The Detroit Tigers have done a great job building their farm system in recent years. While things have not panned out at the Major League level, the talent is still there if players develop. We have seen studs like Spener Torkelson, Riley Greene, Casey Mize, Matt Manning, and Tarik Skubal all graduate. None have wow’d with the Tigers, but it is too soon to write them off. The system is not as strong as it was during the days those five players were in the Minors, but there are some solid sleepers for Fantasy Baseball. Let’s dig in to the Detroit Tigers‘ top prospects.
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Detroit Tigers Top Prospects for Fantasy Baseball
1. Colt Keith, 3B
Age: 21/2022 Stats (A+): 193 AB/.301/.370/.544/9 HR/4 SB/38 R/31 RBI
Colt Keith was drafted as an impressive two-way player in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft. He ditched pitching and has found success with his bat. His 2022 season looked like a full-on breakout if it were not for a shoulder injury he sustained diving back to first base on a pick-off attempt. Keith was injured on June 9th and did not return to games until the Arizona Fall League.
Keith showed strong bat-to-ball skills in High-A before the injury and in the AFL. He slugged nine home runs despite his season-ending after just 48 games, and he added three more in Arizona. If Keith can play the entire 2023 season healthy, he could move up boards and the Tigers system.
2. Jace Jung, 2B
Age: 22/2022 Stats (A+): 108 AB/.232/.373/.333/1 HR/1 SB/16 R/13 RBI
With their first selection in the 2022 draft, the Tigers took second baseman Jace Jung out of Texas Tech. Jung has bloodlines both at Texas Tech and professionally, with his brother Josh being a third baseman with the Rangers.
Looking at his skillset, Jung shows a good feel for contact and the ability to drive balls to all parts of the field. Despite that being his instinct, Jung has shown the ability to get to in-game power. There is still a chance for Jung to grow into more game power, but in the worst case he looks to have an above-average hit tool and average game power. There is a high floor for Jung, which helps his case of being an everyday player in the Majors.
3. Jackson Jobe, RHP
Age: 20/2022 Stats (A/A+): 77.1 IP/3.84 ERA/1.28 WHIP/81 K
Jackson Jobe could make this ranking look silly by midseason. His upside is tremendous, and he could easily be the Tigers’ top prospect fairly quickly. Jobe’s go-to pitch is his slider which produces elite spin rates. It is un-hittable and un-catchable, as shown by the video below. His fastball averaged 94 mph this year, but some inconsistencies led to home runs. Jobe’s changeup is also a plus pitch that had an impressive whiff rate on it last season. His curve is seldom used, but with three plus or better pitches, his arsenal is already impressive. Jobe’s numbers in 2022 were not overly impressive, but he finished the season strong with a 1.91 ERA and 25 strikeouts over his final six starts.
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4. Wilmer Flores, RHP
Age: 22/2022 Stats (A+/AA): 103.1 IP/2.79 ERA/1.00 WHIP/130 K
Wilmer Flores enjoyed a strong breakout season in 2022 with a sub-three ERA across multiple levels. A 30.8 percent strikeout and a 5.4 percent walk rate proved quite impressive. Flores is the younger brother of Giants’ Wilmer Flores and was undrafted in the shortened 2020 draft. The Tigers seemed to get a gem, as Flores has been dominant throughout his pro career. He features a four-seam that sits 92-94 mph but pairs it with a mid-80s cutter. He can also snap off a curveball in the low 80s with high spin rates. The arsenal works well and plays up due to Flores’ elite control. Invest in now in a dynasty league before this price tag is too high.
5. Ty Madden, RHP
Age: 23/2022 Stats (A+/AA): 122.2 IP/3.01 ERA/1.10 WHIP/133 K
Ty Madden had a highly successful career at the University of Texas, where he posted a 2.59 ERA over 181 innings. After being drafted in the first round of 2021, Madden made his debut in High-A in 2022 and did not disappoint. Madden has lowered his release point as a professional to help his fastball increase movement and spin. His slider remains a plus pitch and gets plenty of swing and miss. His changeup has nice fading action to it, but he sometimes struggles to throw consistent strikes with it. Madden added a cutter in 2022, and it showed solid results. It is hard to argue with what Madden did and his adjustments. I was too low on him in the past, but I have corrected that ranking.
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6. Justyn-Henry Malloy, 3B
Age: 23/2022 Stats (A+/AA/AAA): 478 AB/.289/.408/.454/17 HR/5 RB/91 R/81 RBI
Justyn-Henry Malloy ascended the Braves farm system thanks to a strong 2022 season but was flipped to the Detroit Tigers this offseason for Joe Jiménez. Malloy was excellent at every stop this offseason. He does not stand out in one particular area but can play at third base and was being groomed for a corner outfield spot in Atlanta. Malloy shows excellent plate discipline, chasing only 17.9 percent of pitches out of the zone last year, and posted solid contact rates. His exit velocities and hard-hit rates don’t jump off the page, but Malloy has shown he can get to home run power. He may never be a fantasy stud, but I could see him being a solid contributor for batting average with average power.
7. Parker Meadows, OF
Age: 23/2022 Stats (A+/AA): 486 AB/.270/.346/.473/20 HR/17 SB/80 R/58 RBI
The younger brother of Austin, Parker Meadows, was drafted in the 2nd round by the Tigers in 2018. The brothers are now in the same organization after an offseason trade sent Austin to Detroit. Meadows was among the more impressive bats I saw in the Arizona Fall League this year. Though he has no standout tools, Meadows posts good exit velocities. His zone-contact rate was solid last year, and he has good speed. He resembles a player who could provide a decent batting average with 20 or more home runs and ten stolen bases annually.
8. Izaac Pacheco, 3B
Age: 20/2022 Stats (A/A+): 390 AB/.254/.331/.408/11 HR/12 SB/63 R/52 RBI
If you are looking for a breakout player in the Tigers system, look no further than Izaac Pacheco. Pacheco looks like a grown man, listed at 6’4/225, and played all of last season as a 19-year-old. He can get to high exit velocities and should only improve in the power department. Despite a larger frame, Pacheco makes strong contact on pitches in the zone. He can be a bit aggressive at times but jumps on pitches in the zone. His swing is geared for line drives, and he does an excellent job of spraying the ball to all fields right now which will only help his batting average potential. Pacheco is one of my favorite buys this offseason in dynasty.
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9. Reese Olson, RHP
Age: 23/2022 Stats (AA): 119.2 IP/4.14 ERA/1.22 WHIP/168 K
Reese Olson was drafted by the Brewers in 2018 and later part of the Daniel Norris trade that sent him to Detroit. Olson has been dominant from a pure strikeout standpoint, posting a 33 percent strikeout rate in Double-A in 2022 with a solid 7 percent walk rate. Olson has a four-pitch mix with a four-seam, curve, slider, and changeup. None of the four pitches are high-end, but they work well in sequencing. His best pitch is arguably his slider which he throws mostly to right-handed batters. His changeup does a good of getting swings and misses. There are questions about whether Olson is a starter long-term, but with his arsenal, there is a strong chance he could be a back-of-the-rotation starter.
10. Peyton Graham, SS
Age: 22/2022 Stats (A): 100 AB/.270/.345/.370/1 HR/7 SB/19 R/13 RBI
Peyton Graham was a college standout at Oklahoma who put up elite numbers in 2022. He slashed .335/.417/.640 with 20 home runs and 24 stolen bases. Graham is listed as 6’3/185 and has a lanky frame with a short and compact swing. Swing and miss concerns caused him to drop to the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft. Don’t let his draft spot deter you from taking a shot on him in an FYPD. In his short debut in Low-A, he posted several high exit velocities and had respectable zone-contact rates. He did chase at a 28.6 percent clip in the small sample and made poor contact on pitches out of the zone. Cutting the chase will determine what kind of hitter Graham is long-term, but his bat has plenty of upside.
11. Cristian Santana, SS
Age: 19/2022 Stats (A): 270 AB/.215/.384/.374/10 HR/10 SB/55 R/32 RBI
Cristian Santana was a popular prospect breakout pick in 2022 after he posted a .942 OPS in the Dominican Summer League in 2021. Despite not living up to the hype this year, Santana was just 18 years old for the season (3.1 years younger than the league average in Low-A). It is also worth noting he had an oblique injury that sidelined him for a month in May. He made two short rehab starts at the complex before returning to Lakeland. It is possible the injury lingered throughout the season, but Santana finished the season strong, with three of his home runs coming in the final two weeks. Santana still projects to have an above-average or better hit tool with a chance to add more power to his profile.
12. Wenceel Perez, SS
Age: 23/2022 Stats (A+/AA): 356 AB/.295/.369/.534/14 HR/18 SB/63 R/66 RBI
Looking at the surface numbers, you may wonder why Wenceel Perez is not higher on the list. Perez spent the season as a 22-year-old who played 55 games in High-A before moving to Double-A. The numbers look great, but his underlying exit velocities and hard-hit rate are not great. A 26.8 percent hard-hit rate is below par for a 22-year-old. On the positive end, Perez had an 82.3 percent zone-contact rate and a 24.3 percent chase rate, both solid clips. An entire season in Double-A in 2023 could be telling for his future value.
13. Dillon Dingler, C
Age: 24/2022 Stats (AA): 387 AB/.238/.333/.419/14 HR/1 SB/56 R/58 RBI
Dillon Dingler has been a tad disappointing in his pro career after being a second-round pick in 2020. Dingler has had several injuries that set him back in 2021 and 2022. While his real strength is his arm and receiving behind the plate, there is intriguing power and speed. When Dingler makes contact, there are solid power numbers. Unfortunately, he made contact just 65 percent of the time last season with a 73 percent zone contact rate. 2023 will be a big year for Dingler’s value, who has the potential to move up boards.
14. Danny Serretti, SS
Age: 22/2022 Stats (A/A+/AA): 89 AB/.315/.474/.472/2 HR/7 SB/26 R/13 RBI
Danny Serretti is probably not a name you will find on most Tigers’ top prospect lists, but I’m intrigued. Serretti was as consistent as they come over his four seasons at the University of North Carolina. Over 199 career games, Serretti posted a .303/.382/.475 slash with 22 home runs and nine stolen bases. The Tigers jumped on drafting him in the sixth round of the 2022 draft. His profile isn’t flashy nor is there a ton of power to speak of, but we saw him hit ten home runs in 64 games this season. At the end of the day, Serretti is just a reliable hitter.
15. Luke Gold, 2B
Age: 22/2022 Stats (Rk/A): 65 AB/.200/.321/.231/0 HR/0 SB/5 R/11 RBI
Luke Gold is another ACC product like Danny Serretti. Gold was selected in the 2022 draft in the fifth round out of Boston College. There is nothing flashy about Gold’s profile at the plate, but he does display good bat-to-ball skills. His pro debut was uninspiring, but it was a small sample of 65 at-bats. Gold finished as a career .303 hitter at Boston College and has the potential to add more power with a few swing adjustments. It is a hit over power profile, but there is some intrigue very late in FYPDs with Gold.
Photos by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire and Steven King/Icon Sportswire | Featured Image by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)