This fast-rising Tigers pitching prospect could be Scott Harris' best obscure find

Tigers head Scott Harris likes to explore all avenues when it comes to discovering talent. He's particularly fond of looking to the independent leagues to mine players, especially pitchers. While this isn't unheard of in baseball outside of Detroit, Harris has a particular penchant for it.

Knuckleballer Kenny Serwa, local Detroit kid Jalen Evans, outfielder Caleb Shpur, and pitcher Maddox Long are just a few who have joined the organization under Harris. Evans and Long are both representing the Tigers in the Arizona Fall League right now.

So is lefty pitcher Win Scott, who came over from the Atlantic League's High Point Rockers in May. His landing was met with little aplomb; when your fastball only gets up to 92 and you don't have a clear knockout pitch, it's hard to get excited.

However, Scott's stuff has played in minor league baseball. He was assigned to the FCL to start off his pro career and was promoted to Single-A after just four innings. He pitched 25 2/3 innings for a 1.40 ERA in Lakeland, which earned him another promotion to West Michigan, where he threw 18 2/3 innings for a 1.93 ERA before the season ended.

Independent leaguer-turned-Tigers prospect Win Scott has been a sneaky fast riser

Things have been a little tougher in the AFL, where he has a 8.71 ERA over 10 1/3 innings, but prospects from all levels — even a couple who have already made their major league debuts (see: John Peck) come to Arizona to participate in the league, and a guy who pitches well against High-A bats might not fare so well against those in Triple-A.

Still, Scott's rapid ascent has made him someone Tigers fans should look out for. The learning curve throughout the minor league levels is getting harder to traverse, not to mention the gap between Triple-A and the majors, but we could see Scott get a full season of work in Double-A in 2027, move on to Triple-A in 2028, and be ready for a major league debut sometime during that season.

He clearly has strikeout stuff, with 54 Ks for just over 48 total innings, and he seems just as averse to walking batters as a guy like Tarik Skubal, having issued just eight free passes.

Obviously, there are no such thing as guarantees when it comes to prospects, but Scott could be a guy who validates what Tigers fans would call dumpster diving but what Harris might call panning for gold.

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