Detroit Tigers Top 50 Prospects for 2026: 10-1

Top 50 Detroit Tigers Prospects

Welcome to our breakdown of the Top 50 Detroit Tigers prospects heading into the 2026 season. Today we finally look at the top 10. Be sure to check out our breakdowns of 50-41, 40-31, 30-20, and 19-11, if you haven’t already.

A reminder of our ranking methodology. Rogelio, Joe, Jerry, Colin, and Chris all made independent lists of their top prospects in the Detroit Tigers system. We then averaged the individual rankings to come up with our collective rankings. Let’s get to the list:

10 – Kelvis Salcedo, RHP

No Tigers pitcher raised his profile last year as much as Kelvis Salcedo. We first took notice when he landed on FanGraphs’ list of the top Tigers prospects, and then watched as Salcedo dominated opponents in both the Florida Complex League and Florida State League. He owns a pair of mid-90s fastballs, a nasty slider, and a devastating split-change. But perhaps most impressive was his poise and strike throwing. He’s a large young man who will need to stay on top of his conditioning, but otherwise he has the makings of a future mid-rotation arm.

9 – Thayron Liranzo, C

Few prospects in the Tigers system had a rougher year than Thayron Liranzo. He hit just .206 on the season, while his walk rate plummeted from 17.5% to 11.9%, and his strikeout rate jumped from 23.8% to 31.7%. He also dealt with personal issues and injuries, and he didn’t play catcher in a game after July 26th. There are reasons for concern after a season like that. But Liranzo still has all the tools that made him a Top 100 prospect. And that’s why the Tigers added him to their 40-man roster after the season.

Liranzo has massive raw power from both sides of the plate, and on defense he has a 70-grade arm. His swing is long and a little out of control, and he’ll need to continue refining the other aspects of catching. Sometimes catchers get stuck in the mud for a while in Double-A – Dillon Dingler was there for parts of three seasons – so it’s not time to panic yet. But Liranzo will need to show improvement in all phases in 2026.

“You’ve got to pump it up!” 🛝 🎂@Tigers prospect Thayron Liranzo (@Erie_Seawolves) leaves the yard on his 22nd birthday OFF the inflatable slide: pic.twitter.com/2IK6YKg3Oc

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) July 6, 2025

8 – Franyerber Montilla, SS

There aren’t many prospects in Detroit’s system who are as electric on the field as Montilla. He’s a plus runner who is aggressive and entertaining on the basepaths, and he has a chance to be a plus defender somewhere on the infield. Montilla has the range and hands to stick up the middle, and more than enough arm to move to 3rd if needed. He’s capable of making spectacular plays at any position, though like many young infielders he could stand to be a little more consistent on routine plays.

Montilla also shows promise as a hitter. He’s more consistent from the left side of the plate than the right, which isn’t terribly uncommon for young switch hitters, and he has bouts where he seemingly loses his swing for a week or two at a time. But when he’s locked in, Montilla sprays line drives to the gaps and shows average raw pop. He hurt his knee in July and missed the remainder of the season, so we’ll be watching to see how well he moves early in 2026.

#Tigers No. 11 prospect Franyerber Montilla has 13 hits in his last six games, including two homers and three doubles with 10 RBIs.@USAFRecruiting #AimHigh pic.twitter.com/pXigEwufZj

— Lakeland Flying Tigers (@LkdFlyingTigers) June 24, 2025

7 – Hao-Yu Lee, 2B/3B

Hao-Yu Lee was terrific in Double-A in 2024, and he came into the 2025 season with a lot of internal hype. But Lee never quite got on track last year, hitting .243/.342/.406 for a solid, but unspectacular wRC+ of 106 in Triple-A. There’s still plenty to like about Lee. He is surprisingly strong, with six balls in play of at least 110 MPH, and the same EV50 (101.2 MPH) as Kerry Carpenter. Lee is also shockingly fast, and he set new career bests with 14 home runs and 22 steals last year.

The big questions Lee needs to answer involve his hitting and his defense. He managed a solid 11% walk rate and 21% strikeout rate last year, but he struggled with good velocity and couldn’t handle sweepers. The Tigers wanted him to use the whole field, and he did so in 2025, raising his rate of oppo contact nearly 13%. That’s probably too much for him, and he may need to return to his more pull-heavy ways. Lee split time evenly between 2nd base and 3rd base last year. He was significantly better at the former, but 3rd is still an option. The Tigers added Lee to their 40-man roster, and he should make his MLB debut at some point in 2026.

Hao-Yu Lee with a monster solo homer to center field. Left his bat at 106.3 MPH and traveled 438 feet 👀 pic.twitter.com/Q7NCCg3i9y

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) July 27, 2025

6 – Jordan Yost, SS

The Tigers love to draft up-the-middle defenders with good hit tools, and Jordan Yost will be a nice way to evaluate their scouting department. We say that because MLB Pipeline had him as the 50th best prospect in the 2025 draft, while Baseball America ranked him 82nd. The Tigers took him with the 24th overall pick. Rankings are just rankings, and if Yost performs in pro ball no one will care about a perceived reach in the draft.

We haven’t seen him play yet, save for a clip or two during Bridge League action. But Yost has a nice left-handed swing, and he looks like a plus runner who might be able to stick at shortstop. If he can’t stay there, second base and center field both seem like legitimate options. Power was the biggest question mark about Yost heading into the draft, and he will have to get bigger and stronger in pro ball to get the most out of his bat. We are very eager to see him play in 2026.

The great @NterriA gives us a look at Tigers top 2025 pick Jordan Yost in game action. He rips a single, but gets thrown out trying to push for two. pic.twitter.com/QKj37zjO87

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 5, 2025

5 – Andrew Sears, LHP

Sometimes democracy produces interesting results. This is the highest you’ll see Andrew Sears ranked anywhere, but that’s more a product of our ranking method than us being incredibly high on him. By our method, there’s a bigger gap between Sears and #4 on our list than there is between Sears and #12, Michael Oliveto. None of this is to say that we don’t like Sears. We like him quite a bit. We just wanted to illustrate how confusing things get in Detroit’s system after the top four.

Anyway, Andrew Sears is a lefty with a low-3/4 arm slot, solid stuff, and an absolute bulldog mentality on the mound. His fastballs generally sit around 93-94 MPH, but he can pump them up to 96-97 at times. His mid-80s sweeper is his best offering, and it works well against lefties and righties, as long as he keeps it out of the heart of the plate. Sears also throws a split-change in the upper 80s, but it’s a distant third pitch for him. He walked 13% of the batters he faced in 2024, but a move on the rubber in 2025 cut that rate nearly in half. 

Sears works incredibly quickly, often using just a few seconds of the pitch clock before he attacks the strike zone. Lefties do very little damage against him, and he could probably survive as a big-league reliever right now. But he’s big and strong, and he throws strikes, so it makes more sense to keep using him as a starter. If Sears can improve his changeup he has a chance to be a #4/5 starter.

4 – Josue Briceño, C/1B

Josue Briceño spent half of 2025 looking like a destroyer of worlds. And then in the other half he looked like a very talented 20-year-old who struggled against advanced pitchers. But it’s indicative of his talent that he still produced a 112 wRC+ in Double-A. Briceño offers a tantalizing mix of power, hitting ability, and patience. He owns 70-grade raw power thanks to brute strength and average bat speed, but he’s more of a hitter with power than a true power hitter. He works long plate appearances, he rarely chases, and he’s content to spray a hard single to left field if the situation calls for it.

Briceño looked less decisive once he reached Double-A, where pitchers could land their secondary offerings for strikes more consistently. As a result, he was late against good velocity for the first time in his pro career. It’s a minor concern at this point, and one that might be remedied simply by spending more time facing advanced pitchers. Defense is a different matter. Briceño is a hard worker with an above-average arm, and he has improved as a catcher. But he’s still a below-average defender, and he’s a large man with limited agility. He’s not a great defender at first base, either. But none of that will matter if he can reach his offensive ceiling. That could look something like Kerry Carpenter with a double-digit walk rate.

Josue Briceño hits a GRAND SLAM with two outs in the 9th and the Whitecaps take a 7-4 lead. They were down to their final out… pic.twitter.com/JIaeyjmQdR

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) June 1, 2025

3 – Bryce Rainer, SS

A shoulder injury limited Bryce Rainer to just 35 games in his first pro season, but that was more than enough time for him to display his spectacular tools. Rainer hits the ball extremely hard, typically in the form of blistering line drives up the middle and to the opposite field. He’s an above-average runner with good instincts on the base paths, and he’s a good defender at shortstop, with smooth actions and a cannon of an arm. 

We need to see that arm strength come back after his shoulder injury, and he may need a good number of reps against upper-level pitchers, but Rainer projects as Detroit’s shortstop of the future. There’s even a chance he could be a top five overall prospect in the game by the end of 2026.

Bryce Rainer crushes a 2-run homer to dead center. This one left the bat at 110.9 MPH – reported distance of 370 feet doesn’t seem quite right… pic.twitter.com/RCgIDxuLdE

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 7, 2025

2 – Max Clark, OF

Max Clark projects as an ideal leadoff hitter at the MLB level.  He sees a ton of pitches, with patience that borders on passivity, but he also shows plus-plus bat-to-ball skills that let him spray the ball all over the park. He’s an easy plus runner, and even faster underway, which should help him pile up extra-base hits and steal 20-30 bases a season. Clark is also a solid center fielder who could be plus in left field.

Power production remains the only real question mark here. Clark has the raw strength to hit 20+ homers a season, but his launch angles aren’t always conducive to over-the-fence production. But he’s an absolute baseball rat with elite makeup, and he’s a strong bet to unlock every ounce of his ability in his prime and make at least one All-Star game.

Max Clark with an RBI triple to right center that puts the Whitecaps up 16-6. pic.twitter.com/bcH5JVR6nz

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) June 14, 2025

1 – Kevin McGonigle, SS

Kevin McGonigle is one of the most gifted hitters in all of minor-league baseball. But he’s also much more than a pure hitter. There’s above-average power here that may even play to plus in games. He’s an above-average runner who should steal double-digit bases annually. And he makes some of the best swing decisions in baseball. In 2025 he showed a mix of contact (.305 AVG),  power (.278 ISO), and discipline (1.28 BB/K) that hasn’t been seen in the minors in more than 20 years.

McGonigle is stretched a bit at shortstop. He has solid actions, hands, and arm strength, and he has a good internal clock. He doesn’t have the sort of elite athleticism or range to project as an above-average shortstop at the MLB level, but he should be able to handle the position for several years if needed. He could also be a plus defensive second baseman or a solid third baseman. McGonigle is a hard worker with tremendous makeup, and he projects as a multi-time All-Star with the upside to win battle titles and compete for MVP awards.

Kevin McGonigle CRUSHES another one. This time it’s a 2-run blast in the 11th inning to put Erie up 4-2. pic.twitter.com/jmirxAwdN2

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 27, 2025