Midseason Prospect Update: Tigers

The Midseason Top 10 Prospect lists are compiled from conversations with front office officials and scouts from all 30 teams. Players who have exhausted prospect eligibility or were in the Major Leagues as of June 22 are not eligible. Draftees from the 2016 draft and July 2, 2016 signees are also not eligible.

SEE ALSO: Midseason Top 100

Detroit’s farm system has produced one of the best rookies in baseball in righthander Michael Fulmer, who arrived in a trade with the Mets for Yoenis Cespedes. As usual, the system lacked significant depth, however, and it remains among the thinnest in the game.

But there is still talent at the top of the list. Outfielder Christin Stewart, a first-round pick last year out of Tennessee, has quickly emerged as one of the better power-hitting prospects in the game, earning a spot in the 2016 Futures Game.

2019 PROJECTED LINEUP

C James McCann

1B Miguel Cabrera

2B Ian Kinsler

No. 1 Starter Michael Fulmer

No. 2 Starter Jordan Zimmermann

No. 3 Starter Justin Verlander

No. 4 Starter Daniel Norris

No. 5 Starter Matt Boyd

Closer—Joe Jimenez

Righthander Joe Jimenez has looked electric, reaching Double-A and missing bats at an incredible rate to also earn a Futures Game spot. If the Tigers want another bullpen arm for the major league team, they would be better off bringing up Jimenez instead of making a trade. Jimenez has an outstanding fastball and has struck out 45 percent of the batters he’s faced this season while pounding the strike zone.

Another starting pitcher would help the Tigers—it could be former top prospect Daniel Norris, who hit his stride a bit in June for Triple-A Toledo—but whether they should in fact be looking to upgrade the major league team by trading prospects is another question. The Tigers are 46-43 and in second place in the American League Central, but they look very much like a .500 team, something a trade or two is unlikely to do much to change.

On the other hand, there aren’t any cornerstone players in the farm system they would likely regret if they did trade them away. Stewart is the most valuable trade chip, while righthander Beau Burrows would still have solid value to a team that was especially high on him prior to the 2015 draft.

MIDSEASON TOP 10

1. Christin Stewart, of

The high Class A Florida State League home run leader last year had 14 home runs. It’s July and Stewart already leads the FSL with 20 homers, while his 65 walks are also tops in the circuit. Yes, there is some swing and miss in Stewart’s game, but it’s manageable and is offset by his ability to hit for power to all fields and patience to amplify his OBP. The upside is an above-average regular in left field.

2. Joe Jimenez, rhp

The numbers have been surreal for Jimenez, who has an ERA of 0.83 with 15.2 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 between high Class A Lakeland and Double-A Erie. His fastball ranges from the mid-to-upper 90s and plays even faster because he generates excellent extension. He complements it with a quality slider to help him miss bats, with a chance to help the major league bullpen this year if the Tigers want to push him.

3. Mike Gerber, of

Gerber’s OBP was below .300 until a few weeks ago, but he’s rebounded well from a slow start. Gerber’s short swing and clean bat path had been his strengths coming into the year, though he’s shown more lift and power this year, at the expense of more whiffs. Finding the right balance between contact and power will be key.

4. Beau Burrows, rhp

For a first-round pick last year, Burrows’ pro debut has been fairly modest. He still runs his fastball into the low-to-mid 90s and is generally around the strike zone, but the inconsistency of his secondary pitches has led to a strikeout rate of just 6.2 per nine innings.

5. JaCoby Jones, 3b/cf

Jones missed the first 50 games due to a suspension after a second positive test for what MLB terms a “drug of abuse.” Moved from shortstop to third base and center field, Jones got off to a hot start in Double-A but has tailed off since his promotion to Triple-A.

6. Jose Azocar, of

Azoar has some of the best tools in the system. He’s a plus runner with an outstanding arm and quick bat speed on an athletic frame. Azocar has added experience but remains very raw, with a free-swinging approach he will have to reel in. If he can learn to get more loft in his swing, he could start to show more game power.

7. Derek Hill, of

Hill is an explosive athlete with plus-plus speed and can make highlight-reel catches in center field. His hitting is better than it was a year ago, but there are still holes in his swing and he doesn’t hit for any power, so there’s a long ways to go for his offensive game to catch up.

8. Sandy Baez, rhp

Baez has the frame (listed 6-foot-2, 180 pounds), repertoire and control to remain a starter, with solid results in his first full season. His best pitch is his fastball, which sits low-to-mid 90s and can reach 97-98 mph when he airs it out, with a curveball that flashes average.

9. Gerson Moreno, rhp

Moreno’s a pure relief prospect whose fastball overpowered low Class A Midwest League hitters, getting him a bump to high Class A Lakeland at the end of June. Moreno has the upside to work in high-leverage situations, working off a 95-100 mph fastball and a slider that flashes average.

10. Dixon Machado, ss

Machado probably won’t be an everyday shortstop, but he has the defensive chops and just enough hitting ability to carve out some type of major league role, especially given his proximity to the big leagues. That would still be good value for a player the Tigers plucked out of Venezuela eight years ago weighing 130 pounds at 16 years old.

RISING

Lefthander Matt Hall led Division I in strikeouts in 2015 and has used a similar formula, with a fringy fastball that he locates and a plus curveball as his knockout pitch. He ranked third in the minors in ERA but will have to keep proving he can do it at higher levels . . . Dominican outfielder Juan Ramirez isn’t a burner and likely has to stay in center field to have value, but he’s been one of the best hitters in the Dominican Summer League as a 17-year-old, showing a mature hitting approach for his age.

FALLING

Being unable to stay on the mound has dropped the stock of lefthander Kevin Ziomek and righthander Spencer Turnbull. The rest of the team’s preseason top 10 prospects have mostly otherwise held steady, though prospects in the next tier—third baseman Zac Shepherd, shortstop A.J. Simcox and lefthander Jairo Labourt, among others—mostly haven’t taken any steps forward.

HURTING

Lefthander Kevin Ziomek, the organization’s No. 6 prospect entering the season, made one start in May before having surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome . . . Righthander Spencer Turnbull, the Tigers’ No. 9 prospect heading into the year, has also made only one start this year due to an undisclosed injury.

GRADUATING

Michael Fulmer, the team’s No. 1 prospect entering the season, has looked as advertised since arriving from the Mets last summer in the Yoenis Cespedes trade . . . Outfielder Steven Moya still has to show more plate patience and his defense remains raw, but he has bounced back well from a down year and cut down on some of his swing-and-miss tendencies, helping his power show up more in games.

COMING ABOARD (Check Draft Database for all picks)
The Tigers’ first five picks of the 2016 draft. (s-supplemental round)

1. Matt Manning, rhp, Sheldon HS, Sacramento. Manning is tall (6-foot-5), athletic and can run his fastball into the mid-to-upper 90s, with his secondary pitches still inconsistent.

4. Kyle Funkhouser, rhp, Louisville. Funkhouser didn’t sign with the Dodgers as the 35th pick in the 2015 draft, then slid to the Tigers in the fourth round this year after his stuff and performance regressed as a senior, though he pitched better late in the spring.

5. Mark Ecker, rhp, Texas A&M. A reliever who can sit 93-96 mph and touch 97, Ecker backs up his fastball with an average changeup.

6. Bryan Garcia, rhp, Miami. Another college reliever, Garcia can reach 95 mph with good life on his fastball and shows potential for an above-average slider.

7. Austin Sodders, lhp, UC Riverside. Sodders gets good downhill plane and deception from his 6-foot-5 frame, which helps an ordinary fastball (up to 92 mph) play up. His father Mike was the 1981 Baseball America College Player of the Year.