We are almost one third of the way through the minor league season, and with sample sizes getting larger by the day, we’re starting to get a feel for how minor leaguers are performing. Which Detroit Tigers minor leaguers are poised to break out the rest of the season?
Organizationally, the Detroit Tigers are off to one of the hottest starts in recent memory in the 2025 season.
As of the morning of May 24th, not only does Detroit have the best record in the American League, but outside of the Triple A Toledo MudHens (who are currently one game over .500), every full season Tigers minor league affiliate has the best record in their respective league as well.
There are success stories up and down the Tigers entire organization, including in the minors, with Ryan Garko and company leading the way in player development. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for further improvement.
The following players are all off to solid starts, but we’re going out on the proverbial limb, and forecasting even bigger things to come for these five the rest of the season (all stats as of 5/24/2025):
Max Clark: 168 PA, .293/.435/.429, 154 wRC+, 19.6% BB rate, 14.3% K rate, .135 ISO
To be clear, Max Clark is off to an amazing start to the 2025 season, and you really couldn’t ask for much more out of the former first round pick. But like the rest of the players on this list, we think there could be even more in the tank.
Clark has shown a lot of improvement since the 2024 season. He’s increased his walk rate by a whopping 11.3% from his time in West Michigan last year, and cut his strikeout rate by 8.6%. He’s also increased his line drive percentage by nearly 3%, and cut his infield fly percentage by more than half.
By the numbers and by the eye test, Max is using the whole field much more than last year, and his barrel control is advanced beyond his years. It’s reminiscent of when Colt Keith decided he wanted to be a hitter first, and a power hitter later.
As Clark gets more comfortable with professional pitching, he will learn when to hunt pitches for more pull side power. But he may not have much time left to conquer High A, as if he keeps performing like this, he’ll be in Double A Erie sooner rather than later.
Josue Briceño: 134 PA, .252/.366/.514, 142 wRC+, 15.7% BB rate, 20.1% K rate, .261 ISO
Just like Max Clark, Briceño is off to a fine start to the ’25 campaign. But just like with Clark, there may be even more production coming in the near future for Josue Briceño.
Coming off a monster Arizona Fall League, Josue shot up prospect lists this past offseason; and expectations for the 2025 season rose along with his prospect status. And to date, Briceño has met those expectations. He’s currently hitting 42% above league average per wRC+, and he’s doing so while being close to 3 years younger than the average High A player.
Despite an increase in competition, Briceño’s walk rate is up compared to last year, and while his strikeout rate has also increased, his power is way up as well. The big fella is hitting 17% less ground balls than last year, which is a good sign; and he’s traded those almost exclusively for fly balls, of which 16% are leaving the yard compared to just 5% last year.
Josue’s line drive rate is nearly identical to the 2024 season, where he hit .278 with a .325 BABIP. This season, his BABIP is down at .266, which suggests some poor batted ball luck is at play. As the weather warms up, it’s likely that Briceño will as well.
Thayron Liranzo: 116 PA, .200/.345/.368, 116 wRC+, 18.1% BB rate, 33.6% K rate, .168 ISO
Double A is often the litmus test for players rising through the system. Pitchers are better and more experienced, as are defenders; and as a result, there have been many players who’ve stalled out once they get to AA.
Liranzo’s 2024 season was a tale of two halves. He slashed .220/.344/.356 in 314 plate appearances before getting traded to Detroit, after which he put up a monster .315/.470/.562 line. He clearly made some adjustments once arriving in Detroit, as he increased his walk rate by 7% while cutting his strikeout rate by almost 9%.
With the responsibilities that the Tigers organization places on catchers defensively, and with Liranzo being nearly 3 years younger than the average AA player, growing pains were to be expected for Thayron coming into this season. And there have been some, with an elevated 33.6% strikeout rate holding down Liranzo’s production. But the youngster has cut his infield fly percentage by 7%, and a full season career low .288 BABIP suggests that just like Josue Briceño, Liranzo has dealt with some bad luck on balls in play; while Thayron’s strikeout percentage is 7% higher than it’s ever been.
All that is to say that chances are, Liranzo should settle in shortly, as he makes the adjustments he’s proven he can, and as he gets the strikeouts in order. Look out once he does.
Jaden Hamm: 33.2 IP, 4.54 ERA / 3.65 xFIP, 25.9% K rate, 7.7% BB rate, 39.1% GB rate, 1.60 HR/9, .246 BAA
Like the three players above him on this list, expectations were high for Jaden Hamm coming into the 2025 season. He was considered one of the Tigers best pitching prospects coming off a dominant 2024, and the arrow was trending up for the former 5th round pick.
On the surface, it appears that Hamm has taken a small step back compared to last season, where he put up a 2.64 ERA / 3.18 FIP in 99 innings at High A West Michigan. At Double A Erie for the first time, a decrease in production wasn’t entirely unexpected.
But taking a closer look at the numbers, the major reason for the higher surface level numbers is an elevated home run rate exclusively; after just 7.8% of fly balls left the yard for Hamm in 2024, that number has increased to 17.6% in 2025.
Jaden is actually giving up 6% less fly balls than last season, and while there’s been a slight uptick in line drive rate, there’s also been a slight uptick in groundball rate as well. Hamm is still striking a lot of guys out and keeping the walks down, while getting an inordinate amount of infield fly balls (32.4%, which is in line with last season); all good signs for the future.
A 3.65 xFIP suggests that Jaden has been better than his ERA, and as he gets more used to Double A hitters, and learns to keep the ball out of the middle of the plate a little more, his ERA should drop. The arrow is still trending up for Jaden Hamm.
Josh Randall: 29.2 IP, 5.46 ERA / 3.42 xFIP, 23.4% K rate, 4.7% BB rate, 50% GB rate, 0.91 HR/9, .281 BAA
While Josh Randall didn’t come into the 2025 season with quite the same pedigree as the preceding four players on this list, expectations were still high for the Tigers 3rd round pick of the 2024 draft.
Randall was a 3rd round pick for a reason; namely, because he has a big arm and good stuff. After pitching at Arizona for the first two years of his collegiate career and seeing minimal action, Josh transferred to San Diego for his junior year, where he posted a 3.73 ERA in just over 72 innings pitched with 84 strikeouts compared to 27 walks.
The Tigers liked what they saw, and tabbed Randall with the 85th overall pick in the 2024 draft. And despite an elevated ERA to start the 2025 season, they have to still be liking what they see from the 22 year old.
Randall has a better than average strikeout rate, better than average walk rate, better than average home run rate, and better than average groundball rate. That’s a lot of “better-than-averages”, and just like with Jaden Hamm, his 3.42 xFIP is much lower than his 5.46 ERA, which has been elevated due to a similarly elevated .352 BABIP.
Randall is doing everything right to put up good results, and the luck should swing back in his favor soon. Once it does, the surface level numbers will improve, and as he gains more seasoning, a promotion to High A West Michigan will likely follow.
Hey Detroit Tigers fans! If you enjoy Tigers Minor League Report and want to help us keep bringing you the latest updates and in-depth analysis, consider contributing to our efforts. We operate entirely on a volunteer basis, and every bit of support goes a long way. You can donate to us directly via our GoFundMe or become a valued member by subscribing to our YouTube channel. Or take your fandom to the next level by joining our Patreon community. Additionally, you can shop for some awesome gear at our TMLR store. Your support helps us continue our mission to provide you with quality content on all things Tigers Minor League. Thank you!
Rogelio Castillo 
Colin Arthur