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Detroit Tigers Prospects: Arizona Fall League Weekly Roundup (10/17-10/22)

By Tyler Kotila |
SURPRISE, AZ - NOVEMBER 03: Relief pitcher AFL West All-Star, Evan Kruczynski #75 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws a pitch during the Arizona Fall League All Star Game at Surprise Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
SURPRISE, AZ - NOVEMBER 03: Relief pitcher AFL West All-Star, Evan Kruczynski #75 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws a pitch during the Arizona Fall League All Star Game at Surprise Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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Detroit Tigers prospects weekly roundup from the Arizona Fall League.

Back at it again; this is the third installment of the Arizona Fall League weekly roundup. It’s a great chance to check on the Detroit Tigers prospects who are out there in Arizona getting some fall competition under their belts with the hopes of helping them ahead of 2023.

The first week of the 2022 AFL season saw the Salt River Rafters turn to seven Detroit Tigers players, with Dillon Dingler getting his first at-bats in the second week of the AFL season. Beyond that, it brings us here, to the end of week three.

That being said, let’s dive right into it with the hitters who are trying to get the bats going for the Rafters, who have been abysmal so far.

Detroit Tigers position player prospects in the AFL.

Only three Tigers hitters made appearances during the third week of the AFL. It was a big week for Gage Workman, who got things back on track. After two horrendous weeks filled with punchouts, Workman was able to get the bat working for him.

He was 3-for-11, with two triples, quite the difference from his past two weeks. He was still punched out four times, but the two extra-base hits are a big time for him. Hopefully, he can keep racking up some hits and even out those fall statistics.

Workman’s 3-for-11 week has pushed him to a .129/.176/.258 line with 14 punchouts. His three hits this week brought him to four in the AFL season. A step in the right direction for a struggling Workman.

Colt Keith continues to hit. He was 4-for-12 in week three of the AFL season. He drew three walks and posted a .467 on-base percentage on the week. Another week of hitting from Keith brings him to a .344/.477/.406 slash line with two doubles and five RBI in total.

It’s been great for Keith to come back from injury and see the ball well this fall. He’s getting his reps in and continues to find barrels and prove that he is a prospect to watch moving forward within the Tigers organization. It will be interesting to see how he performs over a whole summer with the organization.

Parker Meadows is the third hitter who logged at-bats during week three of the AFL season. Meadows continued to struggle in the batters’ box. He was an abysmal 1-for-9 on the week. The only saving grace is that he only punched out twice, so he’s putting balls in play but struggling to find ways on base.

The pitiful 1-for-9 week brings him to a .184/.279/.289 with just six punchouts. So he’s been putting the ball in play all along but continues to struggle to see the ball down and earn some base hits. That’s a wrap for the Tigers hitters out west in the AFL.

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Joey Wentz (43) pitches during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park. (Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports)
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Joey Wentz (43) pitches during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park. (Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports) /

Detroit Tigers Pitching Prospects in the AFL…

Diving right into it, left-handed pitcher Joey Wentz continues to be dominant for the team. He posted his third scoreless outing of the year, continuing to get the job done. After back-to-back Pitcher of the Week nominations, he put on a performance worthy of a third.

Wentz threw four more scoreless innings, allowing just one hit. He walked two and punched out three. This brings him to 12 scoreless innings over three starts in the 2022 AFL season. He’s allowed just two hits while punching out 14 so far this fall. He’s been absolutely dominant.

Tyler Mattison cooled off a little bit after starting off the first two weeks of the fall with impressive numbers. In the third week of the fall, Mattison allowed a run over two innings of work. Though over his two appearances, he did come away with four punchouts.

Mattison’s week three stats bring him six innings on the fall with nine punchouts. He’s allowed four hits, one earned run and surrendered five walks. Mattison needs to get back to his earlier performance, limiting runners and continuing to work in the zone, and commanding his stuff well.

The last Tigers pitching prospect who logged an appearance this past week was Jack Anderson. It was a step back for Anderson in week 3 of the AFL season. Anderson pitched in two games where he logged two innings.

He allowed three runs on five hits. This tarnished the good stat line he had on the year. Anderson has now given up four earned runs over six innings of work. He’s allowed nine hits and punched out just three opposing hitters.

This past week the Rafters opted to avoid turning to Matt Walker, who has pieced together two horrendous outings. The other three Tigers pitchers mentioned above found their way into games this past week.

Oct 15, 2022; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Salt River Rafters infielder Jordan Lawlar (1) stands at bat against the Surprise Saguaros at Chase Field. Mlb Dbacks Fall League Prospects (Arizona Republic)
Oct 15, 2022; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Salt River Rafters infielder Jordan Lawlar (1) stands at bat against the Surprise Saguaros at Chase Field. Mlb Dbacks Fall League Prospects (Arizona Republic) /

A couple of quick notes from the AFL 2022 season

The Detroit Tigers’ pitching prospects took a step back in week 3. The hitting prospects improved, at least in the case of Workman and Keith, who keep getting the job done. But the Salt River Rafters continue to struggle their way through the 2022 AFL season.

Through three weeks of the season, the Rafters are in last place with a 7-11 record. They did manage to cut down their run differential, which is progress. It’s now at -35, which is progress from where the team was after the first two weeks.

But the AFL is not just about the Tigers’ prospects. Connor Thomas from the St. Louis Cardinals pieced together a good four-inning start, punching out ten opposing hitters along the way. He’s punched out 17 over 12.2 innings in three starts this fall.

Another St. Louis Cardinals prospect, Masyn Winn, was 6-for-15 this week, helping him piece together a solid week to bring him to a .333/.500/.424 slash line on the fall. It’s been a Rafters team that has continued to struggle to find offense.

Next. Jonathan Schoop gold glove nominee adds trade value. dark

As the Rafters head into week 4, there has to be hope they can get things back on track.

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