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Detroit Tigers: 3 prospects making a good impression early in spring training

By Matthew Scheidel |
Detroit Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows (22) rounds third after his homer against against
Detroit Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows (22) rounds third after his homer against against / Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The Detroit Tigers have a few prospects showing out early in spring training

We're about a week into Grapefruit League play, and while the Detroit Tiger are a modest 3-3 as a team, they have had some great individual performances thus far. We talked about Nick Maton yesterday after he hit a walk-off home run, but he's not the only one making a good impression.

In fact, the Detroit Tigers have had several prospects get off to hot starts this spring, both on the hitting and pitching side of things. It's really nice to see the youngsters do well, even if it's just spring training.

Here are three prospects off to a good start in spring training for the Detroit Tigers.

OF Parker Meadows

Meadows, the younger brother of Austin Meadows, has really opened some eyes already this spring. He already has two homers and a double, including this 423-foot shot off a 97 mph fastball.

I don't think he makes the roster out of camp, but there's a very real chance he makes his debut sometime this summer. He just needs to build on what he did in the minors last season.

He's still just 23 years old and is a pure athlete. He can fly on the basepaths and covers a ton of ground in the outfield.

The Detroit Tigers are a team in need of some excitement, and Parker Meadows is providing some right now.

INF Andre Lipcius

One of my personal favorite prospects in the Tigers' system, Lipcius has also homered twice already this spring. He's not even known for his power. He's more known for his on-base skills. He had a .391 OBP in the minors last year, which is likely something Scott Harris really enjoys.

It's just a few at-bats, but the power would be a nice development. He started hitting for a bit more power in the minors last season, but it wasn't anything crazy. It was a lot more doubles than homers. Still, 12 homers and 33 doubles with his on-base skills would more than suffice.

Again, his plate discipline is his money maker. He walked more than he struck out last year. Since Harris wants to build a team around controlling the strike zone, Lipcius would be a nice start in that department.

Unlike Meadows, I think he has a real shot at making the team out of camp. Ryan Kreidler is off to a rough start with both the bat and the glove, and that's his main competition. Andy Ibanez is also competing with him, but he just left for the World Baseball Classic. If he keeps hitting, the backup infielder spot could be Lipcius' spot to lose.

RHP Brendan White

The uncertainty surrounding the bullpen is starting to thin out a bit, and it's led by Brendan White. He's had two scoreless appearances in relief so far with three strikeouts.

White was a surprise addition to the 40-man roster this offseason. He has never pitched above Double-A. The Tigers were afraid they were going to lose him in the Rule 5 Draft if they didn't protect him. Early on, it's easy to see why they were so worried.

White features a fastball that sits around 96 mph consistently as well as a high-spin slider. He fills up the strike zone, which is something Scott Harris has noted about him in the past.

Last year in Erie, he had 73 strikeouts in 67.1 IP and a WHIP under 1 at 0.906. His strikeout to walk ratio was 4.29, which is a stat the Giants really coveted when Harris was their GM, so it's not surprising that he wanted to make sure he kept White in Detroit.

There are a few other relievers having good starts to spring, but if White keeps this up, I think he'll end up heading north.

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