Detroit Tigers News: The second half of the MLB season is here!

The MLB All-Star Game and its festivities have come and gone, and the Detroit Tigers will resume the second half of their season on Friday night against the Royals in Kansas City. While the battle for the bottom of the American League Central Division is hardly an exciting event, there are still a few bright spots to look for.

Keith Law updates his mid-season top 50 prospects

Over at ESPN+, Keith Law has published his mid-season top 50 prospects update, and the rundown includes three Detroit Tigers farmhands. The list is led off by Tampa Bay Rays prospect Wander Franco, followed by MacKenzie Gore of the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Angels’ Jo Adell.

The first Tigers player to appear is pitcher Casey Mize at the No. 10 position. He is the second-highest ranking hurler after Gore. Matt Manning follows him up at the No. 31 spot, sandwiched between the St. Louis Cardinals’ Dylan Carson and the Rays’ Matthew Liberatore. Riley Greene rounds out the three members of the list at No. 37, which is not too shabby for the fifth pick of the 2019 amateur draft.

San Diego Padres show interest in Matthew Boyd

According to Jon Morosi at MLB.com, the Padres are doing their due diligence in evaluating Matthew Boyd for a possible trade. While the Pads have been in the market for a controllable front-line pitcher for some time now, Boyd’s breakout season simply cannot be ignored any longer. He has become a solid trade option for San Diego, who currently hover at the .500 mark.

Morosi suggests names such as Hunter Renfroe and Franmil Reyes as possible trade pieces, and it is possible Nicholas Castellanos can be packaged to bring back a larger return as well. Regardless of where he goes, if Boyd is traded, the Tigers will need to get back an appreciable haul to energize both the rebuild and the fanbase.

Willi Castro looked good in Triple-A All-Star Game

Toledo Mud Hens shortstop Willi Castro made quite a splash at the Triple-A All-Star Game this week, going 2-for-3 with a single, a double and scoring two runs. Although he was not a starter, his performance played big in the final line.

The highly-touted prospect is swinging the bat well this year in Toledo, hitting for average and power. He is also tied for the International League lead in triples with seven. His glove, however, has left a lot to be desired, as he has managed to boot far too many routine plays, suggesting there is an issue with focus. If Castro can get that under control, he will find himself in Detroit very soon.

The Atlantic League: MLB’s sandbox for innovative ideas

Around the horn

Tigers get a ticket sale boost from college hat deal. SABR publishes a memoriam for the recently deceased Jim Bouton. Baseball Prospectus looks into the rise of the changeup. Here is a trade deadline rumor tracker. The worst statistical All-Stars since 2002 according to FiveThirtyEight.

Baseball is awesome, stats are beautiful