Detroit Tigers: 5 players that deserve a chance in 2020

These are five players in the Detroit Tigers organization that deserve a chance for the first time, or again, at the major league level in 2020.

The 2019 season for the Detroit Tigers has been nothing short of painful to watch. They got off to a decent start, but it was all downhill from there, and players have been moved up and down in the organization with few positive results. There have been some notable names that have stepped up in the organization, however, and these players deserve a shot with the Tigers come next season.

1. Casey Mize

Mize was the first overall pick in the 2018 draft, and he has not disappointed in the minor leagues so far. At age 22 in Erie, he went six and three with an ERA of 3.20 over 78.2 innings pitched. Given how disastrous Detroit’s starting five have been, along with the fact that Edwin Jackson will not be returning, the Tigers will need another starting pitcher in the mix. Mize would be as good of a bet as any in the organization to fill this role.

2. Matt Manning

Manning is in the same boat as Mize. He was drafted straight out of high school in the first round of the 2016 amateur draft and has great numbers in the minors. He also had good numbers at Erie this year, looking even better than Mize. He went 11 and five with a 2.56 ERA over 133.2 innings. Manning will only be 22 years old when the 2020 season starts, but he has shown he has what it takes to at least get a chance in the bigs.

3. Isaac Paredes

Paredes is another member of the Erie SeaWolves that has performed above and beyond expectations. He is a 20-year-old middle infielder from Mexico who has already displayed great fielding and plate discipline. He hit .282 with 13 home runs and 66 RBIs over 127 games with Erie this season. With Jordy Mercer and Gordon Beckham both potentially leaving, Detroit should have openings in the middle infield.

4. Daz Cameron

Many fans thought Cameron would make it to the bigs in 2019, but he never quite got it together with Toledo. He batted .214 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI’s. Despite these numbers, Cameron is still young, only 22-years-old, and if he can turn it around at Toledo in 2020 then he could be a valuable asset for Detroit. Being behind JaCoby Jones will make it more difficult for him, but he could get a chance as a corner outfielder if he performs well enough.

5. Jake Rogers

Rogers is currently on the big league roster, but he hasn’t done himself many favors so far when it comes to batting. He is slashing .120/.221/.272 with only four home runs over 28 games so far with Detroit. If he is able to work on his hitting over the offseason, he has the potential to be a great player. Defensively, Rogers has already caught six runners attempting to steal and has a .996 fielding percentage. He will probably get more chances this year, and definitely deserves some consideration for next season.

Make sure to stay up to date with all the latest Detroit Tigers news and stories about prospects and roster moves over the offseason. Detroit is bound to start trying to accelerate their rebuild now that they have a reasonable amount of young talent on the squad. The offseason should be an interesting time for the squad.