Below is an analysis of the prospects in the farm system of the Detroit Tigers. Scouting reports are compiled with information provided by industry sources as well as from our own (both Eric Longenhagen’s and Kiley McDaniel’s) observations. For more information on the 20-80 scouting scale by which all of our prospect content is governed you can click here. For further explanation of the merits and drawbacks of Future Value, read this.

All of the numbered prospects here also appear on The Board, a resource the site offers featuring sortable scouting information for every organization. It can be found here.

Editor’s Note: Rony Garcia, a Tigers’ Rule 5 selection from the most recent draft, has been added to this list at No. 31.

Shao-Ching Chiang, a minor league free agent signing, was added to the list at No. 27.

Top Prospects Team Lists 2020 2019 AL BAL CHW HOU BOS CLE LAA NYY DET OAK TBR KCR SEA TOR MIN TEX NL ATL CHC ARI MIA CIN COL NYM MIL LAD PHI PIT SDP WSN STL SFG AL BAL CHW HOU BOS CLE LAA NYY DET OAK TBR KCR SEA TOR MIN TEX NL ATL CHC ARI MIA CIN COL NYM MIL LAD PHI PIT SDP WSN STL SFG

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C

1B

2B

SS

3B

OF

LF

CF

RF

LHP

RHP

Other Prospects of Note

Grouped by type and listed in order of preference within each category.

Younger Bats

Manuel Sequera, SS

Abelardo Lopez, OF

Pedro Martinez Jr., 3B

Alvaro Gonzalez, SS

Other than Sequera, this group is comprised of more of those bigger, stronger teenage corner types. Sequera has a shot to stay at short and grow into some pop. Lopez is a corner power bat who signed for about three quarters of a million in July, along with Sequera. This Pedro Martinez, like the Cubs’ Pedro Martinez (no relation), has a medium build and average tools. Gonzalez is the shortstop version of this, with less present pop.

Relief Types

Marco Jimenez, RHP

Anthony Castro, RHP

Hugh Smith, RHP

Max Green, LHP

Daniele Di Monte, RHP

Wilmer Fenelon, RHP

Isrrael De La Cruz, RHP

Gio Arriera, RHP

Jimenez, 21, has mid-90s fastball/slider reliever projection. Castro throws hard and is built like he might pitch forever, but his heater has natural cut and gets hit when he misses his spot, which is often. He could be a fastball-heavy “look” reliever. Smith is 6-foot-10, he touches 96, and has fringe secondaries. Green is a lefty up to 97 with a slow but very deep curveball. Di Monte is an Italian 17-year-old with a low-90s fastball and average curveball. His vertical arm slot creates big carry on his heater. Fenelon was the hardest-throwing Tigers DSL arm, and was up to 96 and sitting 91-93 as an 18-year old with a stronger current build than most teens. It was his second DSL year. De La Cruz is a converted outfielder with big spin on a low-90s heater. Arriera is 21; he’s the club’s fourth rounder from 2017. He was up to 96 as a starter last year

Mature-framed Power Bats and Upper-Level Tweeners

Jose Azocar, CF

Nick Ames, OF

Derek Hill, CF

Lazaro Benitez, RF

Jacob Robson, CF

Azocar, Hill, and Robson all have bench outfield ceilings. Azocar, 23, has the best chance to grab hold of a bench role. Ames is a giant (6-foot-3, 240) who has had big power since high school. He’s explosive but not very athletic. Benitez was 20 in the DSL but hit the ball hard.

System Overview

The Tigers system has been on an upswing over the last few years as the team has committed fully to a rebuild and started to stockpile prospects rather than aggressively move them for big leaguers, as Detroit did during the Dave Dombrowski era. Until recently, the Tigers were regarded as one of the more traditional scouting and player development operations in baseball, but we’ve seen and heard of some progress in these areas — specifically the use of high-speed video and pitch design — with Casey Mize seeming to benefit most particularly. We liked their mostly-college 2019 draft crop, headlined by Riley Greene, while Mize was an easy 1-1 in 2018, and the top players in their recent J2 classes (Campos, De La Cruz, Reyes) have all shown solid returns thus far.

When you combine this acquisition momentum with the team holding the first overall pick in June (another 50 or 55 FV), the fact that trades will likely only add to the list at this point, and a farm that already ranked eighth for us at the end of the 2019 season, there’s plenty of reason for hope in Detroit. It’s a hell of a drug but a necessary one in this case, because Matthew Boyd (who isn’t a free agent until 2022) may be the only slam-dunk core piece currently on the big league roster.