The Tigers have two prospects in the global top four, but the system isn’t as deep as you might expect from their high draft positions the last few years. They have graduated three major-league starting pitchers in the last two years, though, and now they have three or four more big-league regulars ready to reach the majors by the end of this year on the position player side.
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To qualify for these rankings, players must still be eligible for the Rookie of the Year Award in 2022, which means they may not have more than 130 at-bats, 50 innings pitched or 45 days on an active roster heading into this season.
1. Riley Greene, OF (Top 100 ranking: No. 3)
Age: 21 | 6-3 | 200 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Left
Drafted: No. 5 in 2019
Greene spent all of 2021 in the high minors, finishing with 40 games in Triple A, at age 20, with a performance that would have been impressive if he’d done it in A-ball. Greene has wicked bat speed, has already come into plus power with the chance for more, and has become a better runner and defender since entering pro ball. He’s more than playable in center, at least for now, and would probably be plus in either corner if he either outgrows the middle or is bumped for a better defensive centerfielder. One shocking negative in his stat line in 2021 is that he was caught stealing for the first time in his career, dropping his stolen base percentage all the way to 95 percent. (He’s 21 for 22.) He swings hard and can roll over his front foot, causing him to pull off the ball just slightly or swing over some pitches, reason enough that he would probably be better served returning to Triple A for the first month or so of this season rather than jumping right to the majors. There will probably always be some swing and miss to his game, but he makes such consistently hard contact that he looks like he’ll hit for average and power even if he punches out 27-28 percent of the time. I could see .300/.400/.550 seasons here, and if he does that in centerfield, he’ll be on the shortlist of candidates for the best player in baseball.
2. Spencer Torkelson, 1B (Top 100 ranking: No. 4)
Age: 22 | 6-1 | 220 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 1 in 2020
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Thank goodness the third-base experiment with Torkelson is over. He wasn’t good over there, but more importantly, it was a waste of everyone’s time, as his bat is clearly ready for the majors right now and any experiment with him at another position just threatened to slow his progress. He’s a monster at the plate with patience and power, great pitch recognition, and a solid two-strike approach. (The younger audience members might be unfamiliar with this term: It’s when a hitter changes his approach in any count with two strikes to try to reduce his chances of striking out and increase the chances of putting the ball in play, usually at the cost of some power. Most hitters used to do this. I swear.) Torkelson has all-fields power, and now that the hot corner is off the table, he should be more than adequate on defense at first base, with more time to improve now that he’s not trying to learn another position. The one area where he might fall short of expectations is in batting average, which did drop at each promotion he had in 2021. That’s the worst-case scenario. If he ends up a .250ish hitter it might seem like a disappointment, even though he’ll probably pile 75-plus walks and 30-odd homers on top of that, enough to make him a huge impact bat in the middle of a lineup.
3. Dillon Dingler, C (Just-missed list)
Age: 23 | 6-3 | 210 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 38 in 2020
The Tigers took Dingler with the first pick in the second round of 2020, and it appeared they’d landed a first-round talent who’d slipped a little bit due to injury concerns. A strong defensive catcher with pop, Dingler had no trouble with A-ball pitching, but really struggled after a midyear promotion to Double A, with 62 punchouts and 9 walks in 208 PA for Erie, a 30 percent strikeout rate that wasn’t mitigated by other production in his .202/.264/.314 line. Dingler had never had contact issues like this before, but it persisted right up through the end of the season. He also missed most of August with a broken fingertip, which hardly would have helped him at the plate, and will have to work to maintain strength around his back and shoulder, both of which were issues for him in college. There’s at least above-average regular upside here, even if he’s a .300 OBP guy, because he can catch, throw, and might get to 20 homers in a full season, but he has to stay healthy for 100+ games, and has to return to Double A and show he can catch up to the better stuff at that level.
4. Jackson Jobe, RHP
Age: 19 | 6-2 | 190 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 3 in 2021
Jobe was the third pick in 2021, the first high school player taken in the draft, and the highest-drafted high school pitcher since Hunter Greene in 2017. He’s a very athletic right-hander with a delivery he repeats well, while his stuff is premium — 94-96 consistently with plus spin and life, huge spin rates on a power slider, and a changeup and curveball. As I said at the time of the draft, he has all the ingredients you want to see in a future ace. He’s just a high school pitcher with no pro experience yet, and the base rate for those guys is not great. When he gets a year under his belt and we see where his command and control lie when he’s facing professional hitters, I’ll be more than happy to reassess.
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5. Ryan Kreidler, SS
Age: 24 | 6-4 | 208 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 112 in 2019
The Tigers’ fourth-rounder in 2019 out of UCLA, Kreidler came into some more power last year but also showed a really well-rounded set of skills that will help him have a long big-league career. He’s got plus power now and he’s a plus defender at short, which is enough to make him a backup, but he shows enough feel for the strike zone that he might work his way into everyday status – a .230-.250 hitter with a low .300s OBP, 20-plus homers a year, and great shortstop defense is a starting shortstop on a lot of teams. He’s improved himself and gone from extra guy to potential everyday player in the process.
6. Izaac Pacheco, 3B
Age: 19 | 6-4 | 225 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 39 in 2021
The Tigers took Pacheco with their second-round pick but gave him a first-round bonus, betting on his potential 30-homer upside. Pacheco is already quite big and strong, listed at 6-foot-4, 225, but he’s athletic for his size and handles third base well. He shows good bat speed and should make hard contact, although he opens up his front side and may have some trouble with left-handers’ breaking stuff until that’s addressed. He could be a middle-of-the-order bat with power, some patience, and solid batting averages, along with average defense at third, as long as lefties don’t become an issue for him.
7. Dylan Smith, RHP
Age: 22 | 6-2 | 180 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 74 in 2021
Smith was the Tigers’ third-round pick out of Alabama, a rare projection arm from the college ranks. He’s super athletic and can touch 95, although he doesn’t sit there and has room left to add velocity and durability. He’ll show a 55 fastball and curveball, needing work on his changeup and command. He’s more like a 19-year-old in terms of pitching development, which poses more risk but also means the Tigers’ player development people have the opportunity to help him make some significant short-term gains. He has mid-rotation upside but lower probability than most college starters.
8. Ty Madden, RHP
Age: 22 | 6-3 | 215 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 32 in 2021
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The Tigers took Madden with the 32nd pick in 2021 out of Texas, where the big right-hander got away with below-average command by throwing his slider a disproportionate amount of the time. It’s a good pitch but often out of the zone, and better minor league hitters will lay off of it. He has the velocity to start, but lacks a third pitch for lefties and will have to show he can put the slider in the zone for strikes. I was also concerned about his workload at Texas, but the Tigers shut him down for the rest of 2021 after he signed.
9. Cristian Santana, SS
Age: 18 | 6-0 | 165 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
The $2.95 million bonus the Tigers gave Santana in January 2021 was a new franchise record, and the early returns were very promising, as the shortstop hit .269/.421/.520 as a 17-year-old in the DSL, tying for second in the league with 9 homers. He’s got a powerful right-handed swing that is already producing hard contact, and seems to already be bigger than his listed 6-foot-0, 165 pounds. He’s a solid defender at shortstop right now, but he’s a fringy runner who might slow down more and end up at third or second base. The bat should profile anywhere, especially if the patience he showed in the DSL carries over to full-season ball.
10. Roberto Campos, OF
Age: 19 | 6-3 | 200 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Campos took home a bonus of $2.85 million a year before the Tigers signed Santana, and debuted in 2021 in the Florida Complex League, skipping the DSL entirely. He has plus power that comes from a big swing, with an approach that favors power over contact; he hit 8 homers last year in the FCL, tying for fourth, but hit .228 with a .316 OBP and a 26 percent strikeout rate. He’s going to end up in right field, for which he has the power but right now lacks the approach. He has to hit better to get to the power and profile as a regular.
11. Colt Keith, 3B
Age: 20 | 6-3 | 211 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 132 in 2020
Keith was the Tigers’ fifth-round pick in 2020 out of a Mississippi high school and had a strong, if limited, pro debut, hitting .320/.436/.422 in Low A before scuffling in High A in the final month. He’s a good athlete who makes hard contact, focusing on the middle of the field and sometimes getting a little too inside-out, but there’s potentially power in there with a change in how he approaches certain pitches or at-bats. He has a plus arm and is athletic enough to stay at third and perhaps end up above-average there.
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12. Beau Brieske
Age: 24 | 6-3 | 200 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 802 in 2019
Brieske was the Tigers’ 27th-round pick in 2019 out of Division II Colorado State University-Pueblo, where he posted a 5.42 ERA in his last year. That doesn’t even reflect the 15 unearned runs he allowed, but he did strike out over 30 percent of batters. It’s an unusual look for hitters — he’s on the first base side of the rubber but lands open, coming from a high slot, so batters struggle even with his fastball despite the lack of plus velocity. He was dominant in High A and still effective in 8 starts in Double A in 2021, with a lower strikeout rate but still the same command and control. The one real obstacle for him will be keeping the ball in the park when he gets to Triple A, as he’s a flyball guy without big velocity or spin. If he can do that, he’s a potential fifth or even fourth starter.
13. Gage Workman, SS
Age: 22 | 6-3 | 202 pounds
Bats: Both | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 102 in 2020
Workman was a 20-year-old junior at Arizona State when the Tigers took him in the fourth round in 2020; his pro debut last year started in Low A, for which he was a bit old, and ended with a 34 percent strikeout rate and .302 OBP in High A. He’s a physical kid and very athletic, with 70 speed that would probably play well in center field, and has some pop as well. He’s got to cut down on the strikeouts, which scouts say come from an approach that’s too tentative — he’s trying not to strike out, instead of trying to hit something hard. Because he was young for a junior, he has a little more time to figure it out than the typical college product.
14. Parker Meadows, OF
Age: 22 | 6-5 | 205 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 44 in 2018
The Tigers gave Meadows $2 million in the 2018 draft, going over slot with the first pick in the second round, hoping his athleticism and 6-foot-5 frame would translate into a power/speed combination similar to what his brother Austin has shown. Parker hasn’t hit, though, as he still has a hitch in his swing, pulling his hands right down before contact, and hasn’t shown improvement in his pitch selection, with a .208/.290/.330 line last year in High A. There’s 20/20 upside here but I don’t see how he gets there without a swing change.
15. Austin Bergner, RHP
Age: 25 | 6-5 | 210 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 262 in 2019
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Bergner can miss bats with his fastball but has a high-effort delivery with a high slot, making it harder for him to throw consistent strikes or turn over a changeup to get lefties out. The Tigers’ ninth-round pick in 2019, he’s had more or less the same delivery since high school, so there’s some opportunity for the Tigers’ new player development group to try to help him get to both better command and a better third pitch so he could at least be a full-inning reliever.
16. Joey Wentz, LHP
Age: 24 | 6-5 | 220 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Left
Drafted: No. 40 in 2016
Wentz has great deception and big extension out front, but his command and control did not come back last year in his return from 2019 Tommy John surgery, and his stuff isn’t good enough to get around that. Wentz is 89-93 with an above-average changeup and two sloppy breaking balls, showing a large reverse platoon split in 2021. He’d been a strike-thrower before the surgery, but walked 33 in 53 innings in Double A last year. I’d like to see if another year post-TJ at least gets him back his control and command, at which point he could be a fifth starter.
17. Wilmer Flores, RHP
Age: 21 | 6-4 | 225 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Signed as an undrafted free agent out of two-year Arizona Western College in Yuma, Flores was up to 98 last year, working at 94-97 when I saw him in the AFL, with an average curveball. It’s a reliever’s delivery and his fastball gets hit more than you’d like for the velocity, but he could probably move to the bullpen and see the majors by the end of this year.
18. Eric de la Rosa, OF
Age: 25 | 6-3 | 186 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 195 in 2018
De la Rosa took Riley Greene’s place in the Arizona Fall League, opening some eyes with plus raw power in BP. He’s a loose, lanky outfielder who looks a few years younger than 24, so while he strikes out way too much — around 30 percent at all three levels where he played last year, finishing in Double A — there’s also hard contact and at least 55 game power right now, enough to give him everyday upside with low probability.
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19. Eli Alfonzo, C
Age: 22 | 5-10 | 155 pounds
Bats: Both | Throws: Right
Alfonzo is a high-probability backup catcher with solid defensive skills and high contact rates, without any power even just to hit for some doubles power, and likely with low OBPs.
20. Manuel Sequera, SS
Age: 19 | 6-1 | 170 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Sequera signed for $750,000 in 2019 out of Venezuela and made his pro debut in 2021, hitting 11 homers to lead the FCL. He swung and missed too often, with a K rate just under 30 percent, and needs to improve his plan at the plate so he can get to more of the hard contact. He’s a shortstop but isn’t going to stay there, perhaps moving to third or second. It’ll come down to the bat, though — he hits the ball hard enough that doing it just a little more often would make him a possible regular.
Others of note
Wenceel Perez is the older cousin of Cristian Santana and has been on the Tigers’ list forever yet only reached High A last year at age 22. He’s an athletic infielder who can play all three skill positions on the dirt, and puts the ball in play often, spraying the field with line drives without power. He could be a good utility infielder with some more strength and/or more patience. … I thought outfielder Daniel Cabrera, whom the Tigers took with a competitive balance pick after the second round in 2020, would at least hit for average, but his pro debut was disappointing — he hit .242/.300/.395 in High A and was worse in a month in Double A, showing 55 power but struggling to make quality contact. His swing works but his pitch selection holds him back … Shortstop Trei Cruz, their third-round pick in 2020, hit .176/.245/.250 as a 22-year-old. He walked 20 percent of the time and struck out 34 percent of the time, and didn’t do damage on the rare occasions he put the ball in play. … Abel Bastidas, signed for $1.175 million alongside Santana, is a strong defensive shortstop who controlled the strike zone well in his pro debut in the DSL, but has to gain some strength even just to hit for a higher batting average. … Right-hander Zack Hess is 94-95 with a power mid-80s slider and would be a great middle reliever if he could just throw more strikes.
2022 impact
Torkelson should be the team’s Opening Day first baseman. Greene isn’t that far behind, and Dingler should debut by late summer.
The fallen
Alex Faedo, the team’s first-round pick in 2017, missed all of 2021 after February Tommy John surgery, so he won’t make his major-league debut until later this year at the earliest, if all goes well. He’s 26 and still hasn’t pitched above Double A, where he was very homer-prone when he last pitched in 2019.
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Sleeper
I define “sleeper” as a non-top 100 prospect likely to jump well on to the top 100 next year, so Jobe is the obvious choice — if he pitches reasonably well with premium stuff, he’ll be on there. But since he’s hardly a surprise name, consider Santana if you’re looking for someone you couldn’t have just guessed by draft position.
(Photo of Dillon Dingler, right, and Ryan Kreidler: Andrew Woolley / Four Seam Images via AP)
