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Detroit Tigers: Projecting the 2022 West Michigan Whitecaps lineup

By Chris Brown |
Infielder Wenceel Perez warms up for practice during Detroit Tigers spring training.
Infielder Wenceel Perez warms up for practice during Detroit Tigers spring training.
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Continuing our roster-projection for the Detroit Tigers full-season affiliates.

For the past few weeks we’ve been projecting the rosters for each of the Detroit Tigers’ four full-season minor-league affiliates. Rogelio has been handling the pitching, while I’ve been projecting the lineups. Today we turn our attention the West Michigan Whitecaps, Detroit’s High-A affiliate.

Last year the Whitecaps began the season with 13 position players, so we’ll use that as our goal for today. Once again we’ll split the list into three groups — Catcher, Infield, and Outfield — and then offer some background information on each player.

Detroit Tigers: West Michigan Catcher Projections (3)

Detroit Tigers catching prospect Eliezer Alfonzo.
Detroit Tigers catching prospect Eliezer Alfonzo. /
  • Eliezer Alfonzo – We have Alfonzo returning to West Michigan after two different stints with the Whitecaps last year. He doesn’t show much power, and his defense remains a work in progress, but has one of the better pure hit tools in the system, with a strong eye and great bat-to-ball skills.
  • Cooper Johnson – Cooper Johnson is probably the best defensive catcher in Detroit’s system, with outstanding agility behind the plate, soft hands, and a strong arm. He has shown patience and a little bit of pop as a hitter, but he owns a career .199 batting average in pro ball. His defensive skills should keep him employed for quite a while, though, and he’s the perfect backstop to handle what will likely be a prospect-laden Whitecaps rotation.
  • Mike Rothenberg – The first newcomer to West Michigan, Mike Rothenberg was one of the two catchers Detroit drafted in 2021. He’s a bit older, and had slightly more success than Josh Crouch, so we’ve pushed him to High-A. He possesses interesting arm strength and power potential from both sides of the plate, but he’s not the most fluid defender, and we’re projecting him to play a decent amount of first base this year.

https://twitter.com/Tiger_Lifer/status/1431445647333416961?s=20&t=jxm3yBG1hFZCKPlB2geKaA

Detroit Tigers: West Michigan Infield Projections (6)

Tigers infield prospect Colt Keith takes batting practice.
Tigers infield prospect Colt Keith takes batting practice. /
  • Trei Cruz – Trei Cruz had a rough pro debut, batting just .161 over 63 injury-plagued games. He played only four games before going down with an injury that caused him to miss a month, then struggled for a few weeks before being demoted to Lakeland. Things weren’t much better in Low-A, but we’re chalking up at least part of his struggles to the injuries.
  • Colt Keith – Another 2020 draftee, Colt Keith had a strong pro debut that placed him firmly on the prospect radar. He showed outstanding contact and on-base skills in Low-A as a teenager, though he struggled a bit after earning a late-season promotion to West Michigan.
  • Jose King – The last member of the ill-fated J.D. Martinez trade still in the organization, Jose King may be a candidate for release after posting a .611 OPS over 69 games with the Whitecaps in 2021. But, he did play six positions last year (including two appearances on the mound) and that defensive versatility could be useful for the club.
  • Carlos Mendoza – An unheralded organizational player, Carlos Mendoza nevertheless offers a nice mix of contact ability, speed, and defensive versatility. He played in rookie ball, Low-A, and Double-A last year, and the Tigers will likely send him wherever they need an infielder.
  • Wenceel Perez – Once one of the Detroit’s most promising shortstop prospects, Wenceel Perez didn’t spend a day at the six last year, but he still has a chance to develop into a Harold Castro style utility man. This would be his fourth stint in West Michigan.
  • Reynaldo Rivera – We finish the infield list with another returning player in power-hitting 1B/DH Rey Rivera. Detroit’s 2nd rounder from the 2017 draft is an all-or-nothing slugger who already owns the career record for home runs for the Whitecaps, but he hit just .207 last year, and it’s hard to picture him moving up to Double-A Erie.

Detroit Tigers: West Michigan Outfield Projections (4)

West Michigan Whitecaps outfielder Parker Meadows waits to bat.
West Michigan Whitecaps outfielder Parker Meadows waits to bat. /
  • Ben Malgeri – An intriguing under-the-radar college bat, Ben Malgeri showed a solid mix of power, speed, and on-base ability in his pro debut. He can capably play all three outfield positions, and he should be ready for the challenge of High-A.
  • Parker Meadows – Long one of the most frustrating prospects in Detroit’s system, Parker Meadows has athleticism, bloodlines, and tools, but so far no real success in pro ball. He’s still just 22, and sometimes it takes longer for tall players to develop, so we have Meadows ticketed for a third consecutive year with the Whitecaps.
  • Bryant Packard – Packard’s strong pro debut in 2019 made him a favorite among Tigers prospect watchers. He transformed his body before the 2021 season, but the bloom came off his prospect rose a bit after he hit just .222/.310/.369 over 54 injury-riddled games. He has a strong track record of hitting, though, and if he’s healthy this year he may be able to regain his lofty prospect status.
  • Austin Schultz – Detroit’s 10th-round pick last year, Schultz was a quality hitter with plus speed and gap power for three years at Kentucky. He had a solid pro debut, including four games with the Whitecaps, so he figures to return to High-A to begin 2022. He played mostly outfield last year, but he also has a lot of experience at second base.

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