Detroit Tigers: Who will be the Tigers’ Future All-Stars?

The beginning of July is always a fun time for baseball fans, despite how this current Detroit Tigers season is going. The weather is heating up and baseball is heading into the most fun part of its regular season.

When your favorite team is in the midst of a rebuild and sits near the bottom of the league, the All-Star game doesn’t pack as much of a punch. In 2019, the Detroit Tigers have one lone representative on the American League All-Star team, and that would be closer Shane Greene. Greene has been spectacular this season, but having a reliever in the All-Star game doesn’t exactly galvanize a fan base.

With that being said, let’s look ahead and preview who the next crop of Tigers could be wearing the Old English D on their sleeves during future All-Star festivities.

Detroit Tigers- Casey Mize

This is the easiest and most predictable player that will appear on this list. Casey Mize was the number one overall pick in last year’s draft, and in his short time in the organization, has performed so well that he is no longer not only the Tigers’ top prospect, but the number one pitching prospect in the MLB and No.2 prospect overall. 

Over 78 minor league innings, Mize has posted a 0.92 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, held opposing teams to .158 batting average, and has not received a loss yet. To put it plainly, Mize is the future ace of this team, and if he continues to realize his potential he might even be an All-Star starter someday.

Detroit Tigers- Matt Manning

Matt Manning was considered a very raw prospect when the Tigers drafted him out of high school with the 9th pick back in 2016. Being 6’6 and the son of a former NBA player the team couldn’t help but grab him on potential alone. Manning has steadily improved each year and has worked his way up to become the number 32 prospect in the MLB and following behind Mize as the second-best prospect in the team’s farm system.

Manning has a killer fastball and this year that has lead to him posting a 6-4 record with a 2.77 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and opponents hit .194 against him. Manning looks to be on the fast track to being on the big league roster next year with his dominance in Double-A Erie, and with that fans will get the chance to see a guy with electrifying stuff. For Manning, it’s all about refining raw tools and so far he’s shown no signs that he won’t keep doing that.

Detroit Tigers- Riley Greene

The Tigers’ number five overall pick in this year’s draft set Tigers Twitter ablaze when he nearly hit for the cycle in his debut. Riley Greene went 4-for-5 with 2 HR’s and 5 RBI, quickly acclimating himself to rookie ball. Greene has only played seven games as a professional and in those seven games, he’s batting .321 and getting on base 42% of the time.

Watching tape of Greene makes it easy to see how a team could fall in love with his game. He’s a lefty with a sweet, smooth swing. That swing is likely what will carry him to Detroit, as he was widely regarded as the best high school hitter in his class. The rest of his game being a plus will be a bonus, but for the time being, Greene will continue to dazzle anyone who’s paying attention with his bat and will work his way up the farm system very quickly.

These three players are not the only ones with the potential to represent Detroit at future All-Star games. They are the three who have the most potential to be better than their peers. Other top prospects like Franklin Perez, Alex Faedo, Isaac Paredes and Parker Meadows are names that could be staples in Detroit alongside Mize, Manning, and Greene and together they give the Tigers a bright future. Give it two to three years and the Tigers won’t just be sending a closer to the All-Star game.