Detroit Tigers Minor League Roster Projections 1.0

A Deep Detroit Tigers System Makes for Fascinating Roster Decisions

The Detroit Tigers play their first official game on March 28th, just over three weeks from now. And the minor-league season kicks off the next day, with the Toledo Mud Hens hosting the Nashville Sounds. The rest of the full-season affiliates begin their seasons on April 5th.

But three weeks is an eternity in spring training. The Tigers have played just 11 spring games thus far, so we haven’t learned much. Injuries are always a concern, and we know team president Scott Harris never seems to be finished tinkering with the team. So the roster could change drastically by this time next week. But we figured it was time to start sorting out the system anyway.

We’ll start at the top, with the Detroit Tigers, and then work our way down through the system. These are just our best guesses right now, on March 6th. We’ll give it another go in a few weeks. Let’s begin.

Detroit Tigers 26-man Roster

Catchers – Jake Rogers, Carson Kelly
Infielders – Spencer Torkelson, Colt Keith, Javier Báez, Gio Urshela
Outfielders – Mark Canha, Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene, Parker Meadows
Utility – Andy Ibanez, Zach McKinstry, Matt Vierling

Rotation – Tarik Skubal, Kenta Maeda, Jack Flaherty, Matt Manning, Reese Olson
Bullpen – Alex Lange, Jason Foley, Shelby Miller, Andrew Chafin, Tyler Holton, Will Vest, Beau Brieske, Joey Wentz

Analysis: The signing of Gio Urshela essentially set Detroit’s 13 position players in stone. But there are still interesting contests happening in the rotation and bullpen. The big guess here is that Casey Mize doesn’t make the rotation to begin the season. Again, this could all change quickly, but in the three-man race for the final two rotation spots, Mize seems to have fallen slightly behind.
Matt Manning has looked terrific this spring, with five innings of one-hit ball. And while Reese Olson struggled in his first two outings, he looked much better in his third, striking out four Braves over three scoreless frames. But Mize just hasn’t looked sharp. That’s understandable, of course, given his nearly two-year layoff from game action. And there are some good signs, including more velocity and an improved fastball shape.
But command is usually the last thing to return after arm injuries, and Mize is still waiting for that arrival. The Tigers would probably love to have their former first-overall pick in the rotation, but they won’t let him battle his command in games that actually matter. So we project Casey Mize to begin the year in Toledo, where he can get some much-needed innings.

Toledo Mud Hens 28-man Roster

Catchers – Dillon Dingler, Donny Sands, Anthony Bemboom
Infielders – Keston Hiura, Buddy Kennedy, Ryan Kreidler, Jace Jung
Outfielders – Akil Baddoo, Justyn-Henry Malloy, Justice Bigbie, TJ Hopkins
Utility – Ryan Vilade, Wenceel Perez, Eddys Leonard

Rotation – Casey Mize, Keider Montero, Alex Faedo, Brant Hurter, Wilmer Flores
Bullpen – Brendan White, Mason Englert, Brenan Hanifee, Trey Wingenter, Devin Sweet, Andrew Vasquez, Tyler Mattison, Drew Anderson, Sean Guenther
IL – Sawyer Gipson-Long, Freddy Pacheco, Garrett Hill

Analysis: Triple-A rosters are extremely difficult to predict. Some of the above players will be cut, or choose to retire, or ask for their release to pursue their big-league dreams in another organization. And any of those events could cause a chain reaction down the entire system. In any event, right now this looks like a pretty solid offense, with six of our top 30 prospects on the roster, to go along with a strong group of veterans.

The Tigers have built enviable pitching depth in their upper minors, and the rotations and bullpens in Toledo and Erie could shake out in dozens of different ways. Faedo’s future is probably in the bullpen, but it doesn’t hurt to keep him stretched out as a starter. We think the organization may want 40-man arms like Montero and Flores closer to Detroit. And Hurter’s age, Double-A experience, and impressive spring make him a good candidate to graduate out of Erie. We also think there’s an outside shot he takes over the lefty long reliever role in Detroit if Joey Wentz falters.

Erie SeaWolves 28-man Roster

Catchers – Eliezer Alfonzo, Julio E. Rodriguez, Christian Molfetta
Infielders – Jake Holton, Andrew Navigato, Danny Serretti, Gage Workman
Outfielders – Brady Allen, Ben Malgeri, Trei Cruz, Daniel Cabrera
Utility – Corey Joyce, Chris Meyers, Luis Santana

Rotation – Jackson Jobe, Ty Madden, Troy Melton, Dylan Smith, Lael Lockhart
Bullpen – Adam Wolf, Andrew Magno, Trevin Michael, Joel Peguero, RJ Petit, Jake Higginbotham, Nick Starr, Bryce Tassin, Layne Henderson

Analysis:  From a prospect perspective this offense isn’t terribly flashy. But almost all of the hitters here are experienced veterans who played a significant part in Erie’s 2023 Eastern League championship. There are also plenty of returning faces in the rotation and bullpen. Ty Madden already has 30+ starts with the SeaWolves, while Adam Wolf has thrown more than 170 innings for Erie over the past two seasons.

West Michigan Whitecaps 30-man Roster

Catchers – Josh Crouch, Bennett Lee, Jose Sibrian
Infielders – Andrew Jenkins, Hao-Yu Lee, Peyton Graham, Izaac Pacheco, Luke Gold
Outfielders – Seth Stephenson, Roberto Campos, Brett Callahan, Dom Johnson, Jose De La Cruz
Utility – Carlos Mendoza, Austin Murr

Rotation – Jaden Hamm, Joe Miller, Wilkel Hernandez, Hayden Minton, Garrett Burhenn
Bullpen – Carlos Pena, Yosber Sanchez, Jordan Marks, Cole Patten, Tanner Kohlhepp, Matt Walker, Erick Pinales, Matt Merrill, Jack Anderson, Cleiverth Perez

Analysis: This should be a pretty fun infield, and it will be interesting to see how new Whitecaps manager Tony Cappuccilli juggles it. The outfield has a ton of speed with Johnson and Stephenson and plenty of raw power with Campos and De La Cruz.

We’re really getting into dart throw territory with the pitching staffs in A-ball. It’s been a slow go for most of the later-round arms the Tigers drafted in 2022, with only Miller making the rotation here. That leaves room for 2023 draftees Hamm and Minton, as well as veterans Hernandez and Burhenn.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 30-man Roster

Catchers – Josue Briceno, Sergio Tapia, Archer Brookman
Infielders – Max Anderson, Kevin McGonigle, Carson Rucker, Cristian Santana, John Peck
Outfielders – Max Clark, David Smith, Cole Turney, Lazaro Benitez, J.D. McLaughlin
Utility – Jim Jarvis, Adinso Reyes

Rotation – Carlos Marcano, Andrew Sears, Joe Adametz, Edgardo Ibarra, Colin Fields
Bullpen – Ulices Campos, Eiker Huizi, Jesus Cruz, Max Alba, Quinn Gudaitis, Patrick Pridgen, Chris Williams Jr., Blake Pivaroff, Donye Evans, Cole Stupp

Analysis: We have another crowded infield here, with four 2023 draft picks joining Cristian Santana. And there are two more natural infielders in David Smith and Jim Jarvis. That may be enough depth to push Carson Rucker back to the Florida Complex League. And if Josue Briceno proves to be more of a first baseman than a catcher, then that could further cloud the situation.

The pitching staff is similarly muddled, with mostly holdovers from last year joined by a few 2023 draft picks in Sears, Pivaroff, and Evans. But there’s a wave of talented (and large) young arms lurking right behind this group. Paul Wilson, Andrew Dunford, Jatnk Diaz, Blake Dickerson, Johnathan Rogers, and Dylan McCall will likely all begin the year in the FCL. But it wouldn’t be a shock to see any or all of them pitching for the Flying Tigers by the end of the season.

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