Detroit Tigers Weekly Minor League Report: Welcome the class of 2021

Several Detroit Tigers from the 2021 MLB Draft made their debuts in the FCL (Florida Complex League) and Kody Clemens finishes July on a high note on the latest Detroit Tigers Minor League Report.

First and foremost, pardon for the absence of the weekly Detroit Tigers reports but now until the end of the minor league season, they will be back on a weekly basis and it will include the FCL. There is a lot of ground to cover so let’s get right into it!

Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens 44-32 Tied for 1st place in the Triple-A East-Midwest Division

The Mud Hens have won three in a row and tied with Omaha (Kansas City Royals Triple-A squad) as they split the six-game series.  The Storm Chases feature two huge prospects in Bobby Witt Jr and Nick Pratto, who were recently called up to Triple-A.

On Tuesday, Toledo won 9 to 3. Christin Stewart hit a grand slam and Kody Clemens had a solo shot in the 1st and would later add a triple in the fourth inning.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Toledo dropped both games 14-12 and 8-5.  In the 14-12 loss, Stewart went deep again and Aderlin Rodriguez hit his 18th home run of the season. In the Thursday loss, Rodriguez hit his 19th of the season.

In the three-game winning streak that started on Friday, Toledo jumped out on Brady Singer quickly for four runs in 1.1 innings of work. Stewart went yard again as he hit his 14th homer of the season and Drew Carlton pitched strong in relief, two innings of work with five strikeouts.

On Saturday, it was pitching that lead the charge as Mark Leiter Jr pitched six scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and striking out seven, and Will Vest, who was a Rule 5 pick by Seattle and was returned to Detroit, picked up his first save in a Mud Hens uniform. Jones and Renato Nunez both went deep.

On Sunday, Toledo won 6 to 3 on a bullpen start from Wladimir Pinto. Jacob Robson had a pair of hits and JaCoby Jones went 3-for-4.

Toledo Mud Hens hitters of the month:

The Mud Hens got a lot of good performances in the month of July but the top two bats were Aderlin Rodriguez and Christin Stewart. Rodriguez, who has spent his entire career in the minors, put up a slash line of .360/.441/.697 with an OPS of 1.138 in the month of July.  He had seven home runs and drove 22 and put up a healthy wRC+ of 191.

Stewart led the team in home runs for the month with eight and also put up a productive slash line. 294/.400/.735 with an OPS of 1.135 (20-for-68). Kody Clemens’s bat also heated up, hitting five homers.

Toledo Mud Hens pitchers of the month:

Mark Leiter Jr and Drew Hutchison are among the starters who put up strong numbers. Leiter Jr in the month of July pitched 25 innings, allowed two runs over 12 hits, seven walks, and 32 strikeouts while posting an ERA of 0.72. His FIP for the month was 2.72 which is quite impressive and a K per 9 of 11.52. He went 4-0 in his five starts.  Hutchison posted an ERA of 2.93 in five starts.

Bullpen-wise, Nolan Blackwood over 14.2 innings of work, allowed one earned run over six hits and struck out 18 with just four walks. His WHIP for the month of July was 0.68.

Toledo is on the road as they head to Nashville for a series and they will have a nice face to the rotation as the Tigers made a move this morning adding Nivaldo Rodriguez to the roster.