Detroit Tigers: 4 Strongest Positions in the Farm System

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.