Detroit Tigers Top 20 Prospects: How are they Performing

Detroit Tigers No. 15 Prospect – Bryant Packard, West Michigan Whitecaps

2021 Stats: 63 ABs, .238/.377/.424, 3 HRs, 3 2Bs, 20 Ks, 12 BBs

So far in 2021, Packard has performed fairly well. The batting average has tailed off a bit but he also hasn’t played since May 27th so perhaps he was playing at less than 100%. He has commanded the strike zone well and even hit for some power. In a bit of a surprise move, he has spent the majority of his time in the outfield despite organizational talk about him moving to first base. Defensively, he isn’t going to win a gold glove but his trimmed down frame seems to have helped his range and allowed him to be a passable defender in the outfield.

Detroit Tigers No. 14 Prospect – Jake Rogers, Detroit Tigers

2021 Stats: 33 ABs, .212/.257/.333, 1 HR, 12 Ks, 2 BBs

Now, it is only 33 at-bats with the big league club but the early performance is not going to help the viewpoint that Rogers isn’t going to hit. A 33% K rate and only two extra base hits to this point is lackluster even for a catcher. He has been a positive on defense leading to 0.2 WAR defensively but he will need to prove he can be more productively offensively over the remainder of the season otherwise he may be out of chances with Detroit.

Detroit Tigers No. 13 Prospect – Alex Faedo

Faedo has not played and will miss the entire 2021 season due to TJ surgery.

Detroit Tigers No. 12 Prospect – Franklin Perez

Perez has not played and likely will not play in 2021 due to shoulder surgery. The former centerpiece of the Justin Verlander deal was actually released by Detroit however he agreed to resign with the club.

Detroit Tigers No. 11 Prospect – Parker Meadows, West Michigan Whitecaps

2021 Stats: 70 ABs, .129/.307/.323, 0 HRs, 4 XBHs, 29 Ks, 13 BBs

Meadows start to the 2021 season is certainly one he hopes to forget. He struggled mightily at the plate and was rarely in a position to make solid contact. Outside of the batters box, Meadows has been able to still show some of the tools that have tantalized evaluators since his high school days. He still has speed, arm strength, and plays solid defense. He was placed on the IL at the end of May so perhaps that was impacting him in the batter’s box.

Detroit Tigers No. 10 Prospect – Daniel Cabrera, West Michigan Whitecaps

2021 Stats: 102 ABs, .284/.345/.480, 3 HRs, 5 SBs, 21 Ks, 10 BBs

On May 14th, Cabrera was hitting .094/.167/.156 since then he has caught fire and looked every bit the polished offensive player scouts believed he was during his time at LSU. Reports on his offense indicate he has a strong approach and looks to have quickly caught up to the speed of the pro game. Reports on his defense have been more mixed but overall Cabrera is living up to expectations after a slow start.

Detroit Tigers No. 9 Prospect – Daz Cameron, Toledo Mud Hens

2021 Stats: 65 ABs, .292/.395/.446, 1 HR, 7 XBHs, 2 SBs, 15 Ks, 9 BBs

Cameron started the season on the IL and had a brief rehab stint at Lakeland before a promotion to Toledo. During his brief stint so far at Toledo Cameron has been excellent offensively. Commanding the strike zone and hitting for average and power. His defense remains strong as well and assuming he can stay healthy should be in line for a promotion to Detroit later this summer assuming the need arises.

Detroit Tigers No. 8 Prospect – Dillon Dingler, West Michigan Whitecaps

2021 Stats: 86 ABs, .302/.413/.628, 7 HRs, 29 Ks, 12 BB

(Insert eye popping emoji here) Dingler has been nothing short of superb to this point in 2021. He has likely already cemented himself inside the top 100 prospects in baseball with his performance and he certainly will be rising among prospects in the Tigers system. Name the area and Dingler has done nothing but exceed expectations. If you were trying to nit-pick his strikeout rate is a bit high but that is really splitting hairs.

Detroit Tigers No. 7 Prospect – Joey Wentz, Erie SeaWolves

2021 Stats: 5.2 IP, 4.76 ERA, 7 K s, 1.24 WHIP, 3 BB

Wentz is on a rehab assignment and was assigned to Lakeland. He has started two games and the second of those starts was very promising. Four, scoreless innings, five strikeouts, one hit, and no walks is an encouraging sign for a prospect coming back from major surgery. Also, reports on his velocity have him sitting in the low 90s which is another positive sign. It is great to see him back playing baseball and hopefully with our next update there will be lots more to dissect.

Detroit Tigers No. 6 Prospect – Isaac Paredes, Toledo Mud Hens

2021 Stats: 100 ABs, .270/.357/.390, 2 HRs, 6 XBHs, 16 Ks, 13 BBs

Let’s start with the positive, Paredes is doing what he has done in the past. Showing an advanced approach at the plate, as demonstrated by the strong BB:K ratio, and making lots of contact. Evaluators have always been high on his bat to ball skills and he is proving them correct. The problem early in 2021 has been Paredes hasn’t shown an uptick in his power production. His SLG% and his ISO are both below average. After a slow start he has been heating up with the weather though so the power may show up more consistently soon. His has primarily played second base and he has proven capable defender at the keystone. This helps his versatility and gives him a broader range of outcomes to help in Detroit.

Detroit Tigers No. 5 Prospect – Matt Manning, Toledo Mud Hens

2021 Stats: 26.1 IP, 9.23 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 28 Ks, 8 BB, 27 ER

DI-SAS-TER. Oh my, that is about as ugly a 6 start stat line as you can have. Nothing has gone right for Manning this season. He has struggled with his fastball command and the pitch hasn’t seen the upper ends of his velocity band very often this season. His off-speed stuff has been spotty as well. The combination has led hitters to be absolutely destroying him so far this season to the tune of a .324 average. Honestly, it is the type of performance which could lead you to believe Manning may not be 100% healthy but that is just one persons conjecture.

Detroit Tigers No. 4 Prospect – Casey Mize, Detroit Tigers

2021 Stats: 64.2 IP, 3.34 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 53 Ks, 20 BB, 0.5 WAR

Well, that’s better. Since a dud against the Royals on April 23rd, Mize has been very good. He has six quality starts among his last seven outings and has kept the Tigers firmly in each of those starts. Particularly interesting, are his last two starts. Mize has thrown a total of 12 innings, striking out 13 and not walking anyone. This is the exact type of performance Tigers fans were told to expect when Mize was drafted. He has been victimized by the long ball a bit (but hey, it’s 2021 isn’t everyone?) and his strikeout rate overall isn’t glamourous however the results are there. He will not qualify for the list when it is revised at mid-season but Detroit Tigers fans everywhere would much rather see him throwing in Detroit (and having success) than sitting atop rankings like this one.

Detroit Tigers No. 3 Prospect – Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers

2021 Stats: 49.0 IP, 4.59 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 57 Ks, 23 BB, -0.2 WAR

Skubal hasn’t enjoyed the success he had at the end of last season but he also hasn’t been terrible. Elevated pitch counts have left him unable to pitch deep into starts so he has not lasted more than six innings in a start this year (both of those are among his last four however). Part of that is by design his he is a high strikeout pitcher (10.47 K/9) but part of that is also an inefficiency caused mostly by issues with his command. Much like Mize, his recent outings are likely a preview of the best version of Skubal. He has not allowed more than 2 runs and has struck out at least 8 in each outing (hopefully he can last a little longer in those starts at his peak however). Skubal, also, won’t qualify for this list when it is revised.

Detroit Tigers No. 2 Prospect – Spencer Torkelson, West Michigan Whitecaps

2021 Stats: 79, ABs, .241/.392/.443, 4 HRs, 3 SBs, 24 Ks, 19 BBs

Exhale Tigers fans, Torkelson has started hitting the ball. After a frigid start to the season, where Tork was clearly pressing and seemingly doing everything he could to just draw walks, he has started to look more like the elite hitter the Tigers thought they were drafting. All of his home runs have come in the past two weeks and according to reports he is beginning to look much more comfortable at the plate. He now seems to be using his advanced approach to find a pitch to drive as opposed to working to get walked. If he is able to keep this up for another month, Tigers fans everywhere will breath a collective sigh of relief.

(Also, the answer to your question is, yes, the Whitecaps are a ton of fun to watch and you should definitely go to a game!)

Detroit Tigers No. 1 Prospect – Riley Greene, Erie SeaWolves

2021 Stats: 98 ABs, .276/.379/.480, 5 HRs, 9 XBHs, 6 SBs, 31 Ks, 14 BBs

20 year old’s should not be able to do this at the Double-A level. Greene is an exceptional hitter, with an exceptional approach at the plate. He has cemented himself (in my eyes anyway) as the top prospect in the system and among the ten best prospects in the game. His 14 walks and .379 OBP are excellent for anyone let alone someone his age. The five home runs in around a month of play are also ridiculous. To cap it all off, he has played a strong centerfield and it appears he has the ability to play there at least in the early part of his career.