Detroit Tigers Top 30 Prospects for 2023: 25-21

Motor City Bengals 2023 Top 30 Detroit Tigers Prospect Rankings: 25-21

We're back with the second installment of the Motor City Bengals version of the Detroit Tigers Top 30 prospects heading into 2023. As Motor City Bengals contributor Jake Boes recently wrote in the first installment, things could be better.

But the Detroit Tigers roster has undergone changes, as has the prospect lists, with some of the familiar faces from the list graduating. MLB dot com recently released their Top 100 prospects, which included a few names but was a bit disrespectful to Tigers infielder Colt Keith who was left off of the list.

As we dive into the second installment of the list, we'll work through five more prospects on the way down the list. The last twenty prospects will have individual profiles, but for players 25-21, we'll work through them with some quickness, giving you the rundown on where the Motor City Bengals staff feels these players rank within the organization.

That being said, let's get into it as we go through five more prospects, including a couple newer faces to the organization and some former international signings expected to be impactful down the line for the Tigers organization.

The state of the farm system may not be in the best shape. But the Tigers are hoping some of these players can be impactful. First up is an infielder who was taken in this summer's draft with some upside at the dish.

24. Mason Englert - RHP

The Detroit Tigers went out and selected right-handed pitcher Mason Englert during the MLB portion of the Rule 5 Draft this winter, snatching him from the Texas Rangers organization. He has upside as a prospect, landing himself on the MLB dot com Tigers Top 30 list in 2022 after being added in the Rule 5 Draft.

Englert's numbers in the minors have not been record-setting, but he's shown glimpses of what he can be. The right-hander pitched in 21 games with High-A Hickory in the Rangers system last year, where he pitched to a 3.57 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP over 103.1 innings pitched. He walked just 26 and punched out 116. Englert also made three starts at the Double-A level with the Frisco Roughriders. He pitched to a 4.11 ERA, logging 15.1 innings pitched, walking five, and punching out 20.

He underwent Tommy John Surgery in 2019 but is obviously back on the mound with a clean bill of health. The fastball works the mid-to-upper-90s. He pairs it with a changeup that has good arm-side fade to it. He also has a harder slider with good lateral shape to it. He has a curveball as the fourth offering but primarily relies on the fastball/slider/changeup.

He tunnels the fastball and changeup well with good replication of arm speed since both have some diving action. As mentioned, the slider trumps the curve with good 10-4 shape to it, having that horizontal break to it even with some tilt. It's a bit slurvy but solid; the curveball is more over the top with some tumble but has a less desirable break than the slider.

Englert has pace to his actions on the mound with an athletic delivery working down the mound. He's got a quick arm stroke through the delivery. His arms and legs are slightly disconnected as he gets into his leg lift, but minimal mechanical changes are easier to stomach than someone with the yips who struggles to get back in the zone and live there.

He commands his pitches quite well and competes in the zone; the big thing will be making the jump to the MLB level in 2023, which could be a tall ask. After being selected in the Rule 5 Draft, he has to stay on the Tigers roster and is going to get thrown into the fire at some point.

He'll pitch in relief for the Tigers and may earn himself an emergency start or two as the season goes on, but he projects as a future long relief option as a big leaguer. He slots in as the 24th-best prospect in the Tigers organization on our list here at MCB.

23. Brant Hurter - LHP

In 2021, the Detroit Tigers went out and drafted left-handed pitcher Brant Hurter as a seventh-round selection out of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets program. Hurter, now 24 years old, is fresh off his first season with the organization. He started the season with the Single-A Lakeland Flying Tigers but got all the way up to the Double-A level in 2022.

Hurter, a 6-foot-6 & 250-pound southpaw with a physical mound presence, is still looking to hang on as a starter. He totaled 25 appearances with 18 starts across the three levels during the 2022 season. He accumulated 106.2 innings pitched while managing a 3.71 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP with 136 punchouts.

His time in Double-A with the SeaWolves did not go swimmingly, but growth in 2023 might help him settle in better as a part of the Double-A pitching staff. That being said, let's dive into what Hurter brings to the table in a quick synopsis.

Hurter's got the physical mound presence aforementioned. He uses a side-step into a leg lift around the letters with some coil as part of the leg lift. It's a longer arm stroke through the back, working from a three-quarters slot with some whip-to-the-arm action.

In terms of a pitch mix, he's got a fastball that will get into the low-90s with a nasty slider to pair. The pitch has good tilt and depth to it and has horizontal. He also has a fading changeup in the mix to round things out. Hurter fills up the zone and throws strikes which is crucial to his success on the mound.

A swing-and-miss slider with an excellent changeup to back it up helps him really round out the pitchability. Even though the fastball will not overpower you, his ability to locate makes him a solid option.

Even though Hurter is a starter at this time, I could see him running out of time as a starter at some point. Converting him to a bullpen arm with a three-pitch mix and the ability to locate could play. A shorter outing where he can ramp up the fastball velocity and utilize his pitch mix could serve him better.

For that reason, I project him to have a better ceiling as a left-handed relief arm than as a starter. He comes in at no.23 on the Motor City Bengals Top 30 Prospects list heading into 2023.

22. Manuel Sequera - INF/RHH

The Detroit Tigers signed shortstop Manuel Sequera in 2019 as an international signee with a $750,000 signing bonus. He was one of the team's valuable international signees that could end up panning out well as a value-move from the Tigers' old front-office regime.

Sequera signed out of Venezuela and has spent the last two seasons getting acclimated to the organization, staying in Florida each of the last two seasons. In 2021 Sequera's bat caught fire in the Florida Complex League, earning him the MVP award for the FCL.

He was promoted to the Single-A Lakeland Flying Tigers in 2022, playing in 116 games. Sequera slashed .232/.279/.422 with 28 doubles, 19 home runs, and 64 RBI to his credit for the Flying Tigers. He's shown the power and the strength being there in his 6-foot-1, 170-pound frame. He's built with some strength that's developed nicely. The big thing is going to be getting that average up a bit.

I'll gladly join the "AVG doesn't matter" club, but it holds some merit. I'd like to see Sequera improve his bat-to-ball and find ways to end up on base as well. Getting that slash line up (AVG & OBP specifically) is important.

Beyond the stats, let's talk through Sequera's presence in the batters' box. Sequera starts with the weight on his back leg and a back leg bent. The hands and back elbow are up. There's a slight barrel wrap as he loads with the hands. He has a big leg lift timing mechanism as he loads. He has a slightly inward stride and opens his hips quickly. The hands start even with his ear, dipping to shoulder level as the leg lifts, getting back up high for a split second as the stride begins.

Sequera maintains his posture well. When things are synced up, he's able to avoid losing the barrel, getting into the zone, and staying in it for quite some time. This allows him to get on plane with pitches and drive balls for extra-base hits and home runs. That's where the strength comes in, being able to show some juice in his bat. Overall it's a smooth stroke through the zone with a good path once he gets started. He just needs to clean up that hand movement.

Even though Sequera did not creep up into the Top 20, the 20-year old shortstop could very much so end up being a future middle infielder for the Tigers down the line. He could continue his projection, moving in the right direction, if his bat continues to play well. He comes in at 22nd on the Motor City Bengals Top 30 prospects list.

21. Abel Bastidas - INF/SHH

The Detroit Tigers shelled out a bit more money than they did to sign Sequera a few years after to go and get Abel Bastidas. The switch hitter was an international signee in 2021, with a $1.175 million signing bonus.

Bastidas has spent the last two seasons with the Tigers organization and is still just 19 years old and starting to find his footing in the minors. He's got an athletic 6-foot-2, 165-pound frame with room to keep filling out some and add in some strength.

He plays all three positions in the infield and hits from both sides. He spent 2021 in the Dominican Summer League, where things did not go great, but he showed growth in 2022 as part of the team's FCL squad. Bastidas slashed .260/.361/.409 with ten doubles, two triples, and three home runs with 26 RBI over 154 at-bats in 44 games.

He's got the makings of a shortstop or second baseman but still needs to take some leaps in development. Initially, there was some excitement about his emergence with the organization as a prospect, but it's been a slow start for him.

Bastidas projects as a future bench player as of now, but the initial intrigue had him slated to be a future big-league shortstop. He needs a big year in 2023 to get things back on track with his projection. Bastidas slots in as the 21st-ranked prospect in the Tigers' Top 30 list, according to the Motor City Bengals staff.