We are now over a quarter of the way through the minor league season. Let’s take a look at some early season surprises coming out of the Detroit Tigers minor league system.
With Major League Baseball teams employing over 150 minor leaguers in any given season, there are bound to be surprise performances from several players for each organization. Thus far in 2025, the Detroit Tigers organization has been no exception.
Most minor league affiliates have played around 35-40 games to date, which means at least a quarter of the season is in the books. So we decided that now is as good of a time as ever to highlight some players who’ve been pleasant surprises out of the Detroit Tigers minor league system so far (all stats are through Sunday, May 18th):
Wilkel Hernandez (AAA): 41.2 IP, 2.16 ERA/2.99 FIP, 24.1% K rate, 8.8% BB rate, 36% GB rate, 0.22 HR/9, .239 BAA
Hernandez is quite the developmental story, having forged a long, zig-zagging path up the minor league ladder since arriving in the Tigers organization 7 years ago via the Ian Kinsler trade. In 2025, he’s having the best season of his career so far (at the highest minor league level), and armed with solid stuff across the board, Wilkel has also worked his way up the starting pitching depth chart for the Detroit Tigers this season. We discussed the right hander in more detail in our “Five Things We Liked” column this week.
Carlos Mendoza (AA/AAA): 118 PA, .337/.427/.526, 165 wRC+, 12.7% BB rate, 12.7% K rate, .189 ISO
Speaking of “Five Things”, we highlighted Mendoza just last week in our weekly rundown. To summarize, the 5’7” utility man has done nothing but produce in every season of his minor league career, and has dominated the strike zone all along the way: to the tune of a 16.4% career walk rate compared to a 14.4% strikeout rate in over 1,800 career minor league plate appearances. Mendoza can play multiple positions on the diamond, is a pesky baserunner, and is just an all-around solid baseball player, having the best season of his minor league career so far.
Trei Cruz (AA): 154 PA, .302/.409/.512, 168 wRC+, 13% BB, 20.1% K, .209 ISO
The 2020 MLB Draft was a good one for the Tigers, despite being just five rounds long: Spencer Torkelson, Dillon Dingler and Colt Keith are all producing for Detroit, while Gage Workman has also had a solid minor league career to date (and was recently returned to the Tigers after being selected in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft). Trei Cruz was Detroit’s 3rd rounder that year, and while he’s back at AA for the 4th straight year, a call to Toledo has to be coming soon. Like everyone else on this list, Cruz is having the best year of his career, by far.
He’s not only cut his strikeout rate by 5% from last year, but also bumped his walk rate by 2%, increased his ISO by 55%, and upped his wRC+ by 46%. Trei can handle shortstop, 2nd base, 3rd base and center field, and most likely left, right and 1st base as well, if needed. He’s a jack-of-all trades, and we know how Scott Harris and A.J. Hinch love versatility. It wouldn’t be a surprise for Cruz to cruise (yikes) to Detroit eventually.
Max Anderson (AA): 135 PA, .323/.356/.528, 154 wRC+, 4.4% BB, 17% K, .205 ISO
Mad Max was the Tigers’ 2nd round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft, so he arrived with a little more pedigree than the majority of the players on this list. But like the rest of the players listed here, he’s also been one of the most pleasant surprises of the 2025 season so far. While Anderson did get a taste of Double A Erie last season, he played the majority of the year at High A, slashing .270/.321/.392 for a 111 wRC+.
This year, despite an increase in competition, he has increased his ISO by 71%, and increased his wRC+ by 43%, all while being close to a year younger than the average AA player. Max is hitting more fly balls at the expense of less grounders, which is a good sign; as is his HR/FB%, which has increased by 7% since last season.
Eduardo Valencia (AA): 83 PA, .293/.349/.507, 147 wRC+, 6% BB, 21.7% K, .213 ISO
Valencia has done an excellent job backing up top prospect Thayron Liranzo behind the plate for Erie this season, providing a steady presence for the league leading SeaWolves pitching staff. Signed out of Venezuela way back in 2018, Eduardo made his full season debut in 2021, putting up a 114 wRC+ between rookie ball, Low A and High A. In 2022, he also split time across three levels (A, +A and AA), again posting an above average wRC+ of 105.
Valencia was hurt for most of the 2023 season, and in a return to Low A Lakeland in 2024, he slashed .249/.326/.366 for a WRC+ of 102 in 231 plate appearances. This season, despite jumping up two levels to AA, he’s not only having the best year of his career, but has also hit more home runs this season (5) than he did all of last season (4), while having 165 less plate appearances. Catchers take time to develop, but Valencia’s arrow is pointing up.
Dylan Smith (AA): 20 IP, 1.80 ERA/1.75 FIP, 37% K, 9.6% BB, 46.2% GB, 0.00 HR/9, .136 BAA
Two weeks ago, we talked about Smith’s hot start to the season in our weekly “Five Things”, and since then, he’s only continued that trend. The Tigers have gotten excellent seasons from several minor league relievers so far in 2025, and Dylan is a prime example.
He’s not only striking out a ton of hitters, but he’s keeping the ball on the ground and in the yard, and keeping opponents off the barrel. Dylan is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this upcoming offseason, and if he’s not added to the 40 man roster before then, there’s a good chance he’s added after the season.
Izaac Pacheco (+A): 91 PA, .299/.396/.545, 161 wRC+, 13.2% BB, 28.6% K, .247 ISO
It feels like Pacheco has been around forever, despite being just 22 years old. Izaac was the Tigers 2nd rounder back in 2021 out of Friendswood High School in Texas, and in his first go-around in full season ball in 2022, posted a nice 111 wRC+ in 444 plate appearances between Low and High A. The 2023 season was a bit of a step back for Pacheco, where back at High A, he put up an 85 wRC+ in 508 PAs, with an elevated strikeout rate holding him back a little.
In 2024, Pacheco split time between Low and High A, ending the year with a combined 94 wRC+ in 334 plate appearances, and again struggling a little with strikeouts. 2025 felt like a big year for the big corner infielder, and he’s responded in a big way, by cutting his strikeout rate by 5%, upping his walk rate by 4%, and doubling his ISO from last year.
Pacheco is in his 4th year at High A West Michigan, but I recall another long-levered former 2nd rounder out of high school that took a few seasons to find his footing in the lower minors, named Parker Meadows. Whether or not Pacheco follows that same path, it’s been an encouraging year for Izaac, who is still younger than the league average at High A.
Micah Ashman (+A): 19 IP, 0.95 ERA/1.75 FIP, 35.3% K, 5.9% BB, 45% GB, 0.00 HR/9, .141 BAA
Like we mentioned above, Detroit has seen several minor league relievers take big steps forward in 2025, and 6’7” Micah Ashman has taken arguably the biggest (literally and figuratively) this season. Selected in the 11th round of the 2024 MLB Draft, Ashman pitched just 6.1 innings last season for Low A Lakeland, and put up solid numbers in a small sample. This year, in High A West Michigan, he’s allowed just two runs in 19 innings pitched, and has an excellent 29.4 K-BB%. There aren’t many lefty relievers standing 6’7”, so Micah presents a tough look for opposing hitters.
Jackson Strong (A): 83 PA, .284/.415/.478, 152 wRC+, 16.9% BB, 33.7% K, .194 ISO
Strong was selected 4 rounds earlier than Micah Ashman in the 2024 draft, and like most draftees, saw minimal action last year in his draft season. Unfortunately for Jackson, this year, he also got hit in the head on April 15th, and had to miss two weeks. But upon his return, Strong has been quite… strong, and his season-long 152 wRC+ is towards the top of all Tigers minor league hitters.
Jackson has an Andy Dirks-ish short, compact swing from the left side, and also has a solid all-around game, similar to Dirks. The strikeouts are a little elevated so far, but that’s understandable for a player that was drafted out of a small school (Canisius College). Like everyone else on this list, Strong will be worth monitoring the rest of this season.
Hayden Minton (A): 26.2 IP, 2.03 ERA/2.47 FIP, 32.7% K, 3.1% BB, 37.3% GB, 0.34 HR/9, .183 BAA
Minton has been quite popular on the TMLR site this season, and for good reason; he’s been amazing. Hayden got off to a blazing start to 2025, allowing just two runs in his first four starts, covering 18 innings. He’s allowed two each in his last two starts, but his strikeout and walk rates have remained strong, and he’s allowed just one home run on the season so far. Minton’s 29.6 K-BB% is excellent, just like the majority of his numbers so far; and with further progress, he should be getting a call to High A West Michigan fairly soon.
Thomas Bruss (A): 14 IP, 0.00 ERA/ 2.74 FIP, 36.8% K, 12.3% BB, 30.8% GB, 0.00 HR/9, .083 BAA
Bruss took a winding path to become a Detroit Tigers minor leaguer. In college, he pitched at a small school in South Dakota, and ultimately went undrafted. But he didn’t give up, signing on with the New Jersey Jackals of the independent Frontier League in 2022, before moving to the Ottawa Titans for the 2023 season. Despite a 5.06 ERA in 37.1 innings for the Titans, Tigers scouts saw something in Thomas, and Detroit signed him to a minor league contract ahead of the 2024 season.
In 2024 with the Low A Lakeland Flying Tigers, Bruss put up a 4.97 ERA in just under 42 innings, but had some interesting underlying numbers: 26.9% strikeout rate, 44.9% groundball rate, and 0.65 HR/9. This season, back at Lakeland, he’s taken his game to another level, by striking out more and walking less hitters, and keeping opponents off the barrel more often. Bruss has a firm mid 90s fastball, and like Hayden Minton, could be getting a promotion to High A soon.
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