FanPost

Guesses and wishes. My top 30 Tigers prospect ranking (for what it is worth).

Let’s be clear here. Very few of us ordinary fans have sufficient real information on which to base a credible prospect ranking. We read stuff, we notice where guys were drafted, we look at whatever stats are available and try to figure out what they mean given level and other considerations (missed 2020 season, for instance). Some fortunate few of us may have seen some of the more advanced prospects. In my case though, not being local, I cannot even base much on personal observations beyond a few televised spring training games last March. And of course in the case of the pitchers drafted in 2021, since none of them subsequently pitched in live games, there are some huge assumptions here based on where they were ranked, pre-draft, where they were were actually drafted, and what the pundits had to say about them at the time. So what I have done here should be taken with a large grain of salt.

That being said, I do have some modest opinions about and expectations for the Tigers’ current prospects, based mostly on second-hand information and my own hopes as a fan. Ranking prospects on that basis with any specificity would be a fool’s errand, though, so the best I can do here is identify groups of players whom I believe to have comparable upsides. I have listed the players in each group in alphabetical order only (i.e. the order within each group could be reversed or scrambled as far as I am concerned).

I have also somewhat arbitrarily excluded all players who have already seen time in the bogs, even if they are technically still classified as prospects. Here is my ranking, for what little it is worth: .

1-2:

Riley Greene (superior athlete, huge upside offensively and defensively).

Spencer Torkelson (potentially massive power, plus solid defense at 1B).

3-6:

Dillon Dingler (plus bat and power, premium position with some positional flexibility).

Jackson Jobe (touted as one of the best prep pitching prospects in recent memory).

Ryan Kreidler (emerging bat with solid defense, either at SS or elsewhere in the infield).

Ty Madden (polished college starter with MLB mid-rotation potential).

Beyond #6, the distinctions become a bit harder to pin down, so I will just list two groups each of pitchers and position players.

Group B

Pitchers:

Beau Brieske (what a find!)

Alex Faedo (Tigers flubbed his early development; I expect him to finally emerge in some capacity)

Tyler Mattison (hard-throwing righty with the makings of a back-end starter)

Reese Olson (solid return for Daniel Norris; potential mid-rotation starter down the road)

Dylan Smith (still a work in progress, but with a ton of projection left for a pitcher out of college)

Joey Wentz (on the cusp of the majors after his TJ detour; should see some time in Detroit this year)

Position players:

Roberto Campos (stealth IFA signing by the Tigers, he seems to be developing nicely)

Kody Clemens (although he is on the verge of aging out, he has shown enough to warrant a look as a backup utility player)

Colt Keith (drafted out of high school as a part of the excellent 2020 Tigers' draft class, he progressed nicely in his first year of pro ball)

Izaac Pacheco (a year behind Keith, I view the two as similar players with similar upsides)

Christian Santana (apart from Campos, the Tigers' most highly regarded recent IFA signing)

Gage Workman (excellent athlete with some power and a chance to stick at SS, with a logjam developing at 3B)

Group C (some of these guys are just ranked here based on having been mentioned by various sources)

Pitchers:

Angel De Jesus

Wilmer Flores

Garrett Hill (pitched well in AFL this past year)

Nick Kuzia (from what I can tell, he could see some time in the Tigers' bullpen as early as 2022)

Jack O'Loughlin (it seems like Jack has been in the Tigers' organization forever; I have ranked him mostly as a sentimental favorite)

Franklin Perez (while his career has definitely stalled due to a series of injuries, I have a suspicion he still has some serious upside if he can stay healthy)

Position players:

Abel Bastidas

Daniel Cabrera (one of the more polished college hitters in the 2020 draft, the pandemic season seemed to set him back more than some guys)

Eric De la Rosa (athletic outfielder with some tools)

Andre Lipcius (he has been overshadowed by Kreidler, but held his own this year in WM and Erie)

Austin Meadows (still too young to be written off)

Manuel Sequera

I considered adding an "honorable mention" list. There are probably a dozen or more players not listed here who could have a a decent argument for inclusion (Zack Hess, for instance, or Cooper Johnson). And I don't doubt some guy not listed here will have a great season in 2022 and show up on some prospect rankings. I have my eye on Eliezer Alfonzo, for instance. But lines must be drawn somewhere, and even the Group C guys would be long-shots, at best, to ever wear the Old English D.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the <em>Bless You Boys</em> writing staff.