Detroit Tigers: 2021 Minor League Roster Season Preview

Erie SeaWolves

Similar to the Toledo Mud Hens roster, the SeaWolves, who will be playing in their newly upgraded First Energy Stadium, have a veteran feel to it with Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter,  Ryan Kreidler, Brad Bass, Angel DeJesus, and Max Green making their Double-A debuts.

6-4, 298 lb right-handed batting Kreidler, who spent time in the Tigers alternate site squad this past month, jumps from Low-A ball in 2019 to Erie. He showed some power in the spring and a good eye at the plate.

Look out for lefty Max Green, who throws in the mid-’90s. James Chipman, the Director of Scouting at Prospects Live has been impressed by his makeup.

"“Handedness and velocity should give him a shot. Green worked this past off-season with former big league southpaw Joe Beimel to polish command and add a slider to his repertoire. The development of the newly tuned slider or perhaps adding a change-up is paramount to eliminate the large 25-30 mph velocity gap between his two pitches. Role-30 likelihood; squint your eyes and dream and there’s some role 40 potential. Overall, a solid lotto ticket to keep an eye on.”"

He was on an episode of the “Marchant Orders” podcast talking about his off-season approach so highly worth checking that out.

Erie SeaWolves infield:

Cole Peterson

Josh Lester

John Valente

Yariel Gonzalez

Drew Ward

Peterson, who has one of the better defensive profiles in the Tigers system, starts the season in Erie. As you may recall in 2019, Peterson went up three levels to Toledo.  Valente is a 21st round pick from 2018 to go with Lester as the Tigers draftees in Erie.

Gonzalez and Ward both were minor league free agent signings. Gonzalez spent some time in the Cardinals organization and Ward with the Nationals.

Erie SeaWolves outfield:

Riley Greene

Kerry Carpenter

Dylan Rosa

Jacob Robson

Robson last played in Erie in 2018. He spent time in the Australian Winter League this past off-season to get some reps in and most recently at the Tigers alternate site. All four outfielders have been drafted by Detroit.

Erie SeaWolves Rotation:

Pedro Payano

A.J. Ladwig

Paul Richan

Elvin Rodriguez

Ricardo Pinto

Erie SeaWolves Bullpen:

Ethan DeCaster

Billy Lescher

Gerson Moreno

Wladimir Pinto

Brad Bass

Angel DeJesus

Max Green

Cale Coshow

Henry Martinez

Mark Leiter Jr.

Pinto is a minor league free agent who has 32 innings of work in the majors between two stops in Tampa and Philly. Payano also spent a cup of coffee in the majors with the Rangers in 2019. Ladwig has been with the Tigers organization since 2014.

Coshow, Martinez, and Leiter Jr were signed as minor league free agents to add some depth to the SeaWolves roster.  Leiter Jr’s father, Mark, Sr, pitched for the Tigers from 1991 to 1993.

The SeaWolves seem to be a roster in transition as there is not a lot of the top prospects in Erie, minus Riley Greene. They could see the likes of Bryant Packard and Spencer Torkelson by the middle of the summer.

Check out the SeaWolves schedule here. 

Notable missing names

Missing among the names on these three rosters are Nick Quintana, Gage Workman, Colt Keith, Zac Houston, the reliever who was last seen in Toledo in 2019, Urlich Bojarski, Jose King, Kingston Linak, just to name a few.

Overall, Toledo and West Michigan should compete for a playoff birth based on their offense but the impression here is the Tigers seem to be short on organizational arms outside of Manning and Perez. Franklin Perez’s velocity dropped in spring training so that is a player to look out to see how he is progressing.

Three players to look out for that I think may rise up in the system quickly

Trei Cruz

Andre Lipicus

Dillon Dingler

Lipicus may end up being a utility player but his swing has changed since college, making it shorter and not as long may help up get up the organizational ladder quicker and his ability to play multiple positions. Cruz has shown good range in the infield and his placement at High-A shows what the Tigers think of his ability. Dingler seems like the real deal from all accounts down in Lakeland so looking forward to checking out how he handles High-A.

If you missed our Top 20 prospects list, it breaks down some of the names on here, and I along with a few others on the MCB squad will be providing video from the Tigers Minor League Report YouTube channel and Twitter all summer long.