Detroit Tigers: Dillon Dingler among five rising AL Central prospects

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As we surpass the thirty game mark of the Minor League season, it’s time to take a look at prospect risers in the American League Central, headlined by Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler

The Minor League season has now been in progress for over a month. In the Detroit Tigers and the AL Central as a whole, we have seen the beginnings of prospect breakouts and downfalls alike. The lack of a 2020 minor league season means that we haven’t gotten eyes on many of these prospects for over a full calendar year.

While there has clearly been some rust amongst minor leaguers, as evidenced by unusually high strikeout and walk rates, a whole month of new data points allow us which players may have elevated their game in a variety of ways during the shutdown. We have seen several examples of pitchers adding fastball velocity or hitters refining their approach on their way to a career-high walk rate during the lost season.

In the AL Central specifically, there are five players who have caught my eye as potential prospect risers as the season progresses:

Dillon Dingler, C DET

Dillon Dingler has done everything right in his first few months in the Detroit Tigers system. A second-round selection in the 2020 MLB Draft, Dingler came with the reputation as a player with fairly average tools across the board. So far, he has shown that there may be some more upside once you pull back the curtain.

Dingler is extremely athletic for a backstop. Of course, many Detroit Tigers fans have heard about his role as the starting center fielder for Ohio State during his sophomore season. His blend of size and athleticism bode well for his defensive future behind the plate.

Dingler has certainly scorched A+ pitching to start the year, registering a .986 OPS and eight home runs across 113 plate appearances, but that’s not unheard of for a 22-year-old player in A+ ball coming off of three seasons in the Big Ten. What’s most encouraging is his swing looks great and he has displayed easy power to all fields. Detroit Tigers GM Avila said Friday that Dingler is due for a promotion soon, where his bat will be tested more. Dingler has firmly cemented himself among the top ten catcher prospects in baseball with top-five upside if he continues his performance in a more aggressive assignment.

FORT MYERS, FL- MARCH 07: Matt Canterino #91 of the Minnesota Twins pitches during a spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays on March 7, 2021 at the Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) /

Daniel Espino, SP CLE

One of the next cogs in the never-ending wheel of awesome Cleveland pitching prospects, Daniel Espino has shown off his swing and miss stuff in A ball to start the year. Espino was the Indians first-round pick in 2019 out of the Georgia prep ranks. At the time of his selection, FanGraphs noted that many scouts thought Espino had the best stuff of any pitcher in the entire draft.

In his limited game action, Espino has sat in the mid to upper 90s with his fastball and has the potential for three above-average secondary offerings. Despite some spotty command, his stuff is clearly too much for most hitters at his level to handle.

Espino has always been a bit of a high-risk prospect due to his status as a high-velocity prep pitcher, but his long and unorthodox arm action only adds fuel to the fire. If he is able to maintain his health and velocity for even most of the 2021 season, he will shoot up prospect boards as one of the higher upside pitchers in the minors.

Matt Canterino, SP MIN

Canterino has been on my watch list dating back to last year and I even wrote about him as one of the AL Central prospects to watch prior to this season. His stuff has always been incredible; he pairs a mid-90s heater with a devastating wipeout slider and a changeup that has shown tremendous improvement in the past year.

Based on stuff alone, Canterino looks like an easy bet to be a mid-rotation starter in Minnesota. The big question mark is how his unconventional delivery impacts his future role. It’s a high effort, herky-jerky windup with over-the-top arm action, a delivery that lacks many predecessors among current MLB starters.

When I saw him in spring training, he seemed like the type of prospect that a good Twins team might push to the majors in a bullpen role to help this season. However, the Twins’ hopes of competing have fallen apart and they have shown no signs of moving Canterino from a starter role. Of course, It helps that he has put up some spectacular results, pitching to a 1.00 ERA in A+ ball and striking out a whopping 17.5 hitters per nine innings.

Matt Canterino will undoubtedly see a promotion soon and will likely become a consensus top 100 prospect by the end of the season barring an injury. There will always be relief risk present in his profile, but he has done everything he can to show he can be a long-term rotation piece.

PEORIA, AZ – MARCH 7: Nick Pratto #88 of the Kansas City Royals bats during the game against the San Diego Padres at Peoria Stadium on March 7, 2021 in Peoria, Arizona. The Royals defeated the Padres 4-3. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Nick Pratto, 1B KCR

The resurgence of Nick Pratto has been equally improbable and awesome to watch. A first-round pick by the Royals in 2017, Pratto had the draft pedigree and the results to move quickly through the Royals system. That is until he hit the roadblock that was the 2019 season.

To put it bluntly, Pratto was one of the worst players on the Royals A+ Wilmington squad in 2019. He struggled to the tune of a .588 OPS and struck out over 34% of his at-bats, a performance that nuked his prospect status.

The 2021 season has been a resurgence in the best way for Pratto. Through 135 plate appearances in AA, he has a 1.152 OPS and has boosted his walk rate to 20%, nearly double his previous career-high. His resurgence can be traced back to a swing change he made during the lost season in 2020. He now utilizes an open stance in the box and uses a leg kick to find his timing.

Pratto profiles as an above-average defensive first baseman, so Kansas City has to be thrilled with his offensive improvements. He is trending toward becoming a regular lineup contributor at first base in the next year or two.

Jose Rodriguez, SS, CHW

Jose Rodriguez was a late addition to the White Sox International Free Agent class in 2018. He quickly garnered some attention from prospect evaluators for his strong bat-to-ball skills and barrel control for a player his age. Even for players like Rodriguez that show strong contact skills in rookie ball, it commonly takes a full-season debut before the prospect hype can really start to build.

Rodriguez just turned 20 and has a 117 wRC+ for Kannapolis, the White Sox low A affiliate. His strikeout rate has dipped just below 20% and he has shown the ability to spray line drives to all fields.

Right now, Jose Rodriguez profiles as a contact over power hitter, but he could grow into more power as he gets stronger and fills out. The jury is still out on if he can stick at shortstop long term, but he should rise up the prospect ladder even if his defensive home is elsewhere on the dirt.

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