Detroit Tigers: Projecting the 2022 Lakeland Flying Tigers lineup

Detroit Tigers: Lakeland Outfield Predictions (5)

• Roberto Campos – No longer a complete man of mystery, Roberto Campos had a solid pro debut in the Florida Complex League last year. He homered in his first at bat, and while there are some questions about his pure hitting ability, he probably did enough to warrant a promotion to Low-A.
• Jose De La Cruz – De La Cruz received Detroit’s biggest bonus in the 2018 IFA class, and he impressed with his physical tools and early performance in the DSL. The Tigers challenged him with a jump to Low-A last year and he floundered, hitting just .127 in 39 games before heading back down to rookie ball. He’ll get another crack at full-season ball this year.
• Kingston Liniak – A prep outfielder from the 2018 high-school class, Liniak has shown promising flashes of his tools – he hit 10 HRs and stole 19 bases last year – but he hasn’t proven he can hit yet. He’s a career .203 hitter in the minors, including a .193 batting average in 107 games in Lakeland last year, so it’s hard to picture him jumping to High-A.
• J.D. McLaughlin – Speaking of tools, J.D. McLaughlin has plenty of speed and arm strength to go along with interesting power potential. He barely played at Oregon State in 2020 before transferring to Central Arizona College last year, where he hit .338 with 13 home runs and 33 steals. The Tigers used their final pick in the 2021 draft on him, and he saw three games in Lakeland at the end of last season.
• Carlos Pelegrin – It’s possible the Tigers choose to go with Pelegrin’s Cuban countryman Lazaro Benitez, who had the better 2021 season, but we’re guessing Pelegrin gets the not because he’s slightly younger, received a larger bonus, and has more upside.