Tigers Prospect Update: Catcher hits 3 HRs in Arizona Fall League game

Arizona Fall League games have commenced, and the Scottsdale Scorpions will be home to seven Tigers prospects from Oct. 7 in mid-November. Three landed in MLB Pipeline's top 30 this season: No. 6 Thayron Liranzo, a piece of the Jack Flaherty trade along with Trey Sweeney; No. 9 Josue Briceño, an international free agent signing in 2022; and No. 27 Eric Silva, a fourth-round Giants draft pick in 2021 who also came over at the trade deadline in exchange for Mark Canha.

Liranzo, who was already turning heads earlier this year when he was with the Dodgers organization, continues to excel in the AFL — he went 4-for-5 on Oct. 10 — but Briceño is another rising name that Tigers fans should probably keep an eye on.

On Oct. 12, he batted cleanup for the Scorpions and hit three home runs against the Glendale Desert Dogs en route to a 10-2 Scorpions rout. They came on back-to-back-to-back plate appearances, and the second two came on the first pitch he saw.

Tigers' No. 9 prospect Josue Briceño hits three homers in Arizona Fall League game

Briceño has been highly ranked for his power by MLB Pipeline, which checks out. He spent the vast majority of the 2024 season on the shelf and only managed to play in 40 games in Lakeland, batting .278 with a .758 OPS. However, he split his time between Rookie ball and Single-A in 2023 and hit seven homers and 19 doubles with 38 RBI for a .319 average and .931 OPS on the season.

MLB Pipeline notes Briceño's natural strength and his advanced plate discipline for a player his age. He hasn't graded quite as well for his defense behind the plate and has been kicked over to first base at times in the minors, but the bat is the big selling point here, and a lefty power hitter at the top of the pipeline could be huge for the Tigers.

But at just 20 years old and having never logged a game above Single-A, the Tigers probably need to address their need for power this offseason because Briceño is still ways away from making his MLB debut.