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

Detroit Tigers prospects weekly roundup from the Arizona Fall League.

While the Detroit Tigers season ended, the season was not over for a handful of prospects who were sent out to Arizona to participate in the Arizona Fall League. The Tigers have sent seven prospects out to Arizona, all of them joining the Salt River Rafters’ squad.

For the next few weeks, leading into the middle of November, these prospects from around the league will compete against each other. For the Tigers, the key names to note are Colt Keith, Parker Meadows, Joey Wentz, and Gage Workman.

The season officially kicked off on Monday, October 3rd, with the Rafters failing to win their first game. But in reality, it’s not super important about the Rafters’ record, but it’s key to follow along with the Tigers prospects who are playing.

The Tigers’ prospects in the AFL will go through a 30-game season, playing against six teams made up of prospects from around the league. There will be a Fall Stars game and Home Run Derby in November, a week before the championship game slated for November 12th, 2022.

With that said, let’s do a weekly roundup of performances from the Arizona Fall League. All seven Tigers prospects on the Rafters’ roster saw time in games this past week. It was a real mix of exciting performances and some guys leaving more to be desired.

With the first week of AFL games in the books, let’s check up on some Tigers’ high-profile prospects and some less-known names getting some reps in out in Arizona.

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.

Detroit Tigers Hitting Prospects in the AFL…

The Tigers had all three of their hitting prospects get into games during the first week of AFL games; let’s get right into it.

Colt Keith made a solid debut to the AFL, getting the scoring underway with a nice piece of hitting on a breaking ball into the pull-side gap for an RBI single. Here’s the video

The Tigers infield prospect had his season cut short due to an injury sliding back to the base. The chance for him to get back in the box and face live pitching during game situations in the AFL is huge, and he’s made the most of it. Keith was 5-for-11 with a double and two RBI to his credit.

Keith has also drawn five walks for a .588 on-base percentage, with a 1.133 OPS (third-best on the Rafters roster). Keith has returned to the field and looked great to kick things off for the AFL season. On the flip side, things have not been so kind to the other Tigers prospects who have played.

Parker Meadows has struggled to get things going so far. He’s 3-for-17 this fall with the Rafters. However, he has a double and a home run to his credit. Here’s a look at the home run from the left-handed hitter outfielder.

He gets the foot down, rotates through contact, barrels the ball out in front, and drives it—great swing from Meadows. The rest of his swings have not been as rewarding. Hopefully, he can get things going as the AFL season continues.

Gage Workman has gone hitless through his first ten at-bats in the AFL. He has been punched out in seven of those at-bats. Not a pretty scene from the Tigers prospect who was supposed to be working on cutting down the whiffs.

Keep an eye on these Detroit Tigers’ prospects as they go through the next week of games. The MCB team will have another weekly roundup next week; stay tuned!