Detroit Tigers: Five players are in Baseball America’s Top 100 prospect list

The Detroit Tigers make some waves today in having five players in the preseason Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects list.

Ah yes, it is the most wonderful time of the year if you are a fan of prospects. The annual Baseball America’s top 100 prospects list was released and the Detroit Tigers are well represented on the list.

As a contributor and the voice of the West Michigan Whitecaps Dan Hasty points out, no other team has more than three prospects within Detroit’s top five. The Pardes lead the way with seven followed by the Blue Jays and Marlins both tied for second with six. Detroit had more than any other AL Central team. The rest of the AL Central all had four. The only team that did not have any representation was the Nationals as they had none.

For a brief history lesson, Spencer Torkelson is the first Tigers position player to be the top prospect of the organization listed by Baseball America since outfielder Steven Moya in 2015. Since then, it has been all pitchers who were top Tigers prospect.  Here are some notable preseason number ones in Tigers history.

2001: Brandon Inge

Brandon Inge  (number 1) along with Andres Torres (7) and Omar Infante (8) were on BA’s Top 30 Tigers prospects. Other familiar names include Cody Ross (14), Mike Maroth (15), and Fernando Rodney at 19.

2006: Justin Verlander

Justin Verlander was number one and right behind him was Joel Zumaya. Other names to note were Jair Jurrjens (16), Ryan Raburn at 18, Don Kelly at 19, and Matt Joyce at 27.

Now that you have completed your trip down memory lane, let’s review who made the top 100 for Detroit.

#5 Spencer Torkelson

Whether he plays third or first base, Torkelson’s power potential makes him the sure-fire choice to be as ranked as he is. Over at Prospects Live’s list we dropped back in November, Chris Brown, Jake Boes, myself, and James Chipman all agreed that he should be number one.

Not often do the Detroit Tigers have not only a player who can potentially hit for power but also has an impressive tool of 60. and can also walk. But as Dan Hasty and Baseball America have both said, when you draw comparisons to Paul Konkero, he is definitely on the right path.

Last year when he joined the list, he started at number eight so he has quickly risen three spots. It’s not only his offense that carries his profile. As Chris Brown wrote on his scouting report about Torkelson:

“Solid average defender at first base; displays a quick first step and above-average range for the position”

According to the scouting report by Baseball America, ($) he is projected to hit .280 with 40-plus homers on the high end and .260 with 30-plus on the low end.

What will be nice for Tigers fans is that he is slated to start the season at High-A West Michigan so anyone who lives in the state of Michigan, will be hitting home runs out of Fifth-Third Field.

#20 Tarik Skubal

It is very rare to see a lefty pitcher from the Tigers this high on the list. But Skubal’s eight appearances in 2020 made an impression on everyone.

The combination of his fastball that was overpowering hitters and slider were good pitches but the curveball when it was in the strike zone was a beauty. 

Baseball America complimented his changeup as an effective pitch when mixed properly and discussed his 6-foot-3 frame which creates that downhill plane for the ball to travel against hitters.

What stands out here is that this is a Tigers late-round draft pick that is this high on Baseball America’s list.  Detroit has had the best of luck finding gems in the later rounds so finding Skubal in the 9th round and have him up in the majors two years later is a tip of the cap to Detroit on finding him.

Recovering from Tommy John surgery when they drafted him, scouts saw the potential which resulted in dominating the minors in which we have not seen from a lefty perhaps since the days of Justin Thompson in the ’90s, who was one of the last homegrown left-handed pitching prospects the Tigers have developed.

#28 Casey Mize

While fans may see Casey Mize go down on the list,(was ranked 11th) remember, it is just a list and does not take away from his ability. Granted, his debut in 2020 did not go as perhaps fans planned but he showed flashes of dominance with his split-finger fastball and the strong start on the road against the Chicago White Sox, a very friendly hitter’s ballpark.

Here’s a bit about what Baseball America said in their scouting report ($)

“Mize’s debut wasn’t pretty, but his track record and arsenal indicate he is still a potential frontline starter.

Detroit Tigers General Manager Al Avila has said it could be possible for Mize and Skubal both to start the season in Triple-A or one of them start the season in the rotation. With new pitching coach Chris Fetter, Mize could have his sequencing figured out and be a much more effective starter in the rotation.

So take the preseason ranking of Mize falling to number 28 with a grain of salt.  Detroit no doubt needs better starting pitching in 2021 and the hope is that Mize continues to grow as a starter.

#30 Matt Manning

Bless You Boys writer Matt Manning is the conductor of the Matt Manning prospect train and there are reasons for it.  He has above-average control and at every level, has dropped his walk rate. He also commands both sides of the plate with a combination of a plus fastball and curveball that is just nasty.

According to Baseball America’s report, Manning’s changeup flashes above-average with sinking action but still needs further development. For anyone to be a starter in the majors, they have to throw at least three good to above-average pitches to survive.

But as James Chipman of Prospects Live, who has seen Manning in Lakeland, said about his changeup.

 “The offering has made significant gains with pro instruction and Manning’s track record of pitch development suggests the offering could reach solid average overall”

A huge downfall of not having the minor league season in 2020 was for Manning to work in-game action. The good news is the forearm strain back in August was not serious and was throwing in instructs, which is a huge sigh of relief. The Tigers outside of Manning, Joey Wentz, and Franklin Perez have a drop off in starters outside of the Triple-A and Double-A levels.