Andre Lipcius

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #18 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium
  
  Track Record: A shortstop earlier in his career at Tennessee, Lipcius moved to third base in his draft year, and has shown versatility as a pro, adding second base to his array of positions. Detroit took the nuclear engineering major as their third-round pick in 2019. Lipcius has proven to be a productive infielder who knows how to pester pitchers and hit for average.
  
  Scouting Report: Lipcius is a lean, athletic 6-1, 190 pounds with advanced hand-eye coordination. He's a polished contact hitter who knows how to spray the ball and get on base. He will show flashes of power, something that was a bigger part of his game in college. He does have enough pop to pile up doubles and should hit 10-15 home runs a year. Lipcius still plays third base more than second, but he's a fringe-average defender at either spot with an above-average arm. Lipcius has slow feet, but he has solid instincts, good hands. He slows the game down and is reliable.
  
  The Future: Players with Lipcius' hitting ability, upper level success and versatility usually find a way to carve out major league careers. He may never be a regular, but his ability to get on base, hit for average and play solid defense at multiple infield spots could help him compete for playing time as soon as later in 2023. The Tigers added him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, further solidifying his spot in their future plans.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 55. Power: 40. Speed: 40. Fielding: 50. Arm: 55.
• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #30 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Lipcius hit 16 homers as a junior at Tennessee in 2019, enticing the Tigers to select the nuclear engineering major in the third round of that year’s draft and add him to their strong infield pipeline. That power hasn’t translated to pro ball. He’s hit just 14 home runs in 677 minor league at-bats and his only slugging percentage better than .400 came in a 22-game sample at High-A this past season.
  
  Scouting Report: Advanced hand-eye coordination helps Lipcius post consistent contact rates. While scouts see no major flaws in his swing from the right side, there’s some question as to whether he’ll ever hit for much power. Versatility has been his calling card dating back to his college days at Tennessee, and Lipcius split his time defensively between third base and second base in 2021. He leans on his advanced instincts at both positions and is a fluid defender despite speed that is just average.
  
  The Future: Lipcius’ future depends entirely on his offensive progression, and he faces a crowded infield depth chart at the upper levels of Detroit’s system.
  

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #238 prospect in 2019 draft
  After playing shortstop nearly every day for Tennessee as a sophomore, the Vols slid Lipcius to third base this year, validating what pro scouts were already saying. Lipcius isn't a shortstop, but he can be an average third baseman with an above-average arm. His hands work well and he has good body control despite slow feet. He's a well-below average runner. At the plate, Lipcius is an average hitter. He uses the entire field with plenty of bat speed, but he has a long swing path. When he gets his foot down on time he has above-average power--his 16 home runs were second to only J.J. Bleday in the Southeastern Conference heading into the SEC Tournament. Lipcius' twin brother, Luc, also plays for Tennessee and could be drafted.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium
  
  Track Record: A shortstop earlier in his career at Tennessee, Lipcius moved to third base in his draft year, and has shown versatility as a pro, adding second base to his array of positions. Detroit took the nuclear engineering major as their third-round pick in 2019. Lipcius has proven to be a productive infielder who knows how to pester pitchers and hit for average.
  
  Scouting Report: Lipcius is a lean, athletic 6-1, 190 pounds with advanced hand-eye coordination. He's a polished contact hitter who knows how to spray the ball and get on base. He will show flashes of power, something that was a bigger part of his game in college. He does have enough pop to pile up doubles and should hit 10-15 home runs a year. Lipcius still plays third base more than second, but he's a fringe-average defender at either spot with an above-average arm. Lipcius has slow feet, but he has solid instincts, good hands. He slows the game down and is reliable.
  
  The Future: Players with Lipcius' hitting ability, upper level success and versatility usually find a way to carve out major league careers. He may never be a regular, but his ability to get on base, hit for average and play solid defense at multiple infield spots could help him compete for playing time as soon as later in 2023. The Tigers added him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, further solidifying his spot in their future plans.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 55. Power: 40. Speed: 40. Fielding: 50. Arm: 55.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium
  
  Track Record: A shortstop earlier in his career at Tennessee, Lipcius moved to third base in his draft year, and has shown versatility as a pro, adding second base to his array of positions. Detroit took the nuclear engineering major as their third-round pick in 2019. Lipcius has proven to be a productive infielder who knows how to pester pitchers and hit for average.
  
  Scouting Report: Lipcius is a lean, athletic 6-1, 190 pounds with advanced hand-eye coordination. He's a polished contact hitter who knows how to spray the ball and get on base. He will show flashes of power, something that was a bigger part of his game in college. He does have enough pop to pile up doubles and should hit 10-15 home runs a year. Lipcius still plays third base more than second, but he's a fringe-average defender at either spot with an above-average arm. Lipcius has slow feet, but he has solid instincts, good hands. He slows the game down and is reliable.
  
  The Future: Players with Lipcius' hitting ability, upper level success and versatility usually find a way to carve out major league careers. He may never be a regular, but his ability to get on base, hit for average and play solid defense at multiple infield spots could help him compete for playing time as soon as later in 2023. The Tigers added him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, further solidifying his spot in their future plans.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 55. Power: 40. Speed: 40. Fielding: 50. Arm: 55.
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 40/High
  
  Track Record: Lipcius hit 16 homers as a junior at Tennessee in 2019, enticing the Tigers to select the nuclear engineering major in the third round of that year&#39s draft and add him to their strong infield pipeline. That power hasn&#39t translated to pro ball. He&#39s hit just 14 home runs in 677 minor league at-bats and his only slugging percentage better than .400 came in a 22-game sample at High-A this past season.
  
  Scouting Report: Advanced hand-eye coordination helps Lipcius post consistent contact rates. While scouts see no major flaws in his swing from the right side, there&#39s some question as to whether he&#39ll ever hit for much power. Versatility has been his calling card dating back to his college days at Tennessee, and Lipcius split his time defensively between third base and second base in 2021. He leans on his advanced instincts at both positions and is a fluid defender despite speed that is just average.
  
  The Future: Lipcius&#39 future depends entirely on his offensive progression, and he faces a crowded infield depth chart at the upper levels of Detroit&#39s system.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Lipcius hit 16 homers as a junior at Tennessee in 2019, enticing the Tigers to select the nuclear engineering major in the third round of that year’s draft and add him to their strong infield pipeline. That power hasn’t translated to pro ball. He’s hit just 14 home runs in 677 minor league at-bats and his only slugging percentage better than .400 came in a 22-game sample at High-A this past season.
  
  Scouting Report: Advanced hand-eye coordination helps Lipcius post consistent contact rates. While scouts see no major flaws in his swing from the right side, there’s some question as to whether he’ll ever hit for much power. Versatility has been his calling card dating back to his college days at Tennessee, and Lipcius split his time defensively between third base and second base in 2021. He leans on his advanced instincts at both positions and is a fluid defender despite speed that is just average.
  
  The Future: Lipcius’ future depends entirely on his offensive progression, and he faces a crowded infield depth chart at the upper levels of Detroit’s system.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Lipcius has kept scouts guessing with his offensive production. The University of Tennessee infielder was taken as the Tigers' third-round pick in 2019. He showed flashes of power at the plate, but he was known more for his defensive feel throughout his move from first to shortstop to third prior to the draft. Despite a two-point climb in his strikeout percentage since reaching Double-A, his effortless feel for the infield makes it hard to not keep an eye on him.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  After playing shortstop nearly every day for Tennessee as a sophomore, the Vols slid Lipcius to third base this year, validating what pro scouts were already saying. Lipcius isn't a shortstop, but he can be an average third baseman with an above-average arm. His hands work well and he has good body control despite slow feet. He's a well-below average runner. At the plate, Lipcius is an average hitter. He uses the entire field with plenty of bat speed, but he has a long swing path. When he gets his foot down on time he has above-average power--his 16 home runs were second to only J.J. Bleday in the Southeastern Conference heading into the SEC Tournament. Lipcius' twin brother, Luc, also plays for Tennessee and could be drafted.