Detroit Tigers: 4 Strongest Positions in the Farm System

This week is Detroit Tigers Prospects Week here at Motor City Bengals as we are discussing all things Tigers prospect-related as we roll into week two of spring training.

If you look at our Top 20 Detroit Tigers prospects list, you will see it is heavy with pitchers, but the Tigers have do have some positions that stand out as points of strength for the organization. We have spoken before about Detroit having “type” when it comes to player profiles, and one pattern seems to have emerged in recent years.

Sounds familiar and athletic

2014 -1st round draft pick Derek Hill:  His father, Orsino, was the first-round pick by the Reds in 1982.

2015 – 5th round draft pick Cam Gibson: His father Kirk…well, you know.

2016 – 1st round draft pick Matt Manning:  His father Rick played in the NBA.

2018 – 3rd round draft pick Kody Clemens:  His dad was quite the pitcher

2019 – 1st round draft pick Riley Greene: His father played college ball and opened his own hitting school.

2020 – 3rd round draft pick Trei Cruz: He comes from an impressive line of MLB players including his father, Jose Cruz Jr, and his grandfather, Jose Cruz Sr.

Eliezer Alfonzo, an international signing – His father played for nine teams and his uncle, Edgardo, was an infielder for several teams.

Those are current examples of the Detroit Tigers chasing bloodlines, and that is rather new to a degree. Detroit had players like Ray Boone, who played for the Tigers in the 1950s, and whose son Bob and grandsons Bret and Aaron all had lengthy MLB careers.

Joe Coleman, who pitched for the 1972 AL East Division winners, was the son of another Joe Coleman, who pitched for ten years and made an All-Star team. And Pat Underwood, Detroit’s top pick (and the 2nd pick overall) in the 1976 draft, was the younger brother of Tom, who spent 11 years in the majors.

But there is much more than just the bloodlines story going on in the system. Let’s start with the number four position of strength, the outfield.

4. Detroit Tigers Outfielders

Riley Greene is number one on our Top 20 prospects list, so it stands to reason the outfield would get consideration. But if you have played the video game Street Fighter 2,  then you are familiar with the phrase “here comes a new challenger” to the top 20, and that is Akil Baddoo.

Baddoo continues to hit the ball hard, and has had good at-bats, with five walks to just three strikeouts, to put up a slash line of .385/.556/.538 so far in spring training. Yes, it is just two weeks into spring, but Baddoo continues to make an impression.

It is not easy to ignore the depth the Tigers have created in the outfield in the system with the likes of Daz Cameron (number 9 on our list) and Derek Hill, who are both on the 40-man roster and both likely to graduate from prospect status.  So who are the next wave of outfield prospects who could see some time in Detroit  or move their way up the organizational ladder?

Daniel Cabrera (number 10 on the MCB Top 20)

Lefty bat with a polished hit tool, as Jacob Boes wrote up. His defense is part of his overall package. Looking forward to see what he can do in the minors this season but he has a high pedigree.

Parker Meadows (number 11 on the MCB Top 20)

Meadows was recently sent over the big-league camp, and if he can continue to develop his hit tool, (he is only 21), he could rise up through the organizational charts. Meadows bats from the left side and as our own Kellen Gove discussed, he shows power and speed.

Danny Woodrow

He is in camp as a non-roster invitee. He isn’t a power hitter but he has hit at every stop so far in the minors. He went to the same school as former Tigers outfielder Mike Gerber (Creighton).

Ulrich Bojarski

While Bojarski has spent time in the lower minors, his profile is power and good defense. He still needs to prove he can hit in High-A, so it will be interesting to see his progress this season.

Roberto Campos (number 19 on the MCB Top 20) and Jose De La Cruz (number 17 on the MCB Top 20)

De La Cruz’s strong showing in the DSL, despite it being a small sample size, is enough to excite Tigers fans, and rightfully so. With Campos, Detroit is hopeful they have picked up a future impact bat.

2. Detroit Tigers Catchers

Catching depth can be hard to come by. Two teams that quickly come to mind for me are the Toronto Blue Jays and the Detroit Tigers.  While Jake Rogers (number 14 on the MCB Top 20) is about to graduate from prospect status to some sort of role for the Tigers in 2021, Dillon Dingler has impressed the Tigers quickly and earned a spot in the Top 10 on our list.

Beyond those two names, Detroit has a few other players in their system that could be serviceable at some point. Cooper Johnson showed off an arm quickly at West Michigan in 2019. While he may be a defensive first catcher,  he has also shown power potential in his bat.

Eliezer Alfonzo comes from a baseball family. His father, the same name as his, was a catcher for nine seasons, and his uncle Edgardo Alfonzo, was an infielder. Alfonzo may end up playing a different position because of his hitting potential.

And then there’s Sam McMillian, who was drafted out of high school in 2017 in the fifth round. He is still just 22, and high-school catchers have notoriously long development paths. He can get on base and his glove is solid. The hope is in 2021, he can start squaring up the ball to be considered a high-tier prospect, but Tigers fans should not forget he is there.

1. Detroit Tigers Pitchers

Every prospect list across the board has the same three names near the top: Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, and Matt Manning.  Skubal added a split-finger to his already impressive arsenal in the off-season, and Mize is making Hinch’s decision for the last spot of the rotation harder.

Outside of those three, the Tigers still have Franklin Perez, who is pitching today against the Phillies, Joey Wentz, and Alex Faedo. While Wentz is recovering from Tommy John surgery, and Faedo is out for the season, both still have the potential to be back of the rotation starters.

I mentioned in my state of the farm system article that Detroit has not been drafted starting pitching recently and that could change in 2021 to shore up the depth on the lower levels beyond Double-A Erie. Their rotation to start 2021 looks like Paul Richan, Garrett Hill, and Elvin Rodriguez.

Overall, despite the starting pitching looking top-heavy in the farm system, the Tigers have three starting pitchers in their system who could make their debut in 2021 in Wentz, Manning, and Perez.

This is a big year for some of these pitchers and how they will impact the Tigers’ rotation in the future. The year off from the minor leagues hindered some progress, but it also allowed for rest in the likes of Manning’s forearm issue and Perez returning back from injuries.