Detroit Tigers Prospects: Arizona Fall League Weekly Roundup (10/2-10/9)

Detroit Tigers Pitching Prospects in the AFL…

The Tigers have two pitchers who saw game action this past week as the league kicked off. 2021 draftee Tyler Mattison and southpaw Joey Wentz are the two prospects who found their way into games. Let’s dive into these two and their performance over the last week individually.

Tyler Mattison pitched three scoreless innings over three appearances, surrendering just one hit and punching out three. According to Tigers Minor League Report (TMLR) on Twitter, he was up to 96.4 mph on his fastball during the first week of AFL games.

For Mattison, some walks drove his WHIP up to 1.67, so honing in on command and limiting walks should be prioritized. His top velocity went down as the week went on, so seeing him continue to work into the mid- to upper-90s would also be good.

Joey Wentz made his AFL debut catching some eyes with three perfect innings. He retired 12 straight and punched out three hitters. His stuff looked dominant, and he missed barrels, plain and simple. Great outing for the southpaw to come in and dominate.

The Tigers should be hopeful that he can continue this performance as he looks to settle into the team’s rotation in 2023. A strong showing this fall only helps him give more for the Tigers’ new front office to examine and look at as they carve out the team’s plans moving forward.

**Fun little tidbit: The two Tigers pitchers mentioned are the only pitchers on the Salt River Rafters roster with a 0.00 ERA (among qualified pitchers).**

Beyond Mattison and Wentz, the Tigers’ other two pitching prospects had some not-so-exciting stats. Florida State and 2021 draft product Jack Anderson pitched in two games where he logged two total innings, allowing three hits and an earned run.

Not the worst, but room to improve. It’s early for Anderson, who’s got plenty of time to get things on track. Matt Walker, a 13th-round pick from the 2019 draft out of Illinois State, had a much rougher go for his debut.

Walker made a start, lasting just two innings, allowing two hits, including a home run, walking one, and hitting another. On the bright side, he did punch out two hitters. Plenty of room to go upward from here. But that’s how the Tigers’ prospects fared in the first week of AFL games.