Detroit Tigers Prospect You Should Know: Isaac Paredes

At the beginning of the 2021 season, Isaac Paredes was the Detroit Tigers’ number 6 prospect. Though Isaac has technically graduated “prospect” status, though he has only played 57 games in two years in the bigs. He is still considered a prospect in many eyes, and he has shown some good potential in those games. So this is why he should get more playing time.

Paredes is a primarily 3B, but last season it was shown and even said by manager AJ Hinch that he wants Isaac to get reps and learn how to play 2B. But it is apparent that he is a lot more comfortable at the 3B position. The reason behind this is actually very simple. He is the Toledo Mud Hens everyday 3rd basemen. So when he is getting all these reps and practicing every day down in Toledo at 3rd and gets called up and has to transition over to 2B it’s gonna be difficult.

For example, in 2020 Isaac played 33 games at 3B accumulating 257.1 innings, and in those 33 games, he had a .975 fielding percentage, a UZR of 2 which is slightly above average but his UZR/150 he had a 9.9! Which if you don’t know what that means 0 is average, +5 is above average, +10 is great, and anything below 0 is below average to bad. So Isaac having nearly a 10 shows he has the potential to be an elite defender at 3B! Though it was only 33 games it probably would end up being around a 7-8 which is still amazing!

Now, let’s compare those same statistics of him playing 2nd base. In 22 games at 2B Isaac had a Fielding Percentage of .978, a UZR of -0.9, and the real one that hurts is his UZR/150 which was -26.2. As you can see he was not a good defender at all at 2B.

But that doesn’t mean he won’t adjust. What this means is that AJ and the minor league manager need to discuss having Isaac get more reps at 2B when he is in the minors or AJ needs to play him more at 2B during the regular season. Along with Isaac turning only 23 in February he still has plenty of time to adjust. And learn the new position. Because it is highly unlikely that a defender like Isaac would struggle like this forever.

How is Isaac Paredes’s offensive production?

Isaac is not gonna blow you away with crazy power numbers and hit 20-25+ Homeruns for you a year. That is just not the kind of player he is. But he still has the potential to be a great hitter at the plate. Isaac has one of the best eyes at the plate and has a great feel for the zone. Along with having an elite contact percentage. That being said sometimes that comes to hurt him. He has such a good feel for the zone that he swings at pitches that are barely in the zone and causes a lot of weak contact. So if he can learn to lay off a lot of on the black pitches that alone will improve his hitting greatly.

In his 6 seasons in the minor leagues, Isaacs’s stat line was .273/.366/.420/.785. So in his minor league career, he has a good SLG%, a great OPS, and an elite OBP. So he has the potential. But why hasn’t he shown in yet in the bigs?

That is because he has one major issue. That issue is his hard-hit rate is not good. In 2020 he had a 26.7% and in 2021 a 25.4%. That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t make solid contact, it just means the ball was jumping off the bat like a lot of other good hitters.

But, if we know anything it’s that Paredes has the potential to be a great on-Base guy who will walk a lot if stops chasing a lot of 50/50 pitches and if he finds a way to increase his hard-hit rate, he could become a guy who can maybe hit 10-15 HR and get a lot of doubles and singles.

So what should the Tigers do with Isaac Paredes?

Isaac is still very young and has been in limbo with the Tigers for quite some time. I think it is time he just stays on the big league roster and learns from this amazing coaching staff, with Coolbaugh and Hinch, Isaac could really take the jump a lot of fans want. Because if he finally finds his stride and puts up the numbers he did in the minors he can be a great asset to the Tiger’s future. That being said he probably isn’t going to be a superstar.

The best comparison is probably his teammate Jeimer Candelario. Isaac and Jeimer are very similar. Jeimer even had the same problems as Isaac in his early years and is now finally coming into his own. If Isacc can do the same that would do wonders for this young up-and-coming Tigers team.

In conclusion, the Detroit Tigers should keep Paredes on the 26 man roster in 2022 and let him get his reps in. Because he has shown the potential to be a great asset to the team in the future and has proved that point in the minors and in the Mexican baseball league. So, if you didn’t know who Isaac Paredes was from his short time in the majors, now you do and you know why you should know and keep an eye on Isaac Paredes.