Detroit Tigers Prospects: Arizona Fall League Weekly Roundup (10/24-10/29)

Detroit Tigers prospects weekly roundup from the Arizona Fall League.

The World Series may be the talk of baseball right now, but the Detroit Tigers are far from it. Why not catch up with some prospect content about some of the Tigers’ future players who are out in Arizona partaking in the 2022 Arizona Fall League (AFL)?

The Detroit Tigers AFL affiliate is the Salt River Rafters, who have been battling to move up the standings out west. It’s been a tough fall, but week four has been far better than what they have shown.

In week four, the Rafters went 3-2 in a five-game week. They stand at 10-13 now, which ties them for third and keeps them just one win from being tied for second. It’s a close set of teams, with everyone tied at 10 or 11 wins except the Surprise Saguaros, who are 13-10 in first place.

Before diving into the Tigers hitters out west in Arizona, here are links to each of the previous week’s recaps.

• Week 1 AFL recap
• Week 2 AFL recap
• Week 3 AFL recap

Let’s dive into the Tigers hitting prospects in the fourth installment of the AFL roundup!

Detroit Tigers position player prospects in the AFL.

The book seems to be out for Parker Meadows. It’s been a very rough fall for him, and things are not getting better to this point. Meadows pieced together another tough week, going 2-for-10 with a double while being punched out four times. Though he did walk three times, Meadows has not gotten much better. His slash line is now .188/.298/.292 with ten punchouts over 48 at-bats.

Gage Workman had a heck of a day on Tuesday, going 3-for-5 with a double and two home runs. He would finish the week 4-for-9 with only one punchout. It’s a vast improvement from where Workman usually falls.

Workman led the Rafters with five RBI during the last week. He has improved his slash line to .200/.250/.475 over 40 at-bats so far this AFL season. To this point, Workman has struggled to get the bat going and avoid the punchouts, so it’s good to see him get the bat going.

Colt Keith has hit a stride and keeps getting the job done. In the clip above, you see Keith pick up his first longball of the AFL season. He got all of it and drove it to right center for a home run, his first of the fall.

Keith hit 5-for-12 over the last week with three walks and three strikeouts. He continues to see the ball well and make the most of his opportunities out west. Keith has managed a .364/.492/.500 slash line over 44 at-bats. He’s walked 13 times and been punched out just nine times.

On a less exciting note, there was some tougher news about catcher Dillon Dingler earlier today from Emily Waldon.

It sounds like Dingler is going to be just fine over time, but his time in Arizona is over as he recoups and recovers from some nagging knee soreness. Hopefully, it’s a smooth recovery, and some time off will help him.

A couple of quick notes from the AFL 2022 season

While the Detroit Tigers prospect roundup was a little duller in week four, the Rafters actually put together some good numbers overall. They climbed back into the standings and were more competitive.

They also kept chipping away at their run differential, which was downright horrendous to start the season. The Rafters now have a -15 run differential, which is surprisingly a 20-run improvement over the course of the last week.

As the Rafters keep going, they will have to find a new arm to rely on for solid outings without Wentz. Tink Hence, a St. Louis Cardinals prospect, has been electric. He’s got some Triston McKenzie vibes to him as the lanky arm, though Hence has been more of a relief arm.

Hence has pitched in seven games where he’s got a 1.42 ERA over 6.1 innings of work for the Rafters. Hopefully, he can continue to find success with that. On top of that, the Rafters have Connor Thomas, who continues to put together good starts for them.

On the offensive side of things, the Cardinals’ prospects continue to swing the bat well there as well. Jordan Walker had more home runs this week, bringing him to four total on the fall with 13 RBI to his credit.

Hopefully, the Rafters will continue to hang in the race during the next week of games.