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.

Double-A Erie SeaWolves 41-37 8GB Double-A Northeast-Southwest Division.

The SeaWolves lost their home series to Akron one game to five as they dropped the final four games of the series.  In the 10-2 win on Wednesday, Brady Policelli and Ryan Kreidler went deep and Riley Greene had an RBI double.   AJ Ladwig tossed six innings, allowing one run over four hits, and struck out five.

For the week, Policelli hit .409/.458./.955 with three home runs (9-for-22) and Spencer Torkelson also finished 8-for-22 (.364). Kreidler finished the month of July strong with an OPS of .967 against the Ducks and hit .286 (6-for-21). For the good week Policelli had, he earned a player of the week award.

A scary moment for Tigers fans this week as Riley Greene was hit in the helmet on Saturday night but was back in the lineup on Sunday.

Erie SeaWolves Hitters of the Month:

The SeaWolves were hot and cold offensively all month but nevertheless, Spencer Torkelson led the team in home runs with six followed by Kreilder with five. He was tied with Greene for batting average, batting .274, and slugged at a nice .500 clip.

Erie SeaWolves Pitchers of the Month:

As far as starters go, Joey Wentz in five starts pitched 19 innings, allowed 8 earned runs over 13 hits. He did strike out 25 but walks were an issue as he yielded 17.

Billy Lescher had a strong month of July as the right-hander struck out 15 in 9.2 innings of work, allowing just three walks and two earned runs over five hits.

For anyone growing up in the ’90s and watched the movie “That Thing You Do”, the SeaWolves announced a cool night coming up at the ballpark on Saturday, September 4 for the 25th anniversary as The Wonders come home.

The Seawolves hit the road to take on Harrisburg this week.

High-A West Michigan Whitecaps: 36-41 6.5 GB High-A Central-East Division

The Whitecaps split their series on the road against the Great Lakes Loons 3-3 as both teams took turns winning, starting with the Whitecaps on Tuesday, winning 6-3.

Rey Rivera hit about 800 feet worth of home runs as he hit one in the fourth inning and one in the eighth inning. Gage Workman and Jimmy Kerr both hit doubles and Parker Meadows went 2-for-4. Zach Hess picked up his seventh save on the season.

After losing 16-9 on Wednesday, the Whitecaps bounced back on Thursday with an 8-2 victory. Garrett Hill pitched well, going five innings, allowing one run over two hits, walking four but struck out eight. Zac Houston, who is making his way back up, pitched a scoreless inning and so far in five appearances for the Whitecaps, has allowed one run over five hits in 6.2 innings of work and striking out 13 to just three walks.

On Saturday, Adam Wolf pitched five innings, allowing two runs over six hits, and struck out five and Hess picked up his eighth save on the season. Jimmy Kerr had a pair of doubles and Gresuan Silverio, a catcher called up from Lakeland on July 26th along with Cooper Johnson, had doubles.

Friday’s trade deadline saw a new pitcher on the West Michigan roster as Reese Olson comes over from the Brewers in exchange for left-handed pitcher Daniel Norris.

West Michigan Hitters of the Month:

Eric De La Rosa had a fantastic month, hitting .355/.388/.527 with an OPS of .915 with seven doubles, three triples, and seven stolen bases. (33-for-93). Parker Meadows has picked it up as of late in the power department, hitting four home runs to lead the team in the month of July. The batting average of .255 for the month is an improvement as Meadows has been better since returning from the IL.

West Michigan Pitchers of the Month:

Garrett Hill led the rotation for the month of July. He threw 18.2 innings in five starts, allowing three runs over 14 hits, striking out 28, and walking 9. He finished with an ERA of 1.45 and a FIP of 2.25.