Welcome to Day 3 of our Detroit Tigers Positional Breakdown series. In this installment, we turn our attention to the shortstop position within the organization, evaluating its performance in 2023. Much like the roles of second and first base, the shortstop position serves multiple functions within the system. Yesterday, we delved into the second basemen; today, it’s all about the shortstops. With the possibility of Javier Baez perhaps opting out, how does the depth look in the system?

Toledo

The Mud Hens this season featured a few minor league veterans such as Jermaine Palacios and Johan Camargo, but on the prospect side of things, Ryan Kreidler, who started the season in Detroit, was limited to just 63 games due to injuries this season. Kreidler may end up a utility player, similar to Andre Lipcius.  Then the Tigers at the trade deadline perhaps made a deal on a player who may be a hidden gem in Eddys Leonard. 

Leonard, set to turn 23 in November, had an impressive start in Triple-A, boasting a .302/.374/.530 slash line and a .904 OPS over his first 40 games. During these games, he accumulated 171 plate appearances and walked at a nearly 10% rate (9.9%).

One noteworthy change from his Double-A stint in Tulsa to his time in Toledo was his line-drive rate, which increased from 20% to 27%. Concurrently, his fly-ball rate decreased from 37% to 28%. Leonard’s power also made an appearance, with an ISO (Isolated Power) rate of .228, notably higher than the International League average of .176. Our scouting report, as most others, had his power at 50.

Leonard’s hard-hit rate stood at 38.1%, slightly above the International League average of 36.4%. Scott Harris, speaking on the acquisition, noted that Leonard’s versatility was a key factor, though he spent the majority of his time at shortstop while in Toledo.

As for Leonard’s long-term position, that remains uncertain. He fits a bat-first profile, similar to players like Jace Jung and Colt Keith. While his ultimate defensive position may still be up in the air, his successful adjustment to the Triple-A level bodes well for his future prospects.

Eddys Leonard with a grand slam as he continues to have a good week against Indianapolis. 👀 pic.twitter.com/itqjsvAwEc

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) September 9, 2023

Erie and West Michigan

The SeaWolves had several players playing short this season. Trei Cruz, while seeing time in the infield, was moved to centerfield, where he graded well defensively and was a key part of Erie winning the Eastern League title.

Andrew Navigato was having a good season for Erie until a horrific injury against Bowie in which he suffered a grade four separated shoulder caused him the rest of the season. From there, it was a combo of Corey Joyce, Danny Serretti and Gage Workman. Workman, who started the season in Erie before being sent back down to work on his swinging mechanics in Lakeland, continued to show his good range at short, but at the plate, now batting exclusively left-handed, hit .289 at West Michigan with six home runs and a WRC+ of 123 during the time he returned with his reworked swing.

His strikeout rate was at around 28.3% clip during that stretch and while that was slightly down from last season, still a bit concerning. Workman has the range to play short and if he can put together at the plate, that will put him in the realm of reaching the major leagues. He turns 24 at the end of October, so perhaps the work will continue to show dividends in 2024.

Serretti spent the last 49 games in Erie, hitting .205/.314/.269. While he was able to do well at High-A, sometimes he had a hard time squaring up the ball against advanced spin.

Lakeland, FCL and DSL

Heading into the 2023 season, Cristian Santana was a name frequently found near the top of Detroit Tigers prospect lists. Splitting time between shortstop and third base in Lakeland, Santana had a challenging season at the plate. Outside of a brief hot streak in July and August, he posted underwhelming numbers with a .156/.365/.312 slash line and 12 home runs. His wRC+ (Weighted Runs Created Plus) stood at 100, which is league average.

However, it’s worth noting that Santana showed patience at the plate, walking at an impressive 21.7% rate. But keep in mind that this was in Low-A, a level where pitchers are still developing their control. A standout stat for Santana was his dramatic increase in fly-ball rate, which skyrocketed from 39% to 64% over the course of the 2023 season.
Outside of Kevin McGonigle, who we talked about second base, our views on the rest of the prospects were limited.

Detroit Tigers shortstop prospects to look out for in 2024:

Juan Hernandez 

Franyerber Montilla

Samuel Gil 

Wagnel Luna

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