The division reports debuted last year. The goal of this article series is to provide a quick overview of all dynasty-relevant information from each division. Each team has multiple minor league levels, each containing plenty of impactful prospects, which can feel impossible to keep up with. This article series, which will be updated once per month, will help dynasty managers stay up-to-date on performances, injuries, promotions, and more. New this season is the inclusion of tiers in the rankings. Next to their rank, each prospect is assigned a tier. The tier range is 1-5.
- Tier 1: A potential difference-making dynasty prospect. Somebody who would rank in the top-20ish prospects for dynasty baseball
- Tier 2: A still very good dynasty prospect who holds plenty of value. This prospect would typically rank in the 21-75 range
- Tier 3: A mid-tier prospect who could be valuable but has questions and concerns present in his profile, ranking in the 76-150 range
- Tier 4: A prospect who is worth knowing, but is reserved for deeper leagues. This prospect would rank 151-250
- Tier 5: The rest of the prospects fall into Tier 5
With only a few weeks left in the Minor League seasons, we’re checking in on where each of the top 10 prospects in the Detroit system is expected to end the year and what their outlook can be for the 2026 season.
Notable Prospect Performances:
- Kevin McGonigle has now found himself as the second-best prospect in baseball, but he’s seen some regression following his promotion up to Double-A in mid-July. Over his last 27 games, dating back to August 2, McGonigle has seen his slash line drop to .214/.358/.541 slash line, but he’s still put up nine home runs, 22 RBI, and walked more than he struck out, drawing 23 walks to 13 strikeouts. A 18.7% walk rate compared to a 10.6% strikeout rate will draw eyes at any level a player is at, and that has been the standout for McGonigle at Double-A despite his bad batting average. McGonigle is still a year away from seeing his MLB debut, but if he carries over his 2025 breakout season into 2026, McGonigle can certainly make his case to debut with the Tigers next year.
- Hao-Yu Lee has been stuck at Triple-A all year. A 2024 All-Star Futures game selection, Lee hasn’t had an opportunity to crack the Tigers’ 40-man roster this season and may not see Big League playing time until next year. He’s hit a collective .243/.342/.414 slash line this season with 14 home runs, 55 RBI, 21 stolen bases, a 21.1% strikeout rate, and 11.3% walk rate over 116 games with the Toledo Mud Hens. The stats are not a terrible outcome for Lee, who will only turn 23 in February, but with other players ahead of him on the Tigers’ depth chart, he’s had to spend all season at Triple-A. Over the last month, Lee has stagnated at .252/.343/.426 with just three homers, 15 RBI, 14 walks, and 29 strikeouts. If Lee can spend the last two weeks of the Triple-A season cutting back on his strikeout numbers, he will work himself into a better position to get the call-up to the Tigers next season.
Notable Prospect News and Promotions:
- After a hot performance with Double-A Erie all season, the Tigers moved up infielder Max Anderson to the Toledo Mud Hens on August 11. Anderson had a bit of an adjustment period to Triple-A, but he’s still put up some solid numbers for Triple-A Toledo, posting a .264/.319/.448 slash line with four home runs and 15 RBI in 20 games. Anderson has catapulted himself up the Tigers’ prospect rankings this year, and having a strong finish to the season in Triple-A will set him up well for a breakout year in the Majors next season.
- Cris Rodriguez is the newest addition to the Tigers’ top 10 prospect list following the graduation of Troy Melton. He was a top-five prospect per MLB Pipeline in last year’s International Free Agent Class, and the 17-year-old from the Dominican Republic performed well over his first 50 games in Rookie Ball. Rodriguez put up a .308/.340/.564 slash line with 10 home runs and 39 RBI over 183 plate appearances, a solid start to his pro-career. The next challenge will be to see how Rodriguez performs stateside, if the Tigers decide to move him from their Dominican League next year and into the Florida Complex League.
