Detroit Tigers Minor League Tool Series 2025: Best Hitters

The Best Hitters in the Detroit Tigers System

The Detroit Tigers used to have a problem developing hitters. From 2015-2022 just one homegrown hitter posted a season (min 350 PA) with a wRC+ of 100 or better: Nick Castellanos.

Push the timeline back to 2010 and you get three more names: Alex Avila, Brennan Boesch, and Ryan Raburn. The Tigers seemed to like alliteration, but they didn’t like drafting and developing hitters.

All of that has changed now. In 2025 alone the Tigers has six homegrown hitters post a wRC+ of 100 or better: Kerry Carpenter, Dillon Dingler, Riley Greene, Colt Keith, Wenceel Perez, and Spencer Torkelson. There were a total of 145 hitters to reach that mark in 2025. No one had more homegrown hitters do it than the Detroit Tigers.

And more help is on the way.

So we begin our tools series with the best bats in the system. It is increasingly difficult to come up with a new preamble to this piece. So, if you are so inclined, feel free to take a look at our rankings from 2023 and 2024.

As always, when considering how to rank hit tools we consider pure bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline. This year we’re also placing a little more emphasis on launch and spray angles. There is no one perfect batted-ball profile, but some are certainly better than others. With that, let’s begin.

Detroit Tigers Top Hit Tools

1 – Kevin McGonigle

Kevin McGonigle retains the top spot on our list, and everything we wrote last year still applies. Except McGonigle hit for much more power in 2025, and now nearly everyone agrees he’s the best pure hitter in minor-league baseball. McGonigle’s swing mechanics are immaculate, with phenomenal barrel control and natural loft to produce extra-base power. His short levers allow him to attack premium velocity on the inner third of the plate, and his lightning-quick hands let him stay back and drive the ball to the opposite field with authority. He also shows no discernable platoon splits.

McGonigle’s elite bat-to-ball skills are accompanied by exceptional makeup and some of the best swing decisions in baseball. He is patient, he rarely expands the zone, and he attacks pitches he can drive. The result is a nearly perfect mix of discipline, contact, and power. In his pro career he owns a .308 batting average, a 1.46 walk-to-strikeout ratio, and a .204 isolated power. Since 2006 he is the ONLY minor-league hitter (min 400 career PA) who can boast numbers like that. McGonigle is a potential batting champion, with a good chance to produce multiple .300/.400/.500 seasons in his prime. He’s among the best hitters to ever come through the Detroit Tigers system.

But McGonigle isn’t quite a finished product. The power (12 HR) and patience (16% BB rate) showed up in Double-A, but he hit just .254 over his 46 games with Erie. It would be easy to write that off as a product of his .230 BABIP, but it’s also indicative of a change in approach by more advanced pitchers. Eastern League hurlers started bombarding McGonigle with breaking balls at the edges, and he couldn’t square them up consistently. The result was fewer line drives and more grounders to the right side of the infield. We don’t think this is a fatal flaw by any means. McGonigle has just over 800 professional plate appearances, and with more exposure to advanced pitching he will likely learn to lay off breaking balls he can’t drive.

Kevin McGonigle gets 100 from Jarlin Susana and hits it a billion feet to right for a solo homer. It’s his 7th with the SeaWolves. @Greg_Gania on the call. pic.twitter.com/iUwWrbQ41x

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 19, 2025

Rogelio Castillo:

One thing that continues to stand out with McGonigle is how advanced his approach already is for a hitter still early in his pro career. Even during the Erie stretch, when the results dipped, the foundation of his offensive profile didn’t erode. He didn’t start chasing wildly, nor did he abandon his plan at the plate. Instead, pitchers simply tested the margins of his discipline more aggressively, particularly with spin that started in the zone and finished just off it. That’s a meaningful distinction, the issue wasn’t recognition so much as selectivity against pitches he can put in play versus pitches he can damage.

The ground-ball spike to the right side in Double-A feels more like a byproduct of that pressure than a red flag. McGonigle’s swing path and contact point remain remarkably consistent, but advanced arms were able to disrupt his ideal launch window by forcing earlier decisions. That’s often the final developmental hurdle for elite hitters: learning when not to compete. Given his history of in-season adjustment and the way his walk rate held firm despite the batting-average dip, there’s every reason to believe this becomes an area of growth rather than limitation.

Long term, McGonigle still profiles as a hitter who controls the strike zone at an elite level while offering more impact than his frame suggests. The power gains from 2025 look real, not forced, and they came without sacrificing contact quality or swing efficiency. If he solves the Double-A breaking-ball sequencing and most hitters with his feel eventually do, you’re looking at a middle-of-the-order bat whose value is driven as much by consistency and on-base ability as it is by extra-base damage. In that sense, the Erie stretch may end up being less a concern and more an important checkpoint in the evolution of a truly special offensive player.

2 – Max Clark

Max Clark boasts many of the same traits as McGonigle. He has excellent bat-to-ball skills and a terrific eye at the plate. He actually had a lower swinging strike rate (6.4%) than McGonigle (7.7%) in 2025. Where Clark doesn’t quite measure up, at least so far, is with his aggressiveness and angles. His extremely patient approach led to 94 walks, which was tied for the 5th most in the minors last year. But that patience borders on passivity, which is how he also struck out 90 times despite his miniscule whiff rate.

The other issue with Clark so far is with his launch angles. For much of his pro career he has been a bit of a slasher, ripping liners and ground balls to the opposite field. But when he got to Double-A last year he really started turning on the ball, leading to the best power production of his young career. Clark thinks he actually strayed a bit too far into the fly balls with Erie, which is probably true. But it’s encouraging he was able to make mid-seasons adjustments to unlock his raw power, which is at least average.

To be clear, these are relatively minor quibbles. If Max Clark makes zero adjustments to his current approach he’s probably still close to an average big league hitter. But Clark’s makeup is off the charts. He’s a true baseball rat, and we have no doubt he will never stop refining his swing and approach. The end result should be consistently above-average offensive production in his prime.

Rogelio:

For a hitter who had spent much of his early pro career content spraying hard contact the other way, the shift toward pulling the ball with more intent was meaningful. Even if the fly-ball-heavy stretch wasn’t the final version, it showed he understands where his power comes from and how to access it when needed. That adaptability matters more than the exact launch-angle outcome in a small Double-A sample.

Clark’s long-term offensive value likely comes from finding a middle ground between patience and intent. If he becomes more selectively aggressive — hunting specific pitches early rather than defaulting to deep counts — the strikeouts should naturally come down without sacrificing on-base ability. Given his makeup, work ethic, and aptitude for adjustment, it’s easy to project a hitter whose offensive impact grows steadily rather than spikes all at once. He may never be a pure thumper, but the combination of contact quality, plate discipline, and evolving power points toward a player whose bat will be an asset at the major-league level for a long time.

3 – Josue Briceño

For much of the last two seasons Josue Briceño has looked like a future plus hitter. He’s a powerful, statuesque young man who seemingly has the contact skills and patience of smaller, more twitchy players. We went so far as to compare him to Captain America last year. And at times in 2025 he looked more like the Terminator. He maintained a solid 10% whiff rate, and he was consistently launching the ball in the air to the pull field. After 55 games in High-A Briceño was batting .296 with more walks than strikeouts and a .306 ISO. 

But Briceño hit a bit of a wall in Double-A. That’s not terribly concerning for a 20-year-old, particularly when he was forced into catching more frequently than ever before. And he still showed enough power and patience to post a 112 wRC+ with Erie. But his batting average dropped to .232, his walk rate fell, and his strikeout rate rose. Briceño has never had exceptional bat speed, but for the first time he was consistently being beaten by fastballs.

Double-A pitchers were able to throw strikes with their secondary stuff, and it appeared Briceño was caught in between sitting on soft stuff and reacting to velocity. His whiff rate stayed stable, which is a good sign, but he took a lot more called strikes with the SeaWolves. And his ground ball rate spiked while his pull rate fell. Briceño is extremely strong and he has a good feel for the strike zone. At his best he looks like a future plus hitter with plus power, but he’ll need to make some adjustments to his approach in 2026.

Goodness gracious, Josue Briceño AGAIN. He crushes his 3rd homer of the night to deep right center. And he has a double, too. Spectacular game. pic.twitter.com/QH9mSzMKU0

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 30, 2025

Rogelio:

One additional factor worth noting is workload. Briceño caught a career-high number of games in 2025, and that increased defensive responsibility likely played a role in the offensive inconsistency he showed after the move to Double-A. For a young catcher still developing physically, the cumulative toll of game-calling, receiving, and handling advanced pitching staffs can subtly impact timing and aggressiveness at the plate, particularly against velocity.

Viewed through that lens, the stable whiff rate and continued zone awareness are encouraging. The underlying offensive traits didn’t disappear — they were just harder to access while his focus and energy were stretched in new ways. As Briceño gains more experience managing the defensive demands of catching at higher levels, it wouldn’t be surprising to see his offensive approach stabilize and the power to the pull side re-emerge more consistently.

4 – Eduardo Valencia

Eduardo Valencia was the biggest surprise in the Detroit Tigers farm system last year. He wasn’t even an afterthought on ANY of our tools lists last year. That’s because he had been in the organization since 2018 and was a career .259 hitter with 12 home runs in just over 1000 plate appearances. He played sporadically in April, but he hit three home runs and picked up hits in 9 of 11 games. And then he just kept hitting. After 53 games in Erie he was batting .304 with 11 home runs and a decent 7.6% walk rate. We were still skeptical because Valencia had no history of success, and we figured Triple-A pitchers would figure out a way to stop him. Instead, he hit .319 with 13 home runs and a 12.6% walk rate in 50 Triple-A games.

To be honest, we still don’t know what to think. We can look for holes in his offensive game, but they don’t really seem to be there. Valencia had a slightly elevated whiff rate against breaking balls, but he also did plenty of damage against them. He hit velocity. He had a .917 OPS against right-handed pitchers and a 1.032 OPS against lefties. His average exit velocity was 90.7 MPH, and he posted a max EV of 112.1 MPH. His 8.8% barrel rate was the same as Kerry Carpenter’s last year.

And maybe Carpenter is a good name to think of here. He’s the last Tigers hitter who seemingly came from nowhere to hit for power and average in the upper minors. And that has continued in the big leagues. We don’t think Valencia will provide quite as much impact as Carpenter — he still hits the ball on the ground slightly too often. But if he gets the playing time, Valencia could be an average hitter with above-average power.

Holy Toledo, it’s an Eduardo Valencia cycle! 🚨

The @tigers prospect notches the milestone while collecting an RBI with each hit for the @MudHens 🥳 pic.twitter.com/h9Fy71ggff

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) August 8, 2025

Rogelio:

One underlying factor that likely contributed to Valencia’s breakout was tangible offseason and in-season work on his swing, paired with noticeable physical changes. Valencia trimmed down entering 2025, and the improved conditioning appears to have helped him move more efficiently through the zone, particularly against velocity. The swing looks cleaner and more direct, with less effort to generate impact, which aligns with the jump in both exit velocity consistency and walk rate as the season progressed.

That combination — mechanical changes and better body control — helps explain why this didn’t look like a fluky hot streak. Valencia wasn’t simply selling out for power; he was getting to better hitting positions more often and staying balanced long enough to handle different pitch types. While questions remain about batted-ball distribution, the process behind the production suggests this was a real step forward rather than a random outlier season.

5 – Max Anderson

Max Anderson’s first full season in pro ball was somewhat disappointing. He did bat .270 at High-A West Michigan, but he didn’t walk much, and his power production (11 HR, .122 ISO) was underwhelming. Anderson worked to get more athletic in the offseason and broke out in a big way in 2025, batting a blistering .364 through June in Double-A. He went cold in July, hitting just .179, but he was promoted to Triple-A and hit a solid .267/.327/.422 over 32 games. He finished his year by posting a comical .447/.609/.809 line in 14 games in the Arizona Fall League.

All Max Anderson does is hit. Unfortunately, we mean that in both the good and bad ways. He has good bat-to-ball skills, plus raw power, and he keeps his strikeout rates in the manageable range. But, outside of his short stint in the AFL, he has never shown much patience or selectivity, with a career 6.6% walk rate in the minors.

Anderson also has a slightly unorthodox swing. It produces a good number of line drives, but also a lot of ground balls up the middle and to the opposite field. He doesn’t pull the ball in the air enough to take full advantage of his raw power. Anderson is a solid hitter who may be able to bat .240-.250 in the big leagues. But he is unlikely to see consistent MLB playing time unless he can take a step forward with his patience, power, and defense.

Max Anderson lines a double to the wall in right, and then he sprints all the way home. Had to go back to 2nd, but he made it home soon enough… pic.twitter.com/cIVxpxrBoW

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 30, 2025

Honorable Mentions

Woody Hadeen is a switch hitter who shows excellent batted ball skills and patience from the left side of the plate. But he struggled mightily from the right side, and he needs to hit the ball harder to take advantage of his contact skills. Hao-Yu Lee made our top five after a 2024 season in which he hit .298 in Double-A. But he struggled in Triple-A, producing much more opposite-field contact, resulting in a .243 batting average.

Rogelio: I thought Hao-Yu Lee really did not adjust to the swing changes that Scott Harris spoke about in Spring Training. Velocity to me, at least, looks like an issue.

Franyerber Montilla is a young switch hitter who can be a bit streaky. His barrel gets a little loose in the zone, he struggles against changeups from lefties, and he didn’t register a single hit against a curveball in 2025. But he has good bat speed, a solid eye, and made quality contact with every other pitch type. Bryce Rainer doesn’t have elite bat-to-ball skills, and he struggled a bit with breaking balls in his pro debut. But he has a strong eye, a quick bat, and he hits the ball extremely hard. Jackson Strong ran an elevated strikeout rate in 2025, but his whiff rate was reasonable. He walks a good amount, and he consistently hits the ball hard to the pull field.

Bryce Rainer picked up 3 hits, walked, and stole his 8th base of the year tonight. pic.twitter.com/tmeQHl87IC

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 31, 2025

Future Projection

Angel De Los Santos isn’t as famous as his international classmate Cris Rodriguez, but he may end up being a better player. The 17-year-old shortstop hit .370 with solid plate discipline in limited action (99 PA) in the DSL last year. Nick Dumesnil came into 2025 as a potential first rounder, but he fell all the way to pick 249. He has a strong eye, good bat-to-ball skills, and strength, but his current swing produces far too many ground balls. Jose Dickson had a tough stateside debut, batting just .209 in the FCL, but he has the foundational skills to be a quality hitter.

Michael Oliveto has an aesthetically beautiful swing and the Tigers think he has great offensive potential. He just hasn’t faced much advanced competition, so it’s hard to know how he’ll perform in pro ball. Jude Warwick has solid bat-to-ball skills and good patience, but he struggled against better secondary stuff when he moved up to Low-A Lakeland. Jordan Yost figures to be a turbocharged version of Warwick, thanks to more experience against quality competition in high school. He may land in the top five next year, and could lead this list one day.

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