Meet the New Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are rebuilding. With a minor league system that has three of the top 50 prospects in #2 Casey Mize, #29 Matt Manning, and #49 Riley Greene, the future looks bright. In two separate trades, the Tigers brought in four prospects to add to their rebuild.
The Shane Greene Trade
Their first trade was moving closer Shane Greene to the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Joey Wentz and outfielder Travis Demeritte. Greene has reinvented himself as a closer and has saved 54 games in the last two seasons. However, having a great closer on a rebuilding team is not necessary.
Greene is making four million dollars this year and is arbitration-eligible in 2020. In 2021, Greene will be an unrestricted free agent.
The Detroit Tigers today announced that they have acquired LHP Joey Wentz and OF Travis Demeritte from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for RHP Shane Greene. pic.twitter.com/ugYkrz6O0E
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 31, 2019
Joey Wentz Scouting Report
Joey Wentz is a left-handed starting pitcher. The Braves drafted him with the 40th overall pick in the 2016 draft. The 21-year-old pitcher already has four years of minor league service. Wentz has moved up another level every season and was pitching for double-A Mississippi this season.
His career record is 17-19 with a 3.31 ERA. Wentz has struck out 358 batters in 345 innings. His 1.192 WHIP is very good for a young pitcher and he allows less than one home run per nine innings.
His fastball is clocked around 92 mph and his curveball drops to 79 mph. Wentz is a strike-thrower. Wentz is already considered the #10 prospect in the Tigers organization.
Travis Demeritte Scouting Report
Travis Demeritte is a right-handed outfielder who was drafted with the 30th overall pick in the 2013 draft by the Texas Rangers. The 24-year-old already has seven years of minor league service. Demeritte has shown how versatile he is by also playing second base, third base, and shortstop.
For his career, Demeritte is batting .244 with 114 home runs and 357 RBI. Demeritte has been playing at Triple-A Gwinnett this season. He is having the best season of his career, batting .286 with 20 home runs and 74 RBI.
Demeritte has power potential but also has a high strikeout rate. Demeritte is very athletic who is projected to be a utility player. He was suspended for 80 games in 2015 for violating the minor league drug program.
The Nicholas Castellanos Trade
The Tigers second trade was moving outfielder Nicholas Castellanos and cash considerations to the Chicago Cubs for pitchers Paul Richan and Alex Lange. The 27-year-old Castellanos will be a free agent at the end of the season and might not fit into the Tigers future plans.
The Detroit Tigers announced today that they have acquired RHP’s Paul Richan and Alex Lange from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for OF Nicholas Castellanos and cash considerations. pic.twitter.com/6trMmcGeHh
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 31, 2019
Paul Richan Scouting Report
Paul Richan who is a right-handed starting pitcher. The Cubs drafted him in the second round of the 2018 draft. The 22-year-old pitcher has two years of minor league service. Richan did pitch three seasons at the University of San Diego.
Richan has a minor league career record of 10-7 with a 3.52 ERA. He is averaging almost one strikeout per inning, but Richan is more known for his control. Richan is averaging 1.7 walks per nine innings. He also keeps the ball inside the park by allowing less than one home run per nine innings.
Richan has a low-90s fastball. His slider and changeup are considered average with room for improvement. Richan was pitching at high single-A Myrtle Beach.
Alex Lange Scouting Report
Alex Lange is a right-handed starting pitcher. The Cubs drafted him with the 30th pick of the first round of the 2017 draft. The 23-year-old pitcher already has four years of minor league service.
Lange played three seasons at Louisiana State University where he had a great career. His record was 30-9 with a 2.91 ERA and 406 strikeouts in 350 innings pitched.
Lange for his career has a 9-21 record with a 4.62 ERA. Lange’s fastball travels at 94 mph. His breaking pitches need to improve. Lange also needs to improve his command. He projects as a reliever.
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