Tigers Prospect Update: Zyhir Hope surging, Cris Rodriguez raking, Cameron Flukey

Just three weeks ago, panic was starting to set in within the Tigers’ fanbase regarding the recently-traded-for Zyhir Hope, who was the prized return for Tarik Skubal.

The then-top 25 prospect in baseball was in the midst of his biggest slump of the season, recording just two hits in his first nine games with the Double-A Erie SeaWolves. That 2-for-35 start to his career with the Tigers organization had some wondering if Scott Harris got fleeced by the Dodgers, but Hope has since turned things around drastically.

After smacking his fourth home run with Erie on Tuesday night, Hope went up to 27 homers on the season and was the sixth in what is now a seven-game hitting streak. He’s also now 18 for his last 50 at the plate with three home runs and 13 RBI.

That panic in his first couple of weeks down in Erie has since dissipated, and the current No. 28 prospect in the MLB is living up to his ranking.

Cris Rodriguez continues to rake in Single-A

If you don’t know the name Cris Rodriguez by now, it’s time to get familiar. The 18-year-old Dominican-born prospect earned the largest international signing bonus in Tigers franchise history and he’s lived up to the hype so far as one of the best hitters in the entire farm system.

Rodriguez was hitting .274 in rookie ball to begin the season with nine homers and 30 RBI in just 48 games, but he’s begun to heat up even more since his promotion to Single-A Lakeland.

In just five games with Lakeland, Rodriguez is hitting .350 (7-for-20) with two home runs and eight RBI. He’s slugging an absurd .900, and that’s because six of his seven hits in Single-A so far have been for extra bases. Rodriguez has two home runs, three doubles, and a triple. The talented outfielder has been turning heads with his power.

Before going 0-for-2 on Sept. 1, Rodriguez built a seven-game hitting streak between Rookie ball and Single-A, where he was 12-for-26 with five home runs and 12 RBI.

Rodriguez’s projected MLB arrival is somewhere in the 2030 ballpark, but if he continues to rake like he has been over the past couple of months, he’s going to speed that timeline up.

He’s not just hitting the ball, he’s crushing it consistently with some of the top exit velocities in the system.

Cameron Flukey trying to prove his hot start isn’t a fluke

Cameron Flukey was the Tigers’ first-round pick this year at No. 22 overall out of Coastal Carolina, and he’s off to a fantastic start over his first three appearances.

The organization is trying to ease him into the rotation with short stints in each of his first three starts, totaling 6 1/3 innings pitched. Despite not getting a ton of extended action, Flukey is red-hot to begin his professional baseball career.

In his 6 1/3 innings, the No. 6 prospect in the organization with an elite fastball has been blowing it by batters with eight strikeouts and just two hits allowed. His control could use a little work, seeing as he’s walked four batters and hit two others, but his .105 average against and 0.95 WHIP are good signs that he’s going to be a future staple of the Detroit rotation.

It’s still very early in his career with Lakeland, but he’s looking like one of the fastest-rising prospects in the organization, and it’s easy to see just why Harris and the front office liked him at No. 22.

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