Detroit Tigers Top 20 Prospects: Midseason Update

Detroit Tigers Prospects Who Fell

So, with four graduates and five new additions there were bound to be a few players who moved down a little on our list. But there are also players who just haven’t performed as well as we hoped.

Adinso Reyes – IF – Down 4

Adinso Reyes dropped four spots on our list, from 20th before the season to 24th now. Part of it is the new players in the system, but it’s also because we just haven’t seen much from him. He wasn’t assigned to a full-season league, and so far in the Florida Complex League he’s batting just .147/.266/.279 with 35 strikeouts and 6 walks in just 20 games. The 19-year-old is reportedly still showing solid tools, but he’ll need to perform to make his way back onto our list next year.

Daniel Cabrera – OF – Down 5

Daniel Cabrera was part of Detroit’s lauded 2020 draft class, and some felt he was a steal for the Tigers in the 3rd round. But so far he’s a been a bit disappointing in pro ball, batting just .237/.305/.373 in High-A West Michigan. He simply hasn’t hit as much as we thought he would, and while the rest of his tools are solid, they aren’t impressive enough to carry him as a player. There’s still time for him to catch fire, but right now it looks as though he’ll top out as a 4th outfielder.

Jose De La Cruz – OF – Down 6

Jose De La Cruz earned a bit of hype after a strong pro debut in 2019, and he impressed with his power on the backfields. A full-season assignment to Low-A Lakeland seemed to back up the hype, but then he struggled mightily, batting just .127/.209/.183 with a 47% strikeout rate in 39 games. He has rebounded very nicely in the Florida Complex League, and the tools are still there, but it appears De La Cruz needs a bit more seasoning than we thought.

Parker Meadows – OF – Down 8

Parker Meadows still shows flashes of the impressive tools that led the Detroit Tigers to spend $2.5 million on him in the 2nd round of the 2018 draft, but he just hasn’t hit in pro ball. He’s batting a lowly .202 for West Michigan this year, and even though he’s still 21, it seems reasonable to wonder if he will ever hit enough to reach the big leagues.

Bryant Packard – OF – Down 11

Bryant Packard is a bit of a fan favorite among those who pay attention to Detroit Tigers prospects, but he has always had a tougher path to the big leagues than fans realized. Packard has demonstrated the ability to hit in the past, but he’s a corner-only defender who has to really rake to carve out a career. So far this season he’s had trouble staying on the field, and he’s batting just .222 with six home runs. He turns 24 after the season, so he’ll need to start producing in a big way soon.

Franklin Perez – RHP – Off the List

We’ve discussed the unfortunate news about Franklin Perez before, so we don’t need to go into too much detail here. He struggled to hit the upper-80s with his fastball in spring training, and then it was revealed he needed shoulder surgery. He was released and re-signed by the Tigers, and though he may still make the majors one day, it’s unlikely we ever see him on a prospect list again.