The Detroit Tigers Playoff Blueprint Part 2: Double-A Erie

Yesterday, we recapped the Detroit Tigers minor league affiliates, correlating how they help put together the Tigers roster and some standout performances from the past and this season. Now, we focus in on Erie and Toledo, where a vast majority of the roster develop and for the pitchers, in some cases, tasted playoff success. 18 of the 26 Tigers on the AL Wild Card roster were in Erie.

Erie SeaWolves

Over the last decade, there have been several changes to the Double-A affiliate that have come about due to the standards being set in place by Major League Baseball and by the organization. As Evan Petzold of the Freep.com reported back in 2020, when it was first announced that MLB would be nixing 42 minor league affiliates, it put a target on Erie. Their conditions at the ballpark needed to improve, and that work was already underway.

But it was more than just upgrading the facilities. Players were not just jumping from Erie to Detroit, which has been the case a few times, most recently Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal. The circumstances, while different at the time because of how depleted the Tigers were at pitching, the philosophies shifted. Scott Harris has been clear that Toledo is the final step before player arrive in Detroit. A good majority of this roster are familiar with each other, which helps even with the unknown of the big leagues.

Last season, several pitchers we spoke said pitching coordinators like Gabe Rivas and others would set them aside, asking them to throw pitches they may have thrown in the past or new pitches. When speaking to Lael Lockhart Jr this season, it was a splitter that the organization had him work on, which resulted in more swings and misses this season(32% at Double-A) before he was promoted to Toledo.

Keider Montero, Sawyer Gipson-Long, Wilmer Flores and after talking to Brant Hurter on Thursday in Erie, the changeup continues to be the pitch that the organization has been an emphasis for pitches to focus on and it has worked. pic.twitter.com/550U56ZD97

— Rogelio Castillo (@rogcastbaseball) September 24, 2023

Starters and Relievers

Ty Madden, Hurter, Keider Montero, Sean Guenther (8 games) and Sawyer Gipson-Long all saw time in Erie in 2023 and all played a role in their first Eastern League title. The minor league playoff experience may bode well for Madden and Hurter, should they be selected for the 26-man roster as they were on Erie’s rosters in both 2023 and 2022. The 2022 roster also featured Reese Olson as that season, he set a team record with 168 strikeouts in 119.2 innings of work.

This season, the rotation saw new faces as Madden, Lockhart Jr all moved up. While the perception that Erie may not have a major league pitcher among the roster, there is potential in bullpen arms like RJ Petit, Tyler Owens, Eric Silva and CJ Weins in addition to starter Troy Melton. Melton struggled before an injury ended his season, but there is a lot to work with.

Hitter wise, the 2022 SeaWolves featured the Tigers current outfield of Kerry Carpenter, Wencell Perez and Parker Meadows.  Before his back injury ended his 2022 season, Perez, along with Meadows, were having breakout seasons after graduating from West Michigan. Carpenter started to grab the attention of the big league club with 22 home runs with changes to his swing mechanics. The following season, Jace Jung and Colt Keith were the among the offense catalysts, and Dingler saw time there after coming back from injury.

Kerry Carpenter hits this one to the roller coaster. A huge 2-run shot that gave Erie some breathing room. It’s his 21st home run of the year. pic.twitter.com/tOrgGEumZr

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) June 15, 2022

This may have been the time in which the Tigers decided to give Keith a long-term contract after dominating Double-A ball. He hit .325 .391/.585 with 14 home runs.

Have a week Colt Keith. He singles again to move to 6-for-6 on the night, with 15 total bases and 7 RBIs. pic.twitter.com/NZ2GBWEUZi

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 17, 2023

Have a week Colt Keith. He singles again to move to 6-for-6 on the night, with 15 total bases and 7 RBIs. pic.twitter.com/NZ2GBWEUZi

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 17, 2023

Jung hit 14 of his organization leading 28 home runs in Erie last season. What also helped to develop of the prospects is manager Gabe Alvarez. He joins Fred Hatfield (72,73) and Les Moss (75-76) as the only Tigers Double-A managers to win back to back titles. With injuries to regulars like Jake Holton and Trei Cruz, and call-ups throughout the season, Alvarez was able to make his third straight Eastern League title appearance.

Current squad

Gage Workman and Hao-Yu Lee both were named to the 2024 Eastern League All-Star team. Lee hit .298/.363/.488 with 12 home runs. A back injury derailed the end of his season, but he was the team’s best hitter and put himself on some prospect radars based on his performance as he was also learning a new position, third base.

In the case of Workman, whether it’s him now finishing his third season in Double-A or, perhaps, he has figured out things at the plate after abandoning switch hitting late last year, Workman has good range and the arm to play the left side of the infield as a utility player. He turns 25 in October and is Rule 5 eligible and more than likely, if he isn’t picked up, Gage should start the season in Toledo in 2025.

Liam Hicks, Trei Cruz may also graduate to Toledo and may have roles as reserves in the future as we will finish up our series with the Mud Hens on Monday.

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