Detroit Tigers Prospect Report – July 2025

What a year it has been for Detroit Tigers baseball. From selling at the 2024 deadline to reaching the playoffs and winning a series, to now being the first team to 50 wins in 2025. The success does not stop at the major league level, either. Detroit’s farm system is churning out promising prospects left and right.

Considered one of the best farms in baseball, Detroit has a number of top-100 prospects, a few breakout prospects, and intriguing talents in the lower levels. Organizational changes to player development (thank you, Ryan Garko and team) have brought the Tigers’ system to heights we have not seen in some time.

While not all of these players will discover major league success, having this many high-end prospects should make anyone feel optimistic.

The Top 100

Oh, the top 100 list. Often debated and ever changing, these lists have become the standard for farm evaluation, for better or for worse. With so many different outlets putting out great work, it’s hard to choose which to focus on.

For this exercise, we’ll use our own top 100 along with MLB Pipeline’s, which is the most popular. While others are great, I want to respect their paywall-protected content.

• Just Baseball Top 100: Kevin McGonigle (no. 4), Max Clark (no. 15), Bryce Rainer (no. 30), Joscue Briceno (no. 58), Thayron Liranzo (no. 89)
• MLB Pipeline Top 100: Max Clark (no. 7), Kevin McGonigle (no. 22), Bryce Rainer (no. 41), Joscue Briceno (no. 74), Thayron Liranzo (no. 79)

Kevin McGonigle – SS/2B – My personal choice for top Tigers prospect, McGonigle has elevated his game to another level this season. Despite injury limiting him to 37 games, he has not slowed down at all. He’s slashing .357/.440/.643 with seven home runs and a 199 wRC+. Oh yeah, and for the second straight year, he’s walking more than he’s striking out.

McGonigle’s barrel control sets him apart. He has enough bat speed and power to leave any part of the ballpark without sacrificing his hit tool to do so. It’s a buttery smooth lefty swing that will make tons of contact and drive gaps.

His defense at short is passable, and considering how good the bat is, you can live with passable. If he ends up at second, that’s fine too. He’s likely on his way to Double-A soon, which is usually the first big test, but I think he’ll pass with flying colors.

You do not have to be a scouting expert to see his swing and notice that it’s simply different than most 20-year-olds’. For my money, there’s not a minor league bat I’d rather have.

Max Clark – OF – Clark, also a 20-year-old lefty bat in High-A, continues to impress. Like McGonigle, he too is walking more than he’s striking out, while also flashing his plus speed and defense. A tooled-up player who also makes a ton of contact, Clark is mature beyond his years.

Clark sat down with our own Aram Leighton to talk about his swing, how he attacks pitchers, and his development path, which you can watch here. He’s a true baseball junkie who you know will put in the work to be the best player he can be.

Power is often the question with Clark, and he addresses that question on the above podcast. He might not be a 25-plus home run hitter, but he’s a battler in the box who is going to draw walks, hit for average, and provide plus defense and speed. He’s one of those players who will accumulate WAR no matter what.

Bryce Rainer – SS – Rainer, unfortunately, will miss the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury that occurred while he was diving back during a pick-off play.

While we have to wait to see more, what we saw in a small sample was promising. A .288/.383/.448 slash with five home runs, good for a 136 wRC+. He also swiped nine bags. Not bad for a 19-year-old’s first pro stint.

Rainer posted some impressive exit velocities early this season, and his 6-foot-3 frame still has room to fill out. Even a few balls he didn’t get the best contact on left the field, including to the opposite field. A simple load without much movement and quick hands will help him make consistent contact, and the power is already there.

It will be a few seasons before we see Rainer, but he’s off to a promising start. I’ll warn you, shoulder injuries tend to linger for a year. When he returns, if he gets off to a slow start, don’t worry too much. Play the long game here.

Joscue Briceno – 1B/C – Briceno has been climbing lists, especially after his monster showing in last year’s Arizona Fall League. Like Clark and McGonigle, he’s a lefty bat, 20, and in High-A. They have a chance to rise through the system together, which is pretty cool to see.

Briceno’s power is what really stands out. In 40 games last season, he only hit two home runs, but he has launched 14 long balls in 50 games this year. His .281/.405/.590 slash is even more impressive when you consider he’s riding a .275 BABIP. He’s another Tigers prospect who walks as much as he strikes out, which has been a theme organizationally: own the strike zone.

Defensively, Briceno has split time between catcher and first base, and many think he’ll end up at first. However, there are still some who think he could ultimately catch. Remember, learning to catch is one of the more difficult tasks in baseball and often the reason why catchers take so long to reach the majors. Regardless of defensive value, his bat has a high-end ceiling to make him a valuable player.

Thayron Liranzo – C – Acquired in the Jack Flaherty deadline deal, Liranzo is a switch-hitting catcher with tons of power potential who’s also a bit raw defensively. He’s shown improvements behind the plate and has a good enough arm to continue behind the plate to see if he can develop into a true catcher.

Liranzo is likely to be more of a three true outcome player than the names listed above. He’s going to have some swing and miss to his game but enough power to make pitchers think twice about entering the zone, which should lead to an above-average walk rate.

His .217/.353/.400 slash might feel disappointing, but injury did slow his start, and at 21 years old (22 on Saturday), there’s still plenty of development to go. In fact, he’s settled in and currently has an .820 OPS in June and is trending back towards being the prospect we thought he could be.

MLB Pipeline Player Movement

These lists are fluid and change multiple times a year. Tracking which players are trending in what direction doesn’t tell the full story, but it’s worth noting. Keep in mind, some changes below are due to players graduating from prospect status.

Without a ton of risers and fallers, I’ll just provide some quick notes on a few different players.

Cris Rodriguez – OF – The 6-foot-3, 203-pound 17-year-old was the prize of Detroit’s international free agent class. He’s raw and years away from being an established prospect, but the power potential alone makes him a name worth remembering.

Troy Melton – SP – I’ve been a big Troy Melton believer for some time now. Apparently, A.J. Hinch is also a fan. Melton’s stuff is big league caliber and could offer the Tigers an arm with strikeout potential and good enough command. He struggled with home runs last season but fixed that issue in Double-A this year. Now in Triple-A Toledo, Melton could debut sooner than later.

Max Anderson – 2B – After a couple of solid but unspectacular seasons, the 2023 second-round pick is breaking out. In Double-A, Anderson is slashing .354/.396/.586 with 11 home runs (matching last year’s total) and a 183 wRC+. He’s started to pull the ball more, which has upped his power and prospect pedigree. Also, he’s working at third base, which could be something to monitor.

Hao-Yu Lee – 2B – Anderson has stolen some of the “righty bat second base option” shine from Lee. The 22-year-old has been solid in Triple-A, slashing .252/.361/.412 with seven home runs and a 112 wRC+. Although his trajectory has slowed, and part of that could be because of injury and getting plunked up high a number of times, Lee still carries major league potential. At the very least, he could develop into a platoon bat to play against lefties.

Jake Miller – SP – Keep an eye on Miller. The lefty has shown improved command over the past two seasons and has good enough stuff to offer strikeout upside. A fastball with plus IVB and a funky slider give him a one-two combo that misses bats and elevates his ceiling, even if it’s eventually out of the bullpen.

Names To Know Outside the Top 30

The Tigers used to not have 30 names worth knowing. Now, there are a number of intriguing talents that do not crack their top 30, although I’d include a few of these on the top 30 instead of some others. I wish I could highlight more, but I have to put a limit on it somewhere.

Izaac Pacheco – 3B/1B – A 2021 second-round pick, Pacheco had struggled to the point of being forgettable until this season. A third stint in High-A has led to a .275/.401/.495 slash and 154 wRC+, although the swing and miss still limits his ceiling. At only 22, there’s room to grow, and the power uptick is promising, although I have my reservations about him.

Peyton Graham – INF – The Tigers’ 2022 second-round pick is a similar story. Underwhelming, injured, and now putting up a more promising showing. Graham has tapped into more power and has made much better contact, which gives us a glimmer of hope for the pull-heavy hitter. Clock is ticking, though.

Seth Stephenson – OF – Stephenson stole 70 bags in 2023 and still possesses great speed and plus contact rates. He doesn’t strike out much and has hit at every level, which should earn him a promotion to Double-A soon enough. A fourth outfielder/depth option is the likely outcome, which isn’t bad for a seventh-round pick.

Andrew Sears – P – Sears is a funky lefty with a unique arm slot that throws junk, and I love it. The command has improved without sacrificing strikeouts, and his groundball profile makes him an interesting name. I see Sears as a potential bullpen option that gives the Tigers something weird to utilize in a similar way they have with Chase Lee. Here’s an older video just to give you a look at his delivery.

Sergio Tapia – C – Tapia has flashed promise at times in the past and currently is putting up some of the best numbers of his career. A .239/.340/.435 slash with an 11.3% BB% and 15.1% K% are all promising signs. He gets off some violent swings, and I wonder if there’s more power to unlock.

Jackson Strong – OF – Strong was a 2024 seventh-round pick with tools. The swing and miss brings concerns, but he always works at-bats and shows great patience at the plate. Strong is slashing .280/.397/.473 with a 147 wRC+ in Low-A. Speed with developing power as a lefty bat? Sign me up.

Lucas Elissalt – P – Elissalt was a 2024 13th-rounder but has caught my eye this season. The ball just comes out of his hand differently, with break that keeps batters uncomfortable. His fastball has some rise to it, which should help make up for its lower velo. In 45.1 innings, he has a 2.98 ERA, 2.66 FIP, and 11.71 K/9.

Drew Sommers – P – Acquired for Mason Englert, Sommers is a lefty bullpen option that fits the mold the Tigers like: manageable walk rate, high groundball rate. Sommers has the stuff to rack up strikeouts, but his bread and butter is generating groundballs, and he’s doing so at a 66% clip. Sommers has a 1.89 ERA and 2.84 FIP across Double and Triple-A.

Notable 2025 Rule 5-Eligible Players: Hao-Yu Lee, Troy Melton, Tanner Kohlhepp, Drew Sommers, Thayron Liranzo, Roberto Campos, Justice Bigbie, Jake Miller, Joseph Montalvo, Garrett Burhenn, RJ Petit, Izaac Pacheco, Peyton Graham, Seth Stephenson, Eric Silva

Final Thoughts

The Tigers’ system has reached a level of depth at which the front office should finally feel comfortable moving some pieces to help the surging big league club. With the deadline and draft around the corner, the minor league rosters will see a ton of movement.

It is worth noting the number of high-end prospects who are lefty bats, especially because of the number of lefty bats already on the MLB roster. These “problems” typically work themselves out, and I’d rather be lefty-heavy than righty-heavy, but not every player in a lineup will be able to be a lefty bat. Someone is eventually getting moved.

Lastly, I think the Tigers are truly a top-tier development organization right now. The improvements they have made and the number of their draft picks that are trending in the right direction aren’t flukes. Using the later rounds to take shots on players with a unique tool and seeing what they can mold them into has made for a fun watch.