Five Detroit Tigers Prospect Questions for 2024

The TMLR team discusses the 2024 Detroit Tigers minor-league season

The minor-league season is just days away, so we decided to ask ourselves some burning questions about Detroit Tigers prospects in 2024. Feel free to add your own answers in the comments section!

Who is your breakout position prospect for the Detroit Tigers?

Connor: I am going with Brady Allen. Allen came into the Tigers system as a relative unknown in a quiet deal trading away Jonathan Davis. But boy did he mash, posting a .221 ISO while increasing his walk rate by 4.4%. I expect a big year in Erie and maybe even Toledo from Allen.

Jerry: Max Anderson. His strikeout rate was under 20% in Lakeland, and he has a knack for hitting the sweet spot of the bat (43.3%, league average was 33.3%).

Jayden: Kevin McGonigle. I really like his swing, it’s short and to the point. He modeled his game after Chase Utley, and he has a very Utley-esque swing. He performed well in his small sample last year and I think he’s only going to get better. Maybe he’s too highly rated for his age to be labeled a breakout. But I think he’s going to flat out hit at all levels and move into our top five prospects, and into the top 100 overall.

Rogelio: Izaac Pacheco. There are a lot of tools to like with Pacheco, and I think he takes a step forward to be considered a prospect that could make it at the next level.

Colin: My breakout position player for the year is Cristian Santana. If he puts the ball in play a little more and cuts down the strikeouts he has potential to have an OPS greater than .850, fueled by a very high walk rate.

Chris: No one else picked Josue Briceño, so I will. There’s been a fair amount of talk about him this spring already, so maybe the breakout already happened. But we told you about him last year, so let us have this. It’s unlikely Briceño sticks at catcher, but his combination of power, plate discipline, and hitting ability could make him a top-100 prospect even as a 1B/DH.

Then Brady Allen made it 5-0 with this 2-run oppo blast. It was his 16th home run of the year, and his 3rd this week. pic.twitter.com/6wYbA4yopf

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 26, 2023

Who is your breakout pitcher prospect?

Jerry: Max Alba. He had a CSW% over 30% with four different pitches last year and a Whiff% over 35% for three offerings. To go with that he had elite IVB for his 4-seam fastball. He has only been a reliever so far, but he could move quickly.

Jayden: I’ll say Troy Melton. You may ask how can a guy who just had a 2.74 ERA in his first full season be a breakout candidate? Simply because I think his ceiling as a reliever (less as a starter) is pretty high. He’s got a short arm action a lot like Lucas Giolito, and he has a lot of explosive elements to his delivery and fastball. I think if he shores up his command a bit and works on his breaking pitches he’s got a chance to be a pretty good arm.

Rogelio: Jaden Hamm. He looked really sharp in a small sample size in Lakeland and I think if he can continue to build off that, he can possibly see Erie by the end of the year.

Colin: I also chose Jaden Hamm. His fastball shows a lot of deception thanks to his steep arm angle, and he also features a plus changeup and curveball that he mixes well.

Chris: I’ll go with last year’s 12th rounder Andrew Dunford. He’s a 6-foot-7, 235-pound righty who is just 19 but already sits comfortably in the low-to-mid-90s with his fastball. He needs to refine his secondary offerings, but he’s only going to get bigger and stronger. It wouldn’t be a shock if he’s flirting with triple digits this season.

Connor: Dylan Smith had an injury prone season in 2023. But when he returns back to his healthy self he is very effective and has the pitch shapes to be dominant. From 2021-2023, across all MILB levels, Smith ranked 10th in xFIP. I’m expecting a rebound year from him.

Here are those two scoreless innings from Jaden Hamm. Hat tip to J.D. McLaughlin who made two terrific catches in center field. pic.twitter.com/htpg69t3zk

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 20, 2023

Which Detroit Tigers prospect has the most to prove?

Jayden: Wilmer Flores. He did show some progress with regained velocity in spring training. But he’s 23 now and coming off a pretty rough year in comparison to 2022 when he broke out. I think it’s more of a prove-your-role year for him. Is he going to be a rotation guy, or is he best suited for the bullpen?

Rogelio: Dillon Dingler. Either he can hit at the next level or not. We know the glove plays but now we need to see if the bat can be steady.

Colin: The prospect that has the most to prove is easily Izaac Pacheco. Pacheco is going into his third full minor-league season as a 2nd-round prep bat who has been very hyped up as a young infielder. But the results haven’t been there yet.

Chris: Roberto Campos. The Tigers aggressively pushed Campos to West Michigan last year, and he held his own for a few months. But as spring turned to summer his power and patience both seemed to evaporate. He’s still young for the level (turns 21 in June), but Campos will need to be more productive this year to stay on the prospect radar.

Connor: Unfairly, I will say Max Clark. The Clark vs. Langford debate will last until both reach six years of controllable service time. With Clark being an Internet sensation, the pressure to perform at a high level will always be high. I am curious to see how he is able to handle that with a larger audience present in his first full season.

Jerry: Gage Workman. There is so much to like with his power/speed combination and defense. He had 13 HRs and 19 SBs in just over 400 PA last year. But it’s hard to see him lasting much longer with a K% this sky high (39.6% in Double-A). 

Wilmer Flores works around a 2-out walk to close out the win for the Tigers. And @ThatDanHasty and @SamDykstraMiLB with a great job on the broadcast all game. pic.twitter.com/zfOO7lHsui

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) March 16, 2024

Which Detroit Tigers prospect will make his MLB debut first? (not counting Colt Keith)

Rogelio: Keider Montero. He has a good four-pitch mix and you can’t ever count on a pitching staff to stay fully healthy. He will get the nod first over Flores because his secondaries can generate more swings and misses.

Colin: Justyn-Henry Malloy. With four everyday outfielders (Greene, Meadows, Carpenter, Canha) in Detroit, it only takes one injury to get Malloy playing a corner spot or slipped into a designated hitter role.

Chris: I’m gonna go with Wilmer Flores here. I was tempted to say spring darling Eddys Leonard, but Ryan Kreidler is probably the first call up if there’s a non-catcher injury among position players. Flores flashed electric stuff in short stints this spring, and I think relief suits him. He’s already on the 40-man roster, so I think he’ll come up if there’s a bullpen injury or an early doubleheader.

Connor: Jace Jung. I am hesitant to pick a pitcher like Jobe, Madden, Flores, Montero, or Hurter. The Detroit Tigers have five established starting pitchers present and two more sitting ahead of the five prospects listed above in Matt Manning and Sawyer Gipson-Long. I have faith Jace Jung will be raking in Toledo and get his call up some time in June. Currently he has 1,441 PAs across college and the minors. It won’t take him long to head north if Urshela, Vierling, Ibañez, and McKinstry don’t produce at third base.

Jerry: Wenceel Pérez. I thought he had a shot at the big-league roster last year before a back injury derailed him. He’s a switch hitter who can play OF and (maybe) some IF. He’s also already on the 40-man and has high walk rates along with some XBH power.

Jayden: Justin Henry-Malloy. I think Jung and Justice Bigbie are both popular candidates here as well. Maybe even Wilmer Flores out of the pen. It all depends on injuries and performance from the MLB guys now. If JHM continues to hit the ball hard with power and the Tigers have some guys faltering I think he’s the first call.

Justyn-Henry Malloy with a bomb to right center to tie the game. It’s his first home run of the spring. pic.twitter.com/p10vklSicg

— Chris Brown (@ChrisBrown0914) February 25, 2024

Which position group is most intriguing to you?

Colin: The Erie starting pitchers. You know your rotation is good when your back end is Dylan Smith and Lael Lockhart, two prospects who should not be looked over. At the top of the rotation you have the ace, and arguably the top pitching prospect in baseball, Jackson Jobe. And he’s likely followed by former first-round pick Ty Madden. This one-two combination will turn hitters upside down in the Eastern League. Then there’s Troy Melton, a promising young arm out of San Diego State who may turn heads in 2024 and is likely to be the number three starter.

Chris: I’m fascinated to see how they divvy up playing time for the infielders in Lakeland this year. I have to assume Cristian Santana returns to the Flying Tigers after batting .156 last season. And then there’s the matter of the six infielders the Detroit Tigers drafted in 2023. They can probably hold Carson Rucker back in the Florida Complex League, and David Smith can play outfield too. But Kevin McGonigle, Max Anderson, John Peck, and Jim Jarvis all need somewhere to play. And West Michigan’s infield is likely just as crowded.

Connor: I am going with the Toledo starting rotation. As of today it looks like it will include Manning, Brant Hurter, and Montero, but there are a ton of other options. Ty Madden may return to Erie, but he could just as easily start in Toledo. Gipson-Long figures to come off the injured list before too long. There are veterans like Mason Englert and Brenan Hanifee to account for, and the organization may want to keep Wilmer Flores and Beau Brieske stretched out as starters. And Jackson Jobe and Troy Melton will be licking their chops in attempts to make it to Toledo as well. So many weapons, shapes, and styles. It’s a great problem to have.

Jerry: All the middle infielders. How many homemade SS/2B have come out of this system and produced in the last 10-20 years? Beside Colt Keith there is Kevin McGonigle, Cristian Santana, Luke Gold, Max Anderson, and others you can list here. Not all will be MLB regulars, but the upside seems like it could be there.

Jayden: Can I say Toledo’s offense as a whole? If not, I’d have to take the outfield, there’s a lot of good bats (Bigbie, JHM and Wenceel Perez) that’ll be rotating through the outfield. TJ Hopkins and Baddoo intrigue me as well because they aren’t totally out of it when it comes to contributing in the major leagues in the future. Despite Baddoo’s struggles, I think he’s very toolsy and may be a guy to watch by the middle of the year when it comes to replacing injured guys or dealing someone.

Rogelio: I would have to say the West Michigan infield. In Toledo and Erie you can see a few potential major leaguers or good up-and-down players who may help Detroit. At West Michigan there are guys with upside like Luke Gold, Hao-Yu Lee, and Pacheco, but on paper it looks like the Whitecaps may be a light-hitting team. I think if these infielders can live up to their potential they may surprise the Midwest League.

Jackson Jobe works a perfect 9th inning and looks absolutely terrifying in the process. pic.twitter.com/5gNwSEhcuU

— Chris Brown (@ChrisBrown0914) March 12, 2024

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