It's not a bad time to be Al Avila. The Tigers aren't expected to win for another year or two and their farm system is flush with young talent. For now, the GM can sit back and watch.

One player he's watching keenly is Daz Cameron, Detroit's No. 6 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline . The 22-year-old center fielder has stood out during spring training, with both his bat and his glove. It's not a stretch to think he could be in Detroit this season.

"He’s very close to being on our team at the big league level," Avila told the Jamie and Stoney Show on 97.1 The Ticket.

What a rise that would be for a player who started last season in Class-A Advanced.

"He’s really the guy that’s pushing us right now," Avila said. "He’s having a very good spring, he had a great year last year. But you have to realize that he shot right through the system from A-ball to Toledo all in one year. While that’s great and that’s what we’re hoping for with the majority of our prospects, you have to take it a little bit slower and make sure that you do right by the player and not rush him.

"In our situation right now, quite frankly, it's better to be prudent and a little more patient than super aggressive in trying to push him to another level that he may not be ready for. But he’s a good example of a guy that’s doing very well. We’re very happy with him."

Acquired from the Astros in the Justin Verlander trade, Cameron is arguably the most athletic player in the Tigers system. He projects as an everyday center fielder in the majors. He can run with the best of them, and last season he came alive at the plate. He's hitting .375 in 13 games this spring.

But Cameron isn't the prospect, among position players at least, for whom the Tigers have the highest hopes. That would be another center fielder, a couple years behind him.

"Probably the kid that we’re the most excited about is Parker Meadows, our second-round pick from last year," Avila said. "He’s a true five-tool player. He’s 6'5, runs like a deer and has power. A true center fielder. He’s a kid that can come fast -- we’re hoping so. He can be a very special player, so we’re pretty excited about him."

Meadows, 19, was seen as a potential first-round pick last June, but he fell to the Tigers at No. 44 overall. They couldn't draft him fast enough. He signed with the team shortly thereafter, then hit well in limited action in the low minors. Avila isn't the only one excited about him -- Jim Leyland, who serves as a special adviser to the Tigers, is on board, too.

Meadows was the first name Leyland mentioned when asked last week which position players in Detroit's system have caught his eye.

"I went over to see him in Tiger Town the other day, he’s a specimen. He’s a big kid, he’s graceful, he kind of lopes after the ball. He’s really got some ability," Leyland said.

Currently Detroit's No. 9 prospect, MLB Pipeline says Meadows "has a tantalizing ceiling as a center fielder with 20-20 potential."

Among position players, Avila is also encouraged by the likes of 21-year-old shortstop Willi Castro (Detroit's No. 7 prospect), 23-year-old catcher Jake Rogers (No. 13) and 22-year-old second baseman Kody Clemens (No. 14). Rogers, said Avila, is polished enough defensively to be the Tigers catcher right now.

"Arguably the best catching prospect in the minor leagues. If we get him to hit just enough, he’s going to be an All-Star just because of his defense. And he calls a great game. He’s a very advanced catcher right now. He actually could step in right now and be our catcher, but again, the development of the bat, we don’t want to rush that," Avila said.

Rogers hit just .219 over 99 games last year Double-A, though he did swat 17 home runs.

Other highlights from Avila's interview on 97.1 The Ticket:

On waiver acquisition Dustin Peterson: He's only 24 years old, he's having a great spring training. (Peterson is hitting .367 over 14 games.) He still has options left where we can send him to Toledo if we have to. He's another guy that has power, that can play the outfield, and we’re trying to see if he can play a little first base. We’ve got some position players coming, we just have to be a little bit patient and see how it all develops.

On whether pitcher Reed Garrett, the Tigers' Rule-5 selection, will make the team: Right now, it looks like he will. He's having a very good spring. He’s showing us what was advertised: power fastball in the mid to high 90's, a nasty slider. He’s showing pretty good control and command, good poise on the mound, so right now he’s on the right track, yes.

On the possibility of reopening contract extension talks with Nicholas Castellanos: "That’s something that we’re analyzing in the front office on a regular basis. I think right now we’re more in a wait-and-see situation as we move forward because Daz Cameron’s coming, you got Christin Stewart in left field, we’ve got other young outfielders also. So how it all fits with the team as we move forward in the next few years, that’s really the important thing that we have to look at."