3 Detroit Tigers pitching prospects to keep eyes on to end 2022

Brant Hurter, LHP, Double-A Erie SeaWolves

Brant Hurter, a former collegiate pitcher, selected in last summer’s draft, is one of the Detroit Tigers’ prospects that has pieced together an exciting summer. After an impressive performance for three seasons with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, he was drafted by the Tigers in the seventh round last year.

Since then, he has joined the team’s farm system, looking to start his ascent towards the big leagues. Hurter’s 2022 season started strong after intriguing performances with Single-A and High-A.

Hurter made ten appearances and six starts with the Single-A Lakeland Flying Tigers, producing a 2.98 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP, and 57 punchouts over 42.1 innings pitched. He was then promoted to High-A, joining the West Michigan Whitecaps, where he made ten starts and one relief appearance.

Hurter produced a 3.20 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP while picking up 62 punchouts over 50.2 innings pitched. Then things took a turn. He earned another promotion, moving to Double-A to join the Erie SeaWolves.

He has made just two starts, leaving much room to improve his performance. He’s pitched just five innings, allowing 13 hits and 12 earned runs. As the 2022 season ends, Hurter will be looking to bounce back.

The Tigers know what they can get from him. He’s a left-handed pitcher who throws from a three-quarters arm slot. His front side carries him down the mound with some rotation in the hips, landing on line.

He’s found success with the wipeout slider he uses for swings and misses. It’s the primary pitch in his pitch mix, or at least it is his best offering. Need more proof?

It’s got horizontal movement coming from a slot that can be deceptive, especially to left-handed hitters, seeing the pitch disappear as it moves away from them. However, righties can struggle with the pitch as well.

His fastball needs work— he’s got excellent command of the pitch, but it will not overpower hitters. So he’s someone with pitchability and plus-breaking stuff. It will be interesting to see if he can hone in his control and get things back on track.

Wilmer Flores, RHP, Double-A Erie SeaWolves

One of the players who has caught my attention personally is Wilmer Flores, though I’m not talking about the middle infielder who went viral early on in his career for showing a ton of emotion on the field after being told he was traded.

His brother, with the same name, was signed by the Detroit Tigers after the 2020 MLB Draft, joining the team from Arizona Western College. He was not given a lot of projectability, being viewed as someone who could be a future bullpen piece.

He vaulted himself up the Top-30 prospect list and has shown he still has an upside as a starter. Flores has spent the summer of 2022 between the High-A West Michigan squad and the Double-A Erie team.

Now, as the 2022 season winds down, he should be aiming to finish strong. Ending on a high note could set him up in a good spot going into 2023. Flores has made 16 starts for the Erie SeaWolves, where he managed a 2.51 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP.

He’s picked up 79 punchouts over 71.2 innings pitched and shown improved command of the pitch mix top to bottom. He’s been able to improve his fastball command and even been able to run the heater up into the upper-90s from time to time during his starts.

His breaking ball is a high-spin curveball that he uses for whiffs. He’ll throw it in any count with little fear, being a pitch that he is confident in. He also shows a cutter that has a tight break with a horizontal movement in the upper-80s.

He also mixes in a changeup, but the breaker and cutter are the two primary offspeed offerings. Here’s a look from Geoff Pontes of Baseball America, showcasing this pitch mix.

The point is that Flores has settled in as a starter, using that pitch mix to have success and attack hitters. There’s plenty to like about the right-hander with upside moving forward. The Tigers should hope he finishes strong and earns a rotation spot for 2023, with a chance to move up.

With a new regime coming into the front office, an undrafted free agent performing as well as Flores has is going to be hoping for a smooth finish to the season. Ending on a high note could result in starting off on the right foot with a new front office regime.

It’s not that Flores is on bad terms or anything like that, but it’s one of those “put your best foot forward” situations where he can continue climbing with a strong finish.

Chance Kirby, RHP, Double-A Erie SeaWolves

A late-round pick by the Detroit Tigers back in 2018, Chance Kirby has been a bit of a late bloomer. The former collegiate arm has spent the last four years (three seasons) in the Tigers organization.

While he sat out the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 stoppage, he’s been working his way toward the big leagues. In 2022, he has gotten into a groove and is on track for his best performance yet.

There’s a chance that he could post his best performance to date with the Tigers organization with a solid finish to the season. He has made 18 starts for the Tigers and eight relief appearances.

Kirby pitched to a 2.52 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP with 96 punchouts over 110.2 innings of work. He’s a right-handed arm with a simple delivery, throwing from a high-three-quarters arm slot and creating some downhill plane on his pitches.

The fastball rides a ton, carrying well arm-side. The breaking ball appears to be a slider with some tilt to it but plenty of horizontal movement to it. He sequences the two well and finds success in that capacity.

He shows a changeup with some depth to it, especially arm-side. But the fastball command helps him have success. He’s able to miss barrels and induce weak contact for success. Piecing together a strong end to the season would help post career bests.

As the Tigers see the 2022 season start coming to a close, Kirby is someone to watch to see if he can keep posting quality outings and be an efficient arm for the SeaWolves.