3 Tigers prospects outside the organization's Top 10 who could rise in 2025

Recently, a few players in the Tigers’ system that seem destined for greatness have monopolized the focus. All eyes have followed first-round picks Riley Greene and Jackson Jobe as they ascended through the ranks, while no one can stop talking about Max Clark, even though he has played just 130 pro games. Even Spencer Torkelson’s fall from stardom has captured the attention of prospect watchers.

More exciting, though, are the Tarik Skubals, who are overshadowed in the draft and then figure things out in the Minors. The Tigers have plenty of those projects in the works as well, and these three players are the most likely to climb the prospect ranks in 2025.

Don't be surprised if these guys are within the organization's top 10 by the conclusion of the regular season.

Ethan Schiefelbein, LHP

It may be hard to get excited for a prep pick who hasn’t thrown a professional pitch yet, but Ethan Schiefelbein should pick up some hype as the season rolls along. At 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, he still has room to fill out and add velocity, but he won’t need to to put away low-level batters. Instead, Schiefelbein relies on deceptive secondary pitches with high spin rates. He also earned praise for his polish, a high compliment for a kid who will turn 19 around Opening Day.

Schiefelbein will likely start the season in Rookie ball but could climb up to High-A by season’s end. He may benefit from being one of the few high-ceiling lefties in the Tigers’ system, and as Detroit’s top prospects move to the Majors, don’t be surprised to see Schiefelbein make a leap.

Joseph Montalvo, RHP

According to Keith Law of The Athletic, Joseph Montalvo is already on the verge of cracking the Top 10, as he ranks 15th in the expert’s preseason overview. The 22-year-old uses a fastball-slider combo and command to dominate the zone. After being acquired in the Andrew Chafin deal, he had a period of adjustment to the Midwest League. He should have better results with more experience under his belt this season.

Montalvo is also versatile. He got some experience coming out of the bullpen while in the Rangers’ system, and if he doesn’t develop an effective third pitch, he could easily slot back into a relief role.

Don’t take the Tigers’ decision to leave Montalvo unprotected in this offseason’s Rule 5 Draft as a slight against him. Rather, Detroit and the other teams who chose not to select him likely realized that he wasn’t quite ready to make the jump to the 26-man roster on a full-time basis. However, with a strong season, he may find his way onto the 40-man in 2025.

Michael Massey, RHP

Not to be confused with the Royals’ second baseman, the Tigers’ Michael Massey has the makings of a bulldog in the ‘pen. Standing at 6-foot-5, he can be an intimidating presence as he zips his fastball up to 97 mph. Like other prospects such as Chase Burns, Massey benefited from the Wake Forest pitching lab, but he battled nagging injuries in college as well.

Massey has yet to make his professional debut, in part due to those injuries, but that didn’t stop Baseball America from immediately adding him to the Tigers’ Top 30 list. When he does finally take the mound in the Minors, he will almost certainly be jogging out of the bullpen, despite starting some in college. He has a short, sharp delivery that will help his fastball sneak up on hitters, but his secondary pitches aren’t quite strong enough to carry him through several innings.

The rich keep getting richer, and the Tigers, who boasted 12 pitchers among their Top 30 in 2024, just keep developing arms. Keep an eye out for this trio as they work their way through the lower rungs of Detroit’s system.