Detroit Tigers Minor League Tools Series 2024: Best Control

Control is one of the most underrated aspects of a pitcher’s success, often overshadowed by the flashy strikeouts or the velocity readings on the radar gun. However, it’s a critical skill that can mean the difference between an effective starter and one who struggles to find consistency. In the Detroit Tigers’ minor league system, a few pitchers stand out for their ability to command the strike zone with pinpoint precision, consistently limiting walks and exploiting hitters’ weaknesses.

Before we break down the best control in the system, I think its important to establish the difference between control and command. Control refers to a pitcher’s ability to throw strikes and minimize walks, while command involves placing pitches precisely to exploit hitters’ weaknesses.

Both skills are essential for pitching success. Control establishes a favorable count, and command allows pitchers to target specific areas, making them more effective as they sequence their pitches together. Ashley MacLennan of Bless You Boys did a great video, explaining the differences between control and command in less than 10 minutes.

It can be hard to quantify command, so we will reference strikeouts and walks frequently. And for reference, the average walk rate for minor league pitchers in 2024 was 10.6%. Now, let’s roll out the spotlight on the best control among Tigers minor league pitchers, celebrating those who excel in putting the ball exactly where they want it.

Best Detroit Tigers Control

1 – Jake Miller

It’s hard to imagine Jake Miller being anywhere on this list a year ago. Everything went wrong for him in 2023, as he posted an 11% walk rate and a 7.13 ERA over 35.1 innings. But something clicked in 2024, and Jake Miller absolutely pounded the strike zone all year. He climbed from Low-A to Double-A, finishing the regular season with 104 strikeouts and just 17 walks in 87.1 innings.

His strikeout-to-walk ratio ranked in the top-15 in all of minor-league baseball. Then he added 24 more strikeouts to just 3 walks in the Arizona Fall League. We are still probably talking about future average command here. But Miller is particularly adept at locating his fastball at the top of the zone, and spinning his sweeper away from lefties.

2 – Troy Melton

Troy Melton is a case study in the difference between control and command. He threw a ton of strikes all year, never walking more than three batters in any of his 23 starts. He also racked up 119 strikeouts in just over 100 innings. His problem was that too many of those strikes found the middle of the plate. Melton gave up a lot of hard contact, allowing an ugly 1.7 HR/9 last year. But he has above-average stuff, and he’s a good athlete, so we think he has the ability to improve his command in 2025.

It looks like Troy Melton’s Double-A is over but a solid one. 4IP 3H 1ER 2BB 4K.

Was getting swings and misses on his fastball, slider. 56 pitches, 33 for strikes. pic.twitter.com/VY6TThDNoI

— Rogelio Castillo (@rogcastbaseball) April 10, 2024

3 – Jackson Jobe

Ahh the curious case of Jackson Jobe. Most national outlets consider him the top pitching prospect in baseball thanks to his outstanding raw stuff and plus athleticism. But his track record of throwing strikes in pro ball is a bit spotty. He was fine in his pro debut in 2022, posting a 9% walk rate. Then he became an absurd strike-throwing machine in 2023, with just six walks in 64 innings. If we add in the AFL it was 11 walks in 79.2 innings (4.8%), which is still terrific. But Jobe handed out a lot of free passes in 2024 — 46 in 95.2 innings, to be exact.

There were extenuating circumstances, including cold weather and poor Double-A umpiring. But Jobe struggled at times to put batters away. And rather than pipe a fastball down the middle, he continued to throw pitches to the edges or just outside the zone. J.J. Cooper of Baseball America did a deep dive($) on Jobe’s control and concluded it was a matter of approach rather than wildness. And it DID work, as Jobe held batters to a .177 average and just four home runs all year. But to consistently work deep into games he’s going to need to cut down on the walks a bit.

4 – Jaden Hamm

Hamm might have landed at number one if we had done this list in June. Through his first 12 outings of the season he had 62 strikeouts and just 6 walks in 45.2 innings. But Hamm has a complex delivery, and he relied on getting hitters to chase elevated fastballs and curveballs below the zone. Over his final 11 outings he struck out 60 and walked 26 in 53.1 innings. He was still a very effective pitcher, but his control regressed a bit. Hamm may have tired down the stretch, or hitters may have learned to lay off some of his offerings. He still projects as a solid strike thrower in the future, but he needs to work on his slider and changeup command.

5 – Zack Lee

Lee is the lone member of this list who isn’t also considered one of Detroit’s best prospects. The Tigers signed him out of the University of Kentucky as an undrafted free agent in 2023. His stuff doesn’t jump off the page, with a four-seamer and a sinker in the low-90s, a quality slider, and a solid changeup he didn’t use much. But Lee found a lot of success in Low-A Lakeland by firing strikes all season. He finished the year with a 3.16 ERA over 82.2 innings, with 88 strikeouts to just 20 walks.

Honorable Mentions

Max Alba, Garrett Burhenn, Carlos Marcano, Joe Miller

Max Alba remains an intriguing relief arm in Detroit’s system. His low-90s velocity doesn’t stand out, but it comes with a ton of spin and carry, and last year he walked just 8 in 57.1 innings. Garrett Burhenn saw his walk rate jump when he moved up to Double-A, but he showed good progress with his command last year, particularly with his slider.

Both Carlos Marcano and Joe Miller are terrific strike throwers whose stuff doesn’t quite allow them to rack up strikeouts. Marcano thrives on weak contact, and does a good job locating his low-90s sinker at the bottom of the zone. He walked just 7.4% of the batters he faced in High-A last year. Joe Miller was even better, walking just 5.6% of the batters he faced.

Future Projection

The transition for international starter arms to Single-A from the DSL and the complex league has been a rough one in the past for the Tigers. But the following group of arms could represent a positive change for the future. We have already seen signs with arms like Keider Montero, who made his debut in 2024 after being an international signing back in 2016. He showed above-average control in the big leagues, though his command still needs work.

Left-hander Gabriel Reyes burst into Lakeland’s rotation after call-ups to West Michigan left a solid Flying Tigers rotation in flux. He came up big in August, winning four starts in a row. Reyes throws strikes, plain and simple, with a 69% strike percentage in his first season at Single-A. He held opponents to a .198 average, and walked just 7.2% of batters while sporting a 31% k rate.

Rayner Castillo won our Newcomer of the Year in 2024 in part because of his control of the strike zone. He showed an advanced ability to get weak contact with his sinker and let the defense do the rest. That gives him a solid floor as he continues to develop his swing-and-miss stuff, which is critical as he advances. Like Reyes, he is just 20 years old, and his precocious strike-throwing ability suggests a chance to remain a starter at higher levels.

Duque Hebbert, who signed after making a huge impression at the World Baseball Classic for Nicaragua, sported just a 7.1% walk rate in 64 innings as a swingman. He got off to a slow start, posting a 7.07 ERA in 28 innings over his first 10 games. But he appeared to make adjustments in Lakeland during the second half of the year. After June 19th he held hitters to a .219 average while throwing strikes at a 65% clip.

We haven’t seen Franyerson Reyes in person, but he put up very impressive numbers in his pro debut. Reyes was 17 last year, but he posted a 3.9% walk rate in the DSL, with just seven walks in 46.2 innings. Usually young arms take time to get that type of control, but Reyes appears to have a head start. He is one of the arms we are looking forward to seeing more of in 2025.

Chris Brown also contributed to this piece.