Detroit Tigers minor league report: Opening week fireworks

Lakeland Flying Tigers (1-2) – T4th in Florida State League West

Video was typically hard to come by for the Lakeland Flying Tigers, but fortunately the Yankees had a video team in Lakeland for the home opener, and we have some Statcast data to help fill in the blanks. The Flying Tigers are one of the youngest teams in full-season ball, with five teenagers on the roster, including the three youngest players ($) in the Florida State League. That youth didn’t seem to affect the team’s bats, as they posted a solid .764 OPS, though the offense was led by infielder Chris Meyers, one of the older hitters on the team. Meyers went 5-for-11 in his first three games, with a double and a monster home run.

Lakeland did drop that game 9-6, but starter Brant Hurter (4IP, 2H, ER, 5K) was pretty strong in his pro debut, and the club won 5-1 on Saturday behind excellent pitching from rehabbing veterans Wily Peralta (2IP, H, 2K) and Alex Faedo (3IP, H, 2K). Saturday also marked the professional debut of the Detroit Tigers 4th rounder from last year’s draft, Tyler Mattison (2IP, H, ER, 3BB, 3K). Mattison had some trouble throwing strikes, but he did garner eight swings-and-misses with his fastball, which sat at 94 MPH and had an average spin rate of nearly 2,600 RPM. Minor-league Rule 5 addition Elvis Alvarado (2IP, H, BB, 3K) finished the game, with his fastball cresting 98 MPH twice.

The Flygers lost Sunday’s finale 9-5, but there were plenty of positive signs in the game. Wilkel Hernandez (2.2 IP, 3H, 0ER, BB, 5K) saw his first competitive action since August of 2019, throwing all four of his pitches, touching 95 MPH with his heater, and generating a game-best 11 swings and misses. Lakeland’s young infield played well, too, with third baseman Izaac Pacheco going 2-for-4 and shortstop Manuel Sequera lacing a single at 103 MPH. But the most eye-popping performance came from second baseman Cristian Santana:

Santana finished the game 2-for-5, and he went 5-for-12 with a walk in the series. That’s awfully impressive considering he’s the youngest player in the FSL, and this is his first season playing in the United States. The Detroit Tigers may have a good one on their hands.

Fans with an MiLB.TV subscription can actually see Santana and his teammates play this week, as the Flying Tigers head to Bradenton for six games against the Marauders.