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

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.