’s analyze.

Blackwood we wrote at length about, but the summary is that he is a right-handed sidearm reliever with uncharacteristically high velocity but fringey off speed offerings, likely limiting him to middle relief.

Shore, 23, was a second-round pick in 2016. He was the Friday night starter at Florida for three years on a roster that included Brady Singer, Alex Faedo, A.J. Puk and Jackson Kowar. So there’s no shortage of pedigree here.

Shore slotted in as Detroit’s No. 17 ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, placing him between Kody Clemens and Jake Robson. His professional career has featured a lot of time spent on the disabled list, which is likely why he was available as a September PTBNL despite his relatively high prospect status.

When Shore isn’t battling shoulder injuries, he has a solid three-pitch mix. Scouts are particularly high on his 60-grade changeup, which will likely be the key to his future big league success. He is a prospect with a higher floor than ceiling, meaning he is likely capped as a mid-rotation starter but has the arsenal and the pedigree to make it to the big leagues regardless.

Some believe that Shore is destined to be a future bullpen piece, even drawing comparisons to Ryan Madson.

Obviously the Tigers will attempt to keep him as a starter, but if he ends up needing to transition his fastball and change will play up nicely, and could even make him a late inning stud (a la Madson).

At worst, the Detroit Tigers have two middle relievers on hand in exchange for Fiers. At best, they got themselves a quality No. 3 starter and a solid seventh inning reliever. Either way, it’s not a bad haul for a pitcher who was not going to be a part of Detroit’s future – and who was out-pitching his peripherals by a considerable margin.