Keith Law ranks 2 former Tigers prospects in midseason top-50

ESPN's Keith Law released his midseason top-50 prospect rankings on Thursday, and to no one's surprise, no Detroit Tigers prospects made the list. However, two recent Tigers farmhands were ranked. Shortstop Willy Adames, one of the pieces sent to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for David Price last July, was slotted at No. 45. Right-handed pitcher Jake Thompson, the centerpiece of the trade for Joakim Soria, was one of seven "honorable mention" names outside the top 50.

Outfielder Derek Hill is considered by many to be the Tigers' top prospect. Law ranked him as the 85th best prospect in baseball in his preseason rankings, but an injury-riddled first half prevented him from moving up the charts in July. Hill is batting .238/.305/.314 with 11 extra base hits and 25 stolen bases in 235 plate appearances with Single-A West Michigan this season. Hill has played just seven games since June 14 due to a lingering quad injury. Still only 19 years old, Hill is an advanced defender who will get as many chances to develop his bat as he needs.

Outfielder Steven Moya was also in the conversation as one of the Tigers' top prospects before the season began. Our commenters voted him as BYB's No. 1 prospect this preseason, and MLB.com named him the No. 100 prospect in all of baseball. A foot injury limited Moya early on this season, and he has struggled to adjust to Triple-A pitching at times. He is batting .232/.280/.406 with 12 home runs and 15 doubles in 315 plate appearances with Triple-A Toledo in 2015. Moya had a breakout year in 2014, batting .276/.306/.555 with 35 home runs and 105 RBI in 133 games with Double-A Erie.

Law doesn't say much about Thompson, only listing him by name, but points out that Adames may end up being the biggest piece for Tampa in the Price trade. Adames is batting .268/.351/.395 with 17 doubles in 333 plate appearances at Advanced-A Port Charlotte this season. The Florida State League is not the most hitter-friendly league in the minors, so Adames' numbers are even more impressive than they appear. Add in the fact that he is still only 19, and it's clear why he is moving up the rankings so quickly.