Detroit Tigers: 15 players who could go to the Arizona Fall League

The Arizona Fall League has returned for the 2021 season, and the Detroit Tigers have some interesting options to send to minor-league baseball’s annual proving grounds.

The Tigers have continued to play solid baseball deep into September, and they’ve done so with a roster stretched to its limits. Free agents like Wily Peralta, Dustin Garneau, and Drew Hutchison have played surprisingly large roles in the team’s continued success, and they are a testament to the importance of scouting the minor leagues.

And there’s no better place to scout minor-leaguers than the Arizona Fall League. For those unfamiliar, the Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an annual tournament of sorts in the greater Phoenix area. Each MLB club sends seven minor leaguers (four pitchers and three position players) to the league, and they combine to form six 35-man teams.

Prior to 2019 there were specific rules about which players could be sent to the AFL — generally speaking, they had to have reached the Double-A level and they couldn’t be on the reserve list for a Winter League club. But now anyone not on the 40-man roster is eligible to be sent to Arizona, which makes projecting the rosters a little harder.

This year’s AFL season begins on October 13th, and there’s one more twist that makes guessing the rosters even more difficult:

Major League Baseball has informed clubs that all players in the upcoming Arizona Fall League must be vaccinated, according to sources. The decision is baseball’s first mandatory vaccination decree affecting players.

Rogelio and I like to think we follow the Tigers minor-league system as closely as anyone, but we don’t keep vaccination records. So we’ll just stick to guessing based on the typical categories of players sent to the AFL.

There are three kinds of player typically sent to the Arizona Fall League:

• top prospects getting a last coat of polish against solid competition
• those who missed time during the season with injuries
• fringe-prospects getting a change to perform in front of other organizations

Recent Tigers attendees in Arizona include Alex Lange and Derek Hill in 2019, and Spencer Turnbull in both 2016 and 2017. Future Tigers infielder Zack Short was teammates with Lange and Hill on the Mesa Solar Sox, and the Tigers likely targeted Victor Reyes in the 2017 Rule 5 Draft after seeing him hit .316 with five extra-base hits and 12 steals in the AFL that fall.

So, let’s take a look at who might head to the AFL this year.

Detroit Tigers Arizona Fall League Options: Injured Players

Dillon Dingler

2021 Stats

Odds of going to the Arizona Fall League: 50%

Dillon Dingler looked like a top-100 prospect for the first few months of the season. He was excellent in High-A, and then got off to a fantastic start with Double-A Erie, only to slam into the wall. Then he missed several weeks with a broken hand, and he never really got back on track. Catching is incredibly grueling, and from the outside Dingler just looked exhausted, but learning to play through that is part of the gig. It certainly wouldn’t hurt him to get some more at-bats against quality pitching, but even more important, he needs to get behind the plate and catch some future big-league arms, because he didn’t get many chances to do that this year.

Cooper Johnson

2021 Stats

Odds of going to the Arizona Fall League: 50%

Cooper Johnson’s offensive numbers are ugly, there’s no denying that, but he remains a terrific defensive catcher with all the tools to be a big-league backup. If Dingler heads to Arizona then it’s highly unlikely Johnson goes, too, but it’s always tough to find catchers for the AFL. And like Dingler, Johnson could use some practice catching top arms.

Kody Clemens

2021 Stats

Odds of going to the Arizona Fall League: 80%

Kody Clemens seems to fit all the criteria of an AFL invitee. He missed time at the beginning of the season, and depending on your opinion, he’s either a legitimate part of the future who could use a bit more seasoning before being added to the 40-man roster, or he’s a fringe prospect looking to establish himself as a potential trade target for other clubs.

Nick Quintana

2021 Stats

Odds of going to the Arizona Fall League: 40%

It’s getting late early for Detroit’s 2nd rounder from 2019. Quintana battled nagging injuries for much of the 2021 season, but he’s never really performed in pro ball. He went to college at the University of Arizona, so perhaps the team thinks a return to the desert might kickstart his career.

Logan Shore

2021 Stats

Odds of going to the Arizona Fall League: 60%

As mentioned on page one, teams each need to send four pitchers to the AFL, and there’s always a premium on arms who can go multiple innings. Logan Shore turns 27 in late December and probably isn’t a part of the future for the Detroit Tigers, but he could theoretically be an emergency swingman, he didn’t work a full slate this season, and he’s been to the AFL before, back in 2017.

Garrett Hill

2021 Stats

Odds of going to the Arizona Fall League: 60%

Hill fits a lot of the same criteria Shore does, though he’s one year younger and hasn’t pitched much at the higher levels yet. But he had a strong season, can probably handle another 20-30 innings, and deserves a chance to prove himself against better competition.

Detroit Tigers Arizona Fall League Options: Fringe Prospects

Eric De La Rosa

2021 Stats

Odds of going to the Arizona Fall League: 50%

The Detroit Tigers thought enough of Eric De La Rosa to draft him in the 7th round in 2018, but his pro debut that year was rough (.605 OPS), and his 2019 season was even worse (.435 OPS at short-season Connecticut). The 24-year-old outfielder had a remarkable turnaround this year, though, hitting his way to Double-A Erie. De La Rosa is a lithe, plus athlete with good bat speed, better foot speed, and enough pop to keep pitchers honest. He likely tops out as an emergency outfielder, but the Tigers may want to be sure by sending him to Arizona to face quality pitching and work on his defense.

Andrew Navigato

2021 Stats

Odds of going to the Arizona Fall League: 30%

Andrew Navigato probably isn’t a big-leaguer. The Tigers took him in the 20th round in 2019 out of Oklahoma State, and he seems like a good org soldier. But, he offered solid offensive production this year while moving across three levels, and he played at least 20 games at four different positions. That sort of versatility is coveted on AFL rosters, and it’s a nice reward for a kid who had a strong season.

Austin Bergner

2021 Stats

Odds of going to the Arizona Fall League: 50%

Austin Bergner began the year in Low-A Lakeland and showed some promise, but it wasn’t until he was promoted to West Michigan and moved to the rotation (out of necessity) that he really took off. Bergner went 4-0 with a 2.90 ERA with the Whitecaps, but he still figures to be a reliever if he makes it to the Majors. The AFL will give him a good chance to work in that role again against more advanced hitters.

Brendan White

2021 Stats

Odds of going to the Arizona Fall League: 40%

White’s 2021 story is similar to Bergner’s, in that he began the season in the bullpen before moving to the West Michigan rotation out of need. He’s a sinker/slider pitcher with terrific spin rates on his offerings, but, Like Bergner, he probably fits best as a reliever. He has already topped 100 innings this year, so the club may shut him down for the year, but he might be able to handle another 10-15 frames as a reliever.