Welcome to “Five Things We Liked From Last Week”, a weekly list of… five things we liked from last week (or in this case, seven things we liked from the last two weeks):
1. Colt Keith: Third Baseman
A surprising bit of news dropped two weeks ago, that somewhat flew under the radar but may have major implications on the Detroit Tigers roster building strategy.
On June 4th, A.J. Hinch announced that Colt Keith would be seeing time at third base.
Keith was originally drafted as a third baseman back in 2020, and split time between third and second base in 2021 in the minor leagues. In 2022 however, he suffered a shoulder injury that necessitated a more full time move to second base upon his return, where he’s played the majority of his time ever since.
Now, after three years of rehab, apparently the Tigers have decided that Colt’s arm is ready for the hot corner. And Colt Keith, third baseman would solve a lot of problems for Detroit not only this year, but in years to come.
Third base isn’t quite the power position that it used to be. In 2025, the league average wRC+ for third basemen is exactly 100, and Colt Keith’s season long wRC+ of 112 would rank 11th in baseball among all qualified third basemen, just ahead of Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley. For reference, Tiger third basemen on the year have a combined wRC+ of just 74, which ranks 25th in MLB.
On defense, the Tigers just need Colt to make the routine play. In a previous “Five Things” column, while we were analyzing Alex Bregman’s defense, we determined that he had a chance to make a tough play about once every three games. So while Colt may not be Brooks Robinson (or Bregman) over there, as long as he can make the routine play, the Tigers should be just fine.
By all accounts, Keith is a hard worker. His defense improved at second base last year throughout the season, and he also made himself into a serviceable first basemen over the offseason. His arm strength doesn’t grade out great, but again, if he can just make the routine plays (think Gleyber Torres), the Tigers will be in much better shape in how they can configure the roster; including giving Kerry Carpenter and his hamstrings more time at DH.
Colt Keith playing a respectable third base not only improves the Tigers roster this season, but in seasons to come, as there is currently a bit of a lack of depth at third in Detroit’s minor league system. It also gives the Tigers options in who they can target at the deadline and in the offseason.
Keith made his first big league career start at third base on June 11th, and took care of the only groundball hit his way. He hasn’t played many games at third since then as the Tigers get him up to speed, but he got another start Thursday, and again handled all four of his chances just fine.
No matter how it plays out, it’s worth a shot, and I wouldn’t bet against Colt Keith. Give credit to the Tigers (and Keith) for trying it out.
2. Jahmai Jones
There’s a phrase that has stuck with me ever since I was a youth, and it goes something like this: “It’s easy to get to the Majors; it’s harder to stay there.”
My memory says that it came from Cecil Fielder, but years of evidence says that my memory can’t be trusted. So we will attribute it to “anonymous” for now.
No matter who came up with it, it’s an interesting choice of words. It’s certainly not “easy” to reach the Major Leagues. But it is true that staying there is just as hard, if not harder. Just ask Jahmai Jones.
Jones is a former top prospect for the Los Angeles Angels, starting in pro ball as a 17 year old after getting drafted in the 2nd round of the 2015 MLB Draft. Jahmai spent several years grinding his way up the minor league ladder, before ultimately making his Major League debut in front of cardboard cutouts during the Covid 2020 season.
Despite making his debut in 2020 with LA, Jones was traded to Baltimore in the 2020-2021 offseason for current Tiger Alex Cobb. He didn’t break camp with Baltimore, starting the 2021 season in AAA before earning a callup on August 23rd, 2021. He then began the 2022 season back in the minors, before getting released by Baltimore in early June; and after being in limbo for almost two months, the LA Dodgers signed him to a minor league deal in late July, where he toiled in AAA for the rest of the season.
After spending all of 2022 in the minors, Jones was back in AAA to start the 2023 season, before again being released in July by the Dodgers. The Milwaukee Brewers picked him up two days later and activated him to their big league roster, before demoting him a week later. Six days after that, he was recalled, then 13 days later, he was demoted again. Such is the life of a professional baseball player.
Jahmai spent the rest of the 2023 season in AAA, and in February of 2024, he was designated for assignment by Milwaukee. The New York Yankees picked him up a week later, and for the first time in his career, Jones made an opening day roster out of spring training. He stuck with New York until July, when he was again designated for assignment, and ultimately sent back down to AAA to finish the 2024 season.
The Tigers liked Jones’ skill set enough to prioritize him in minor league free agency, and signed him to a minor league deal in November 2024. And after a big spring training, it appeared Jahmai had a chance to again break camp with a big league team. But Detroit optioned him out just prior to the end of spring training, which meant Jones was back in AAA for the 5th straight year.
At that point, it would have been easy for any player, including Jahmai, to be discouraged. But he stuck with it, and after performing for two months with the Toledo Mud Hens, Jones was recalled for his Tigers big league debut two weeks ago on June 6th.
And on the first pitch he saw, he hit a big pinch hit home run, giving the Tigers an important insurance run in a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
Since then, Jones has continued to perform very well in his role, to the tune of a .421/.476/.842 slash in 21 PAs. Players like Jahmai Jones are easy to root for, and the hope is he gives Tigers fans a lot more to cheer about over the next few months.
3. Alex Lange
It feels almost sacrilegious to complain about anything regarding the Detroit Tigers these days. Not only do they have the best record in baseball, but they also boast a top ten offense, pitching staff and defense in MLB.
But if there’s one area of concern that’s popped up recently, it’s the bullpen.
Since the start of the year, Kenta Maeda and John Brebbia have been released, Jason Foley got injured and is out for the year, and Beau Brieske got sent to Toledo. The Tigers bullpen also ranked 3rd in MLB in ERA from the start of the season through May 15th; from May 16th on, they rank 25th.
If you took a poll of Tigers fans, most would say that at least one bullpen arm should be on Scott Harris’ trade deadline wish list, if not two (or three). But luckily for Harris and Detroit, one of those solutions may come in-house.
After missing the past year or so with a lat injury, Alex Lange began a rehab assignment on Tuesday, and not a moment too soon for the Tigers.
It’s easy to forget how good Lange was when he was right. During the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Alex’s 28.8% strikeout rate ranked 32nd among 111 qualified relievers, his 53.1% groundball rate ranked 18th and his .191 BAA ranked 14th.
An elevated walk rate has been Alex’s growth area since he arrived, and that issue came to a head in 2023 and especially 2024. But if the Tigers can get Lange back in the strike zone more often, he could slot right back into the back end of the bullpen that severely needs some swing and miss.
4. Joe Miller
Take a look back at any team’s entire MLB draft class in any given year, and there will be hits and misses. There are thousands of players available, and only so many scouts (and so much data) that teams can utilize. It honestly feels overwhelming to even think about.
Former Detroit Tigers’ GM Al Avila, like every key decision maker in baseball history, certainly had his share of missed opportunities in the draft. But as time has passed, and the dust has settled on the Avila era, it has become apparent that Al had a knack for finding some gems in the later rounds of the draft. Tarik Skubal (9th round), Kerry Carpenter (19th round), Will Vest (12th round), Beau Brieske (27th round) and Brant Hurter (7th round) immediately come to mind from the current roster.
The 2022 MLB Draft was Avila’s final draft with the Tigers, and while it’s too soon to know how successful the draft class will become, there do appear to be some future contributors that arrived later in the draft. Troy Melton (4th round) and Jake Miller (9th round) are looking like very solid picks for example, and Seth Stephenson (7th round) is having a nice year as well.
With their 11th round pick in the 2022 draft, Detroit selected left hander Joe Miller out of the University of Pennsylvania. Like most draftees these days, Miller didn’t see much action in his draft year. But in 2023, he threw just over 68 innings for Low A Lakeland, and had a nice season: 3.93 ERA / 4.32 xFIP, 24.5% strikeout rate, 44.6% groundball rate, and just 0.52 home runs allowed per nine. The walks were on the higher side at 9.7%, as was the BAA of .280, but everything else looked good.
In 2024, Miller split time between Low A and High A, and had another solid season: a combined 99.1 IP, 3.71 ERA / 4.04 xFIP, 19.2% strikeout rate, 40.3% groundball rate, 0.91 HR/9 and .246 BAA. The lefty also cut his walk rate to 5.6%, a sign that his command and control had taken a step forward.
The Tigers kept Miller in High A to begin the 2025 season, and to date, he’s passed the assignment: 56.1 IP, 2.72 ERA / 3.97 xFIP, 19.8% strikeout rate, 7.2% BB rate, 43.6% groundball rate, 0.80 HR/9 and .236 BAA. Including Saturday’s start, he’s allowed two earned runs or less in 11 of his 13 appearances, and has allowed one earned run or less in 9 of his 13 appearances.
Miller’s stuff may not immediately jump off the page, but so far, the results speak for themselves. A promotion to Double A Erie could be in the cards soon.
5. Andrew Sears
As a child of the ‘90s, the Sears Christmas catalog was a personal favorite.
For those who aren’t familiar, every year, a department store called (you guessed it) Sears would release a big magazine full of potential Christmas gifts. Perusing it was a great way to pass time leading up to the holidays, and whether or not your wish list came true, the potential that the catalog offered was unmatched.
It’s unclear whether Tigers lefty Andrew Sears has any connection, but by selecting him in the 10th round of the 2023 MLB Draft, Tigers President of Baseball Ops Scott Harris may have given Tigers fans an early Christmas gift of their own.
While that analogy was a bit of a reach, Sears is starting to open some eyes over in West Michigan.
In the 2024 season, Andrew tossed just shy of 90 innings for the Lakeland Flying Tigers, and put up solid numbers: 2.51 ERA / 4.29 xFIP, 26.4% strikeout rate, 46.4% groundball rate, 0.50 HR/9 and .192 BAA. An elevated 13.1% walk rate led to the discrepancy between his ERA and xFIP, but it was an encouraging season nonetheless.
The Tigers felt that Sears did enough to justify a promotion to High A to begin the 2025 season, and so far, he’s proven them right. In just under 52 innings, he’s posted a 2.96 ERA / 3.68 xFIP, with a 27.1% strikeout rate, improved 9% walk rate, 46.2% groundball rate, 1.05 HR/9 and .201 BAA.
Andrew is 6’3” and throws out of a low three quarters arm slot, presenting a tough look for batters. He currently ranks #27 on TMLR’s updated top prospect list (after starting the year ranked #45), and here’s what our own Chris Brown had to say about Sears recently:
He’s been very good for most of May, pitching to a 1.57 ERA with 29 strikeouts and just 6 walks in 23 innings. His stuff is pretty solid too, with a fastball that touches 96 MPH, an above-average sweeper (as long as he keeps it out of the heart of the plate), and a developing split-change. All that is a recipe for a big jump in our rankings.
In order to take the next step in his development, Sears’ command and control will be key. But the Tigers have shown they can help pitchers in that department, and Andrew has already shown improvement in that area since last year; both good signs for the future.
Without necessarily comparing the two, there’s another lower slot lefty who battled higher walk rates as a 22 year old in High A, but was otherwise excellent (121.2 IP, 3.11 ERA / 3.35 xFIP, 28.4% strikeout rate, 10.5% walk rate, 42.6% groundball rate, 0.37 HR/9, .224 BAA: numbers that are a close match to Sears); his name is Sean Manaea, who has gone on to be a very successful big league pitcher with somewhat similar stuff to Andrew Sears.
Whether or not Sears gets to that level, with some refining of his command, he can become a solid weapon for the Tigers in the future.
6. Jatnk Diaz
There are many paths to professional baseball, but not many look like Jatnk Diaz’.
Born in the Dominican Republic, Diaz moved to Pennsylvania with his family when he was in junior high. Jeff Siedel of the Detroit Free Press detailed his journey to getting selected by the Tigers in the 8th round of the 2023 MLB Draft, and it’s a doozy.
Jatnk played first base for the junior varsity team as a freshman in 2019, and in January 2020, he travelled back to the Dominican Republic with his father. A short time later, the pandemic hit, which meant Diaz wasn’t able to get back into the US, and which also meant he missed the entire second half of the 2020 school year.
Diaz then reclassified to graduate in 2023, and continued playing high school ball in spring 2021, mostly as a hitter, due to his elite exit velocities at the plate. His family was just getting settled in the US, and money was often tight; but folks in the community stepped up and helped Diaz play travel baseball that summer.
Despite mostly appearing as a hitter, Diaz did step onto the mound occasionally, and was up to the high 80s with the fastball. He eventually committed to a D2 school as a first baseman and pitcher as a junior, and in the fall of his senior year, he played for Baseball U PA, a sophisticated travel program in Pennsylvania. Despite the extra exposure, scouts weren’t in on Diaz; but he kept working hard, often working out five days a week and teaching himself to pitch by watching his favorite pitchers on TV and firing baseballs into a net off a portable pitching mound.
In February of 2023, Diaz threw a bullpen that his friend videotaped, and he touched 93. The next day, he hit 95, and he started posting his videos online, catching the eyes of scouts for the first time. Things were looking up for Jatnk, but as fate would have it, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association determined that he was ineligible for his senior year, since he started playing baseball four years prior.
Diaz was well liked in the community, and those same folks who helped him play travel baseball were devastated right along with Jatnk. But scouts were still interested, so the varsity coach at Diaz’ high school set up mock games against the JV team for him to pitch in. And those poor JV players had to face Jatnk and his now 96-97 MPH fastball. Scouts took notice, and some asked him to play in the MLB Draft League. So upon graduation, Diaz played for the Williamsport Crosscutters of the MLB Draft League, and in his first game, he retired all six hitters he faced, touching 96.5 with the heater, despite not appearing in a real game in over a year.
His next appearance was more of the same, and word was starting to spread that Diaz had some real potential. But with the draft right around the corner, teams weren’t sure what to do with this popup prospect. But the Tigers were on him, and scooped him up in the 8th round, as the 230th overall pick. Here’s what Tigers scouting director Mark Conner had to say about Diaz after the draft:
“We kind of talk about scouting opportunities, and he is a great example of the hard work by the entire staff… He was ineligible this year and unable to pitch for his high school team. Not for academic reasons, but just for the move from the Dominican Republic and the timing. He would throw bullpens on the side, and our guys got a chance to see him there and tracked him into the Draft League, where a bunch of our staff got to see him. He’s a big, strong, strapping young man that’s got a lively fastball and some real feel for a changeup. He’s an exciting player.”
After the draft, Diaz appeared in just two games in 2023 for the Complex League Tigers squad, and was back in the Complex League for 2024. He battled some injuries, and ended the year with just over 14 total innings, in which he had a 10.67 ERA, with a 17.8% strikeout rate and 19.2% walk rate. The raw tools were there, but they were just that: raw.
The Tigers sent Jatnk back to the Complex League for the 2025 season to make up for lost time, and we’re happy to report that things are starting to click. In 27.1 innings, he has a 2.96 ERA / 3.94 xFIP, with a 22.2% strikeout rate, 9.4% walk rate, 59.2% groundball rate, 0.33 HR/9 and .231 BAA.
Like several other pitchers in the lower levels of the minor leagues, Diaz will be worth keeping tabs on the rest of this season and in seasons to come.
7. Cris Rodriguez
What were you up to at age 18?
For some, it’s getting ready to head off to college. For others, it’s getting ready to start a career. And for Cris Rodriguez, it’s kicking behind in the Dominican Summer League.
Signed by the Tigers for a team record $3.2 million dollar bonus in international free agency this past winter, hopes were high that Rodriguez would hit the ground running in pro ball. Hit the ground running he has.
Not to toot our own horn, but TMLR may be the best in the biz at covering the Tigers minor league system, all the way from Toledo to the DSL. And if you’ve been paying attention, it’s hard not to be encouraged by what we are seeing from Mr. Rodriguez.
Kevin Defrank earned the fourth highest bonus of any pitcher in the 2024-2025 international free agency class, and has a fastball that reaches triple digits. So when the DSL Tigers faced off against him two Mondays ago, it was a good litmus test for the youngsters suiting up for Detroit. And Cris Rodriguez passed the test, not once but twice.
In his first at-bat against Defrank, C-Rod got a 98 MPH heater and hit it 108 MPH for a double. Then, in his second at-bat, he upped the ante by turning on a 99 MPH fastball and torching it 109 MPH for a home run.
In a small sample size of 56 PAs, Rodriguez is slashing .327/.357/.596 with three homers, five doubles and a solid 19.6% strikeout rate. The hype train has left the station.
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Chris Brown 
Rogelio Castillo 
Jerry McKennan