Detroit Tigers: 3 prospects due for a promotion

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These three Detroit Tigers prospects need to be promoted

The Detroit Tigers have had an underwhelming year down on the farm so far. Many of the prospects that took leaps forward last year have regressed to the mean. Parker Meadows, Andre Lipcius, and Wenceel Perez would fall into that category. However, some prospects have leaped even further this season.

These three young players give Tigers fans some hope for the future. Considering the current state of the team, that's really all we can hope for.

Here are three Tigers prospects that are due for a promotion.

INF Colt Keith

The most obvious choice, Keith has been a tear in Double-A Erie pretty much all year long. He's currently slashing .335/.406/.609 with 13 home runs and a 169 wRC+. Those are insane numbers. It's frankly a wonder he's still in Erie.

There are couple potential reasons for that. One, is that the Tigers still want him to work on his defense. He isn't fantastic at third base. They have recently started trying him out at second base.

The other reason is for postseason implications for Erie. They want to keep him down there so Erie can clinch a playoff spot. The way Double-A playoffs work is they play two half-seasons, and whoever finishes in first place in their division in either half makes the playoffs. As of this writing, the SeaWolves currently hold a one-game lead in the Eastern League Southwest division over Altoona, which is the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Keith is the best player in the entire system for the Detroit Tigers. He was our No. 1 prospect before the season for a reason, and he's backed that up. I think we may see a promotion here soon, once the first half of the Double-A season ends.

Where he goes is the next interesting part. Will he simply go to Triple-A? Or will the TIgers follow the recent trend of having prospects skip Triple-A altogether and come straight to the big leagues?

I really don't see the Tigers calling him up from Double-A. It's just not part of their MO. If/when Colt Keith gets promoted, I think he'll just go to Toledo. However, if he keeps up his torrid pace there, we could see him in Detroit before the season is out.

2B Jace Jung

Jung was the Tigers first-round pick in 2022. He did not impress in 120 plate appearances with High-A West Michigan last season. The plate discipline was exceptional, but he hit for virtually no power.

It was more of the same for the first month of the season before he finally started to break out in May. He's now up to 10 home runs on the season to go along with a slash line of .260/.363/.470 and a 140 wRC+. He's finally starting to play like a first-round pick.

What's interesting is that his walk rate has come down significantly during this stretch. It's down to 12.8%, which is still good, but what's concerning is the strikeout rate has skyrocketed to almost 25%. I think we can chalk that up to him being more aggressive at the plate, and if that means he's hitting for more power, I think we can live with the increase in strikeouts.

If and when Colt Keith gets bumped up, Jung should replace him in Erie. It's time to give him a new test.

SP Brant Hurter

The Detroit Tigers have not had a lot of success in the pitching department in the minor leagues this season. Most of their pitching prospects have either gotten hurt or have underperformed. But one prospect who has continued to perform well is LHP Brant Hurter.

Hurter was drafted in the seventh round in 2021 out of Georgia Tech. He was teammates with fellow Tigers prospect Justyn-Henry Malloy in college.

He has performed well at every level of the minors so far. In 2023 in Double-A, he's got a 2.45 ERA in 12 starts while striking out almost 11 batters per nine. Combined with last year, he's pitched 68.2 innings in Erie.

Hurter has been a pleasant mid-round surprise. He's a big guy at 6-6, 250, so he's an imposing figure out there on the mound. He's got good command and a plus slider. He's been great so far this year.

Hurter has earned a trip to Toledo in the near future, and who knows? With all the injuries the Tigers have had in their rotation, he could be needed in Detroit at some point this year. But let's hope it doesn't come to that.

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These three Detroit Tigers prospects need to be promoted

INF Colt Keith

2B Jace Jung

SP Brant Hurter

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