Detroit Tigers: 5 prospects to watch during spring training

Dillon Dingler

Dingler probably isn't the first one to come to mind when it comes to prospects to watch, but this is a huge spring for him. For many, like myself, he's already a non-prospect. He was drafted in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft and has stalled out in Double-A. This might be his last shot to prove himself to the organization.

Dingler is very athletic and plays solid defense behind the plate. He played the outfield during his freshman year at Ohio State. It's easy to see why the organization like him so much out of college.

Sadly, the bat just hasn't developed. He has a decent amount of power and will take his walks, but he just strikes out way too much. There's a ton of swing-and-miss in his game, and a lot of it comes on pitches in the strike zone as well.

Dingler was bumped up to Triple-A late last year as kind of a "hey, show me something" kind of move, and he didn't show much, hitting just .202 with a 56 wRC+ in 109 plate appearances. His chance to make this roster at any time, let alone this season, might be running out.

Even with a big spring, Dingler probably isn't going to make the team barring an injury to Jake Rogers or Carson Kelly. But a big spring could certainly change how the organization views him.