{"id":60230,"date":"2023-08-08T10:00:43","date_gmt":"2023-08-08T14:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=60230"},"modified":"2023-08-07T17:08:46","modified_gmt":"2023-08-07T21:08:46","slug":"2023-detroit-tigers-top-prospects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2023\/08\/08\/2023-detroit-tigers-top-prospects\/","title":{"rendered":"2023 Detroit Tigers Top Prospects"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0<\/span>Detroit Tigers<\/span><\/a>\u00a0have had to work to replenish their depleted farm system the past few years after being known to part with prospects. During the mid to late 2000s, the Tigers parted ways with many of their prospects to acquire pieces to contend for the playoffs and American League Championships. But after not making the playoffs since 2015, the Tigers have been in a long rebuild process, landing top draft picks throughout the years to help replenish their farm system. So, what players do they have stashed throughout the minor league ranks?<\/span><\/p>\n

Detroit Tigers: Prospects to Know<\/span><\/h1>\n

3B Colt Keith<\/span><\/h3>\n

After being selected by the Tigers in the fifth round of the 2020 draft, Keith has made a name for himself and is widely viewed as one of the team’s top prospects. He has also made his way to Triple-A Toledo this season, where he has hit .273 with three home runs and 19 runs batted in in 28 games. Keith has above-average power at the plate, with a quick swing helping him lower his strikeout rate throughout his time in professional baseball. At 6-3, he has added some strength and filled into his frame as time passed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Defensively, Keith has a strong enough arm to stay at the hot corner when he reaches the big leagues but needs to be able to stay healthy to prove he can do so. If things continue at the pace and rate they are, he should be knocking on the door for a spot in Detroit by the beginning of the 2024 season, possibly even by September when rosters expand.<\/span><\/p>\n

OF Max Clark<\/span><\/h3>\n

Being selected out of high school with the third pick in the <\/span>2023 draft<\/span><\/a>, Clark is regarded as one of the best prospects out of school. He would have been fighting for the first pick had it not been for Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews.<\/span><\/p>\n

Clark is considered a four-tool prospect, with his hitting and running being the most vital aspects. He possesses good bat speed at the plate, mixed in with a mature approach. Clark can spray the ball to all parts of the field with line drive power. His swing and approach at the plate have made him a projected 20-plus home run hitter. When it comes to his speed, he is seen as a threat on the base path. Clark has since appeared in two games in rookie ball, striking out four times. He also has a double and triple to his account.<\/span><\/p>\n

Defensively, he is seen as a sure-fire outfielder with an above-average arm at center field. So, it should be interesting to see where he eventually slots in with the Tigers since Riley Greene is there.<\/span><\/p>\n

RHP Jackson Jobe<\/span><\/h3>\n

Another third-overall pick by the Tigers but in the 2021 draft, Jobe has missed much of the 2023 season after having suffered from lumbar spine inflammation during spring training this year. This leads to him needing more experience and time to develop and become more consistent with his pitches. Coming off injury this season, Jobe has made starts in three different levels of professional baseball, totaling a 1-1 record with an earned run average of 2.57 and a 39\/3 strikeout-to-walk ratio.<\/span><\/p>\n

In his arsenal of pitches, Jobe possesses a low 80’s changeup, a curveball at 78-81 miles per hour, a low 80’s slider, and a 93-96 miles per hour fastball. His bread-and-butter pitch is his slider. That has been hard for hitters to get a bat on. Meanwhile, his fastball was the hardest hit pitch that he has, and he looks to improve on the movement.<\/span><\/p>\n

If Jobe can bounce back from his injury and build on the improvements he aims for, he can become a number one or two pitchers for the Tigers in the next few seasons.<\/span><\/p>\n

2B Jace Jung<\/span><\/h3>\n

A 2022 first-round pick, Jung was looked at as one of the top hitters in the class. At Texas Tech, Jung hit .357, with 21 home runs, and won the<\/span> 2021 Big 12 Player of the Year. <\/span><\/a>His older brother Josh won the award <\/a><\/span>two years earlier. At the plate, he has good discipline coupled with a reasonable walk rate. In his first professional season, Jung has hit .251 with 17 home runs and 51 runs batted in between A-Plus and Double-A.<\/span><\/p>\n

Defensively, he has a below-average arm and limited range that has limited him to second base. If he can follow in his older brother’s footsteps, he has an excellent chance to be in the majors.<\/span><\/p>\n

RHP Ty Madden<\/span><\/h3>\n

Coming into the 2021 draft, Madden was viewed by many teams as a reliever. That led to him falling all the way to 32nd. Detroit left Madden at his starting position instead of transitioning him to the bullpen.<\/span><\/p>\n

His strength pitch-wise comes in the form of his fastball, which sits in the mid 90’s. As well as his slider, which sits in the mid 80’s. His strikeout-to-walk rate has dramatically improved in his time in the minors due to enhanced control. With Double-A Erie this season, Madden has put up a record of 2-3 in 19 starts. A 3.89 earned run average to go along with 96 strikeouts in 81 innings pitched.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although the Tigers have yet to transition him to the bullpen, many believe he will at some point. The Tigers will be in a relaxed rush to push him to the majors. Especially, since they have a deep collection of pitching prospects in their system.<\/span><\/p>\n

Overall, the Tiger’s farm system is on the upswing after years of being a bottom-third system in the MLB. It should only get better due to the high draft picks and the improved development department in place now.<\/span><\/p>\n

*Note: All stats are as of August 6th,2023<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo Credits: Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

Players mentioned: Colt Keith<\/a>, Max Clark<\/a>, Paul Skenes<\/a>, Dylan Crews<\/a>, Riley Greene<\/a>, Jackson Jobe<\/a>, Jace Jung<\/a>, Josh Jung<\/a>, Ty Madden<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Detroit Tigers\u00a0have had to work to replenish their depleted farm system the past few years after being known to part with prospects. During the mid to late 2000s, the Tigers parted ways with many of their prospects to acquire pieces to contend for the playoffs and American League Championships. But after not making the playoffs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4817,"featured_media":60290,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1071],"tags":[3675,85,5718,4896,6366,4876],"class_list":["post-60230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tigers","category-mlb","tag-colt-keith","tag-detroit-tigers","tag-jace-jung","tag-jackson-jobe","tag-max-clark","tag-ty-madden"],"modified_by":"Evan Mazza, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4817"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60230\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}