Detroit Tigers: 3 prospects who could make the 2023 Opening Day roster

INF Andre Lipcius

Lipcius is the only one on this list to reach Triple-A, which makes it more likely that he could actually make the Opening Day roster. It helps that he’s been outstanding in 30 games with the Mud Hens.

He’s currently slashing .327/.397/.535 with a .932 OPS for Toledo. This was after he slashed .264/.392/.426 with nine homers and more walks than strikeouts in Double-A, earning him a promotion.

The best thing about Lipcius has always been his plate discipline. He had 16.4% walk rate in Erie this year, and it’s still solid at 11.2% with Toledo. The only time in his professional career where it was less than 10% was 2019 with then-Low-A West Michigan, where it was 9.5% in 67 games.

He’s also shown some more consistent power this season. His ISO was .162 in Double-A, and it is currently .208 in Triple-A. He also had a 129 wRC+ in Erie, and a 145 wRC+ in Toledo so far.

Lipcius also provides a little bit of defensive versatility in the infield, playing mostly third base, but also playing some second and first. Combine that with his stellar eye at the plate, and it makes Lipcius someone that A.J. Hinch might be keeping a close eye on.

Again, because he’s already seen some time in Triple-A, Lipcius seems more likely than others to actually break camp with the big league club. If he has a strong spring training next season, don’t be surprised if he is with the Detroit Tigers when they play in Cleveland to begin the 2023 season.