Detroit Tigers Rule 5 Options: Middle Infield

Can the Detroit Tigers get middle infield help in the Rule 5 Draft?

Thursday’s Rule 5 Draft marks the end of this year’s rather uneventful Winter Meetings, which means it’s likely the last chance for the Detroit Tigers to find middle infield help any time soon.

The organization hasn’t been terribly forthcoming about which positions, if any, they are targeting this off-season, but we can assume they’ll want to add at least one middle infield option. Outside of pitching, middle infield is the area targeted most in the Rule 5, so landing help here is possible.

Jonathan Schoop had a strong run with the team in 2020, so they could look to bring him back, or they could stick with some middle infield combination of Willi Castro and Niko Goodrum, who covered 97% of the innings at shortstop and 20% of the innings at second base last year.

The Rule 5 Draft takes place at noon on Thursday, so this will be our last preview post. We’ve already covered catchers, corner infielders, outfielders, pitchers, and about 80 more players, but it’s entirely possible the Tigers will take someone we’ve never mentioned.

For what it’s worth, I’d like to see them select Orioles relief pitcher Zach Pop, but he hasn’t shown up on any of the big Rule 5 previews, so perhaps I’m alone on this one.

Below you’ll find six interesting middle infield options in this year’s Rule 5 Draft, and you can get a bit more info on one other infielder here. Realistically, none of these players figures to be a better option in 2021 than last year’s trade acquisition Zack Short, but they’re still worth knowing.

Detroit Tigers Rule 5 target: Diosbel Arias

Age on Opening Day: 24.8
Bats: Right
Highest Level: High-A

Signed out of Cuba in 2017, Diosbel Arias doesn’t do any one thing well enough to really stand out. He has played solidly in pro ball, with a career .305/.382/.408 line, but he’s always been older than most prospects at his levels.

Arias can handle the middle infield, with 50+ career games at both second base and shortstop, and he’s also seen plenty of time at third base and even a dozen games at first. He’s a line-drive hitter with a solid approach, but he doesn’t have a ton of pop, and speed isn’t really a part of his game.

With no experience above High-A he would be a stretch, but his versatility could give the Tigers a lot of options.

Diosbel Arias video via 2080 Baseball

Detroit Tigers Rule 5 target:  Esteury Ruiz

Age on Opening Day: 22.1
Bats: Right
Highest Level: High-A

Esteury Ruiz has long earned comparisons to Alfonso Soriano because of his wiry strength, plus speed, and questionable defense.

In 2018 he hit .253 with 12 home runs and 49 stolen bases as a 19-year-old in the Midwest League, but his aggressive approach got the best of him in High-A in 2019, resulting in a .239/.300/.357 line.

Ruiz has plus speed, plus raw power, and the raw athleticism to play second base, but he’s error-prone and may be better off roaming the outfield

Detroit Tigers Rule 5 target:  Shervyen Newton

Age on Opening Day: 21.9
Bats: Both
Highest Level: Low-A

Speaking of stretches, taking Shervyen Newton in the Rule 5 Draft is probably a bridge too far for any team, but he has some of the most impressive tools and physicality of any middle infield prospect in the minors.

The Mets signed Newton out of Curacao in 2015, and he performed well in rookie ball before running into a roadblock in Low-A in 2019. Newton is tall and athletic, with terrific bat speed and huge raw power, but the rest of his game is fairly raw too.

He’s a patient hitter, but he has some pitch recognition issues, as illustrated by his 32.9% strikeout rate. He’s almost certain to outgrow any chance to play shortstop at higher levels, and he may outgrow second base, too, but he has the arm and power potential to profile at third or in the outfield.

Shervyen Newton batting video via 2080 Baseball

Detroit Tigers Rule 5 target: Kevin Smith

Age on Opening Day: 24.8
Bats: Right
Highest Level: Double-A

Kevin Smith was a highly regarded college shortstop coming out of Maryland, but he slid a bit and the Blue Jays drafted him in the 4th round.

He looked like a massive steal after his first pro season, when he hit .302 with 25 home runs, 31 doubles, and 29 stolen bases in 129 games between Low-A and High-A.

Baseball America even tucked him into the back of their Top 100 prospects list. But reality arrived in 2019 when Smith hit just .209 with a 32.3% strikeout rate in Double-A, and then went to the Arizona Fall League and produced an unbelievable 38-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in just 67 plate appearances.

Contact issues are likely to always be a problem for Smith, and while some think he’s adequate at shortstop, others project a move to second or third. His power and speed are tantalizing, but teams may ultimately be scared away by his hit tool.

Kevin Smith video via Prospects Live: