The last two Division Series have concluded, both featuring thrilling conclusions and comebacks from the winners. The Cleveland Guardians powered their way past the streaky Detroit Tigers in five games. The Los Angeles Dodgers overcame a 2-1 series deficit against the San Diego Padres.
Once again, the Padres face the tough question of what makes them still not good enough to get to their first World Series since 1998. The Tigers, on the other hand, now ride a wave of surprise and promise into 2025, poised to rebuild pieces they had traded away for what was once thought of as a lost season.
These are two really good teams, as evidenced by their five-game marathons. However, there are still clearly missing pieces for both organizations before they can even think about World Series aspirations. Here are two prospects from these teams that could help bolster their playoff ambitions in 2025.
Division Series: Two Prospects to Help Two Game Five Losers
Detroit Tigers
1) RHP Jackson Jobe (#5 Overall Prospect)
2024 (Three Teams): 5-3; 91 2/3 IP, 2.36 ERA, 58 hits to 45 BB (1.124 WHIP), 4 HR (0.4 HR/9), 96 K (9.2 K/9), .178 OBA
The Tigers played some good baseball during the ALDS. Their hitting, while not overpowering, did put up a respectable .214/.306/.627 slash line against a juggernaut Guardians bullpen. Their pitching also hurled a 1.116 WHIP, walking only nine batters across 43 innings and striking out 41.
The main issue, however, is their elevated earned run average. A 3.98 ERA in the season wouldn’t be season-ending, but in a five-game playoff series, it matters a lot more. Tarik Skubal pitched excellent baseball until Game Five and Reese Olson tossed an effective nine innings.
Their bullpen, however, was arguably their weak spot. For how well Beau Brieske and Will Vest pitched, Tyler Holton and Ty Madden were awful. Even looking at that, it’s hard to pick out a lone weak spot from this team given how good they were playing in September and throughout this series.
With that said, Jackson Jobe remains their best answer for questions lingering in the bullpen.
We’ve previously discussed how Jobe can be impactful for the team in 2025, from his statistics to how he can slide in the rotation. His numbers still warrant a look into potentially giving him the number three rotation spot, although his postseason debut was shaky, throwing 1 1/3 innings with three hits and a run surrendered.
When you look at his profile, he clearly needs to work on generating whiffs and strikeouts. There seems to be an issue with his pitches breaking a bit too much and dipping outside the zone. In addition, it seems his cutter loves to hug the right-hand corner.
However, it would be unwise to ignore what he’s been able to do in the minors. In 2023, he walked only six batters over 64 innings of work and had a WHIP under one. His strikeouts dipped slightly, but that figure remains above league average over nine innings.
If Jobe performs well in spring training in 2025, especially generating whiffs and notching strikeouts, he will be a starter. You can expect Casey Mize, who hasn’t lived up to his first-overall pick status, to move to the bullpen. It might not be a popular move, but switching the two could give the bullpen some more ammo for longer and tighter games.
2) 2B Hao-Yu Lee (#8 Organizational Prospect)
2024 Double-A: .298/.363/.851, 19 doubles, 5 triples, 12 home runs, 56 RBI, 33 BB to 69 K, 16 SB
While the team hit well during the postseason, there is a problem lurking for 2025. What is it? Javier Báez will be returning to the team if there is no other option at shortstop.
Trey Sweeney didn’t do much during the Division Series to make the case to play over Báez, while Colt Keith was quiet. There is a question mark at this position, and the 31-year-old shortstop is destined to take that spot again if nothing is addressed. Needless to say, the last three years in Detroit have been a steady drop into the abyss for Báez.
Yes, Báez was in the dugout for support for the team during the series, but he’s not productive on the field anymore. It might be high time for the Tigers to end the Javy experiment, but who could potentially fill in for the void that would be shortstop?
As much as it might not make sense, Hao-Yu Lee might be the best cheap option.
Lee was also mentioned in a previous article about prospects to watch for. There are two reasons he remains as a good candidate to appear in 2025.
First, his hitting has remained steady at an elevated level. With a .298/.363/.851 slash line, he can hit for gap and raw power while still keeping his strikeouts to a minimum. To have 102 hits against 69 strikeouts is a major note for front-office employees to keep. He needs to work a few more walks though.
That said, his highest level of professional ball so far is Double-A. But he might be primed for a promotion in 2025 to Triple-A, where we’ll see if he can keep up his productive play.
Second, he has played shortstop before. Lee played second base and third base more frequently, but it appears he can also play short as well. In 302 innings, he’s only committed two errors while turning 15 double plays and racking up 82 assists. In fact, he performed better than Báez did at short this year.
He hasn’t played the position since 2023, but if the Tigers are smart, they should consider moving him back to the position. It just doesn’t seem Báez is the same player he once was, and putting him back on the roster may do more harm than good. Lee is a gutsy move, but it might be more rewarding.
San Diego Padres
1) OF Tirso Ornelas (#17 Organizational Prospect)
2024 (Triple-A): .297/.367/.864, 24 doubles, 2 triples, 23 home runs, 89 RBI, 53 BB to 88 K, 7 SB
The most obvious takeaway from the Dodgers-Padres matchup was the lack of scoring from the Padres in the final two games. Zero runs in 24 innings is not a winning formula. In fact, the team had nine hits in those two final games, one every two innings on average.
When you look at the offense in general, they weren’t completely awful. The slash line was a pedestrian .217/.268/.678, but they clubbed eight home runs and six doubles while striking out 32 times. Like it or not, it’s a productive series against a pitching staff decimated by injury.
However, the 24-inning run drought is painful. Going 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position over those last two games is painful. The ending of this series was painful for this team. What is the remedy?
If the Padres need a quick answer, Tirso Ornelas‘ productive bat makes him a great designated hitter and pinch-hitting option.
Once again, Ornelas has been mentioned in a previous article as a good addition for next year. It’s hard to go with someone else on this team, mainly due to the fact that a lot of prospects from this team have been traded away. In addition, a lot of their top prospects are in Rookie ball or Single-A.
Ornelas has played in the Padres system for seven years. Each year, he has gotten better, leading to a career year in 2024. As mentioned in the previous article, Ornelas set new career highs in batting average, doubles, RBI, and home runs, surpassing 20 dingers for the first time this year.
The Padres can hit, Fernando Tatis Jr. can hit, and Jurickson Profar had a good season. However, David Peralta is entering the twilight of his career. While he had a productive series, batting .308/.308/.923, it’s risky to think he will perform at the same level next year.
The time is ripe for Ornelas to get a healthy amount of reps at the major league level. Definitely expect to see him in spring training and on the roster in 2025. This is a guy who can deliver in a big moment, and he has the stats to prove it.
2) RHP Henry Baez (#7 Organizational Prospect)
2024 (Two Teams); 7-4; 126 1/3 IP, 2.99 ERA, 98 hits to 40 BB (1.092 WHIP), 10 HR (0.8 HR/9), 109 K (8 K/9), .212 OBA
This last player comes from more of a long-term perspective of this organization. Dylan Cease and Michael King got shelled in their respective appearances in the Division Series, sporting a 14.40 and 9.00 ERA, respectively. Yu Darvish, on the other hand, was vintage.
For their bullpen, they had guys who showed up such as Tanner Scott and Jeremiah Estrada. The team had a cumulative 1.163 WHIP and notched 38 strikeouts over 43 innings.
That being said, however, losing Joe Musgrove to injury for this postseason and next year is crushing. One can argue that losing Musgrove in this fashion essentially ended their season. Yes, they beat the Atlanta Braves, but that was a team with most of their stars on the injured list.
From a long-term perspective, Henry Baez might be the best in-house option to replace Musgrove next year.
Baez is the only new addition to this list. Yes, he is now only at Double-A, but his numbers suggest that he might be ready to make a significant jump.
The 22-year-old demonstrated an ability to induce weak contact and generate outs when needed. In addition, he didn’t allow many baserunners when he did pitch, as evident by his low WHIP. He is not a very high-strikeout pitcher, but his sub-100 hits number in 126 innings shows a really high ceiling.
The main issue from Baez is his walk rate, walking 3.3 batters per nine innings, a slightly elevated number. He also is trending dangerously close to the one home run per nine-inning line. While he has an opposing batting average of .212, a change in his approach and adding in a potential fourth pitch might be necessary to be a successful pitcher at the higher levels.
Baez is a long shot to make it out of spring training as part of the starting rotation. However, he might sneak in a bullpen position in 2025 if times call for a move. Watch what the Padres do this offseason in the free agent pitching market, it will determine where Baez goes.
Photo Credit: © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
