Detroit Tigers Weekly Minor League Recap: Dazzling Daz Cameron

Detroit Tigers Minor League Recap – Week 4

West Michigan Whitecaps, 14-9, 1st (+0.5) in High-A Central, East Division

It’s hard to imagine a better week for West Michigan, as they went 6-0 against the Lake County Captains and saw some of their most important position prospects hit for power. West Michigan won 4-3 on Tuesday, with the big blow coming in the form of a 2-run double from Andre Lipcius. Wednesday was a classic pitcher’s duel. Beau Brieske (6IP, 4H, 5K) was excellent, but so was Captains’ starter Logan Allen (6IP, 2H, BB, 5K), and the Whitecaps ultimately pulled out a thrilling 1-0 victory in 10 innings when Rey Rivera scored on a balk. The ‘Caps scored three times in the 1st on Thursday, and that was all the offense they ended up needing in their 6-3 victory.

Friday’s game was another tight affair, with a 2-run shot from catcher Dillon Dingler holding up in the 2-1 win thanks to strong work from Keider Montero (5IP, 6H, BB, 5K) and the bullpen. Saturday’s game was close for five innings, and then things got silly, with West Michigan scoring 13 runs over their final three innings. Spencer Torkelson homered twice and knocked in six runs, while the recently promoted Eric De La Rosa reached base five times, and Daniel Cabrera went 3-for-5 with a walk in a 17-5 laugher. The Whitecaps finished their jumbo sweep with another big victory, getting a three-run blast from Cabrera in the 2nd, another 2-run homer from Dingler in the 7th, and strong pitching from Chance Kirby (6IP, H, BB, 5K) on their way to an easy 7-1 win on Sunday.

• Torkelson got most of the publicity for his huge game, but it was Daniel Cabrera with the truly monster week. The Detroit Tigers’ second 2rd-rounder in 2020, Cabrera went 11-for-22 last week with a homer, two doubles, four walks, and six RBIs.
• Kirby has been one of the more effective starting pitchers in the league this year. His 2.05 ERA is good for 4th among the 23 qualified starters, but he may be due for a correction because his BABIP against is just .203, and his 17% strikeout rate is tied for the second lowest in the league.
• Andre Lipcius never really does anything flashy, but he always seems to produce. He went 6-for-21 with three extra-base hits and four walks last week, and he was rewarded for his .277/.357/.482 season batting line with a promotion to Erie.