6 Detroit Tigers prospects who could land on top 100 lists

Detroit Tigers Potential Top-100 Prospect – Ty Madden

Ty Madden had a dominant career at the University of Texas, amassing a 14-6 record with a 2.59 ERA over 181 innings. He also had the stuff to back up his numbers, with a mid-90s fastball that could touch 100 MPH, and a nasty slider for an out pitch. He spent most of the season viewed as a probable top-ten pick, but as the draft approached rumors spread that teams were worried about the shape of his fastball. For all its velocity, his heater seemed to get punished at the top of the zone, which is where teams want fastballs these days. He slid to the Detroit Tigers with the 32nd pick in the draft because his fastball was viewed as that much of a problem.

Well, problem solved.

It’s not that simple, of course, but the Tigers and Madden have made some small changes to his delivery and arm slot, and it seems to have paid immediate dividends. Baseball America dug into the specifics ($) but anyone who watched him pitch saw a fastball that was dominant up in the zone. The Lansing Lugnuts seemed prepared for it in his second outing, and he did give up one home run, but he got a ton of pop-outs, and they were helpless against his breaking ball. He doesn’t throw his changeup very often, but it looks good too. If Ty Madden can climb up to Double-A and continue to perform well, he has a great chance to be a top-100 prospect in 2023.