Detroit Tigers No. 16 Prospect – Alex Faedo – RHP
We would post Alex Faedo’s statistics from last season, but unfortunately there are none. Detroit’s first-rounder from 2017 was pitching at the alternate site in 2020 when he was shut down with a forearm strain. A few months later he underwent Tommy John surgery, and he subsequently missed all of the 2021 season. Faedo was spectacular in college, and it looked as though the Tigers landed a huge steal after he used a mid-90s fastball and a dastardly slider to snag Most Outstanding Player honors for leading the Florida Gators to the 2017 College World Series Championship.
But in pro ball that fastball has lived around 91 MPH, and Alex Faedo proved homer prone, particularly at the Double-A level, where he allowed 32 bombs in just over 175 innings. Part of that is due to Faedo being an unrepentant strike thrower — his career BB/9 in pro ball is just 2.3 — but his hunched posture and somewhat violent delivery prevented him from locating as well as he needed to. It remains to be seen what Alex Faedo will be when he returns from injury, but he’s already 26, he’s mostly a two-pitch pitcher, and he hasn’t seen a game at the Triple-A level. The Tigers may want to continue to develop Faedo as a starter, but his best bet to reach the majors is as a slider-heavy middle reliever in the mold of former Tiger Alex Wilson.