Unranked prospects Tigers fans should keep an eye on as Double-A team makes playoffs

Despite the ultimate disappointment of the Tigers' 2025 season, there was a time when they were the winningest organization in baseball, all the way down to their Single-A team.

The Single-A Lakeland Flying Tigers, High-A West Michigan Whitecaps, and Double-A Erie SeaWolves all went to their respective minor league playoffs, and the Whitecaps and Flying Tigers emerged victorious in the Midwest and Florida State Leagues, respectively.

They haven't all fared quite as well this season, but the SeaWolves finished atop the Double-A Eastern League Southwest full-season standings with a 78-56 record. As the second-half winners, they'll take on the first-half victors, the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants), in the best-of-three Southwest Division Series beginning on Sept. 15.

This time last year, the SeaWolves were absolutely loaded with top talent. Kevin McGonigle, Max Clark, and Josue Briceño were all contributors to their eventual Southwest Division title, though they fell to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Mets) in the Championship Series.

Top prospects Zyhir Hope (No. 2), Thayron Liranzo (No. 15), and Lucas Elissalt (No. 26) are currently stationed there, but there are multiple unranked prospects who have been instrumental in getting Erie to the playoffs.

These unranked Tigers prospects should be getting more love as Double-A SeaWolves head to playoffs

Third baseman EJ Exposito, a minor league signing for the Tigers this offseason, is the SeaWolves' home run leader this year with 23, but first baseman Andrew Jenkins has him beat in RBI by just one run (76). Former top prospect Izaac Pacheco, however, has arguably been Erie's best all-around hitter despite a month-long stint on the IL. His .836 OPS leads the team, followed closely by shortstop Peyton Graham (.825).

On the pitching side, viral knuckleballer Kenny Serwa is the SeaWolves' leader in innings pitched at 117, though his strikeouts relative to innings (87) leaves something to be desired. Farmhand Carlos Peña, on the other hand, has been a strikeout machine, with 112 punchouts and just 21 walks in 99 innings (though he has a penchant for giving up homers).

Pacheco, Graham, and Serwa seem to be the biggest standouts here, which might force some tough decisions for the Tigers come the Rule 5 draft, as both position players are eligible. Though there's no clear path for them to the majors given Detroit's existing infield glut, they could lose some valuable depth if either or both are taken in December.

Tigers' player development has developed a nice reputation over the last few years, and the SeaWolves' fifth straight playoff appearance just reinforces that.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow