Detroit Tigers Weekly Minor League Recap: Dazzling Daz Cameron

It was an outstanding week on the farm as the four Detroit Tigers affiliates combined to go 16-8, and many of the system’s top hitters seemed to get hot simultaneously. Meanwhile, one of the organization’s top pitching prospects saw his first competitive game action in nearly 21 months.

Rogelio has been doing recaps of the minor-league action if you want a little more info, and you can check them out here: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Otherwise read below for all you need to know about the week of Detroit Tigers minor-league baseball.

Detroit Tigers Minor League Recap – Week 4

Toledo Mud Hens, 11-12, t3rd (5.0 GB) in Triple-A East, Midwest Division

Toledo put together it’s second consecutive 4-2 week to pull to within one game of .500. Daz Cameron (3-for-5, HR) announced his presence with authority on Monday, homering on the second pitch of the game. The score stayed 1-0 until the 9th when Toledo added an insurance run, and they ultimately held on to win 2-1. Wednesday’s game was a tight affair until the Hens blew it open late, scoring nine times after the 6th to win 10-3. Louisville turned the tide on Thursday, plating five runs in the 8th off Buck Farmer (1.1 IP, 4H, 4ER, K) and Jason Foley (0.1 IP, H, ER, BB), and then holding on as the Mud Hens scored twice in the 9th in a 5-4 loss.

The Bats beat up on Matt Manning (3.1 IP, 6H, 6ER, 3BB, 2K) early on Friday, and Toledo chipped away at the lead but ultimately fell 6-4. The Mud Hens put an end to their short losing streak on Saturday, with Yariel Gonzalez (2-for-4, HR, BB) belting his org-leading 8th home run in a tight, 4-3 victory. The Hens ended their series emphatically, winning 10-0 on Sunday behind a solid start from Wily Peralta (4IP, 2H, 2B, 3K) and home runs from Renato Núñez (1-for-4, HR, 3RBI) and Isaac Paredes (3-for-4, HR, BB, 3R).

• Cameron had an outstanding week, going 11-for-27 with four walks, four extra-base hits, and eight RBIs. The only downside was him going 0-for-2 on steal attempts.
• The six earned runs Matt Manning allowed on Friday set a new career single-game high for him. His 10 home runs allowed are the most for any pitcher in minor-league baseball, and his 7.94 ERA is the 5th highest among qualified minor-league starters.
• Another week, another dominant performance from Yariel Gonzalez. The 27-year-old minor-league free agent went 11-for-22 with two home runs and four walks to just one strikeout. His 215 wRC+ is the 4th best in the minors.

Detroit Tigers Minor League Recap – Week 4

Erie SeaWolves, 16-8, 3rd (2.0 GB) in Double-A Northeast, Southwest Division

Erie has been the hottest team in the system so far, but they had a pedestrian 3-3 week against the Altoona Curve. The SeaWolves took game one in the series 5-1, getting a big home run from Dane Myers (1-for-4, 2RBI) and strong pitching from Pedro Payano (4IP, 2H, ER, 2BB, 5K) and the bullpen. Altoona held Erie to just four hits on Wednesday as they scratched out a 3-2 victory, and on Thursday they jumped out to a 6-1 lead and then withstood a late 3-run bomb from Ryan Kreidler for a 7-5 win.

Friday’s game was rained out, so the teams met for two on Saturday. The Curve made it three straight wins in game one with a 2-1 triumph in which they once again held the Howlers to just four hits. The ‘Wolves took a 4-0 lead early in game two, and though Altoona scored twice in the 4th, they were actually being no-hit until the 6th, when Gerson Moreno (2IP, 2H, 2ER, K) gave up two solo home runs to knot the score at 4. But three straight singles from Kerry Carpenter, Josh Lester, and Dylan Rosa gave Erie a 5-4 lead, and Moreno was able to finish the game for the win. The SeaWolves fought hard to earn the series draw on Sunday, getting a two-run homer from Rosa in the 8th to pull within one run, and then capping off a 7-6 win when Kreidler hit a 2-run shot of his own in the 9th.

• Erie’s issue last week seemed to be offense, as the club combined to bat just .232 with five home runs. Riley Greene (6-for-20, 2 2B, 5BB, 7K) was the only regular on the team to hit .300 on the week.
• The SeaWolves might be in the most competitive division in all of minor league baseball. Five of the six teams in the Southwest Division have a winning percentage over .600, which explains why Erie is in 3rd place despite winning two out of every three games.
• Ryan Kreidler had an all-or-nothing week. Detroit’s 4th-round pick in 2019 went 7-for-25 with three big home runs, but he also struck out 11 times and walked just once. He leads the league with 39 strikeouts.

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.