Dillon Dingler

Detroit Tigers: Ranking Top-3 Prospects

MLB Pipeline has recently dropped their 2021 Top-30 Prospect lists for each MLB team. While listening to the Pipeline podcast I was struck with the inspiration to ask fellow Tigers fans to rank their Top-3 Prospects within the organization and compare them to what MLB Pipeline released.

I was able to get seven total fans, myself included, to rank their top prospects. I asked each fan to give me their top three prospects and, if they chose to, a short reasoning as to why they selected each ranking. Each ranker will also remain anonymous.

After receiving the rankings from each fan, I then awarded points to each player; No. 1 ranking earning 5 points, No. 2 earning 3 points and No. 3 earning 1 point. The list below would be the Detroit Tigers Top 3 Prospects per the anonymous rankers.

No. 1 – Spencer Torkelson (21 points)

Tork 1.jpg

Reasoning:

“In 3 seasons at ASU Tork slashed .337/.463/.729 with an OPS of 1.192. He's able to generate effortless power form the right side, 54 homeruns in just over 2 NCAA seasons. Slides to No. 2 position due to being announced as 3B by Tigers when drafted No. 1 overall in 2020 draft. Tork is currently working with HOFer Trammell to learn the hot corner, which he has not played since HS.” (No. 2 for this ranker)

“I'm devaluing Tork only on the grounds that I think he's a lock to move to first base. So while he should be an incredibly productive middle-of-the-order bopper for years to come, I'm placing more value on the total package that Riley brings to the table.” (No. 3 for this ranker)

“A superstar before even hitting the field. Our superstar first baseman in the making. he has an undeniable ability to hit the ball and hit the ball well. I know the Tigers are promoting him at 3B, but I think with Miggy on the way out, why mess with what works? If it ain't broke don't fit it. Why put the stress on a young man who still has to prove he can hit at the MLB level to learn a new position? Let him slide nicely into the No. 3 spot of the lineup and never look back.” (No. 1 for this ranker)

“He's got the power, the bat speed and mechanics. I hear talk of him being a perennial All-Star and MVP candidate and that's exciting to me.” (No. 1 for this ranker)

No. 2 – Riley Greene (13 points)

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Reasoning:

“Greene has gone out and proved nay-sayers wrong from day 1. There were reports of him being out of shape when he came out of high school, all he's done is fine tune his body to become an even better athlete. Many critics didn't believe he was fast, he's gone out and worked on his speed. There were thoughts that he may not be able to play CF and would be stuck in one of the corners, last year he went out and made a number of amazing plays in CF. He clobbered the ball and Rookie and Low-A but showed some struggles when in High-A West Michigan. He possess all the tools to be a high caliber everyday outfielder at the Major League level.” (No. 1 for this ranker)

“I can't say enough about how much I love Riley Greene. I really think we're looking at a young Michael Brantley type player, who might have more thump. He's about as polished as you'll see a 20-year old baseball player.” (No. 2 for this ranker)

“No. 5 draft pick in the draft, he has all the tools to be a second superstar for the Tigers. He has speed and he can hit for both average and power. He can also play defense. It's hard to say where he lands in the lineup, but I foresee him as either a No. 2 or a No. 4 hitter playing in rightfield with some start in center here and there.” (No. 2 for this ranker)

“His left-handed power in Comerica Park is going to be exciting. The scouts all say he has the intelligence to make up for his lack of arm strength. But I think the Tigers drafted him for his bat over his glove!” (No. 3 for this ranker)

No. 3 – Tarik Skubal (12 points)

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Reasoning:

“I believe Skubal has the possibility to make an immediate impact on the Big League Club. I'm fairly confident that he will be part of the rotation from day 1.” (No. 2 for this ranker)

“It's crazy that a 9th round pick is now arguably the top prospect in a system that has drafted two players first overall and another fifth overall in the past three drafts. That said, Skubal is no fluke. People have raved about Matt Manning's athleticism over the years, but Skubal is also a supremely gifted athlete. He's physically built to hold up as a rotation piece and has a very athletic delivery. Recent analytics have shown him to be an elite tunneler that creates a ton of deception. Some grade the fastball as a double-plus pitch. He throws hard, but it's really the nature of the delivery and the spin rate that causes the ball to do something different than what the batter expects. His slider is underrated and has a chance to be a plus pitch as well. This season, he looks to add a split-change, a la Casey Mize. If that can be even just an average pitch, Skubal has a chance to be a legit number one. He's mature and takes his craft very seriously. For now, I think he has an incredibly high ceiling.” (No. 1 for this ranker)

“Despite posting a 1-4 record with the big club after his callup during the 2020 season Skubal is my highest ranked pitcher within the organization. His 10.41 K/9 last season was impressive. Skubal missed a lot of Major League bats 8 games last season. He had a Whiff% of 44.4 with his Curve and 26.5% with his slider. He relied heavily on his fastball throwing it 58.9% of the time with a Whiff of 28.4%. It's been reported he's added a splitter during the offseason giving him a 5-pitch arsenal. If pitching coach Chris Fetter can get Skubal to mix his pitch choice up a little more he will be a force to be reckoned with in Detroit; a top of the rotation type pitcher.” (No. 3 for this ranker)

There were a few other players that received top-3 votes from the anonymous rankers. These players were:

Casey Mize

Reasoning:

“As I said for Tarik Skubal in my rankings, I believe Mize has the possibility to make an immediate impact on the Big League Club. I'm fairly confident that he will be part of the rotation from day 1.” (No. 1 for this ranker)

Matt Manning

Reasoning:

“This is where I may be different. I put him here for one reason, and that is his curve ball. If he can stay healthy and stay on the mound, his curve can be unhittable.” (No. 2 for this ranker)

Dillon Dingler

Reasoning:

“This is the hardest spot for me to fill. Dingler has a distinct advantage of playing catcher for an organization who cannot seem to find their catcher of the future. He has semi-star to all-star potential at the plate. If he can call a decent game behind the plate and put up good numbers, he will be the main catcher for the next 5-10 years. He has potential to hit 20 HR or more; so this is a Detroit cult hero in the making.” (No. 3 for this ranker)

Here is what MLB Pipeline came out with for the Tigers Top-3 prospects.

No. 1 – Spencer Torkelson

Tork 2.jpg

Scouting Report: “Torkelson has a special bat, with the ability to hit for both average and power from the right side. He’s extremely patient and controls at-bats well, drawing plenty of walks. When Torkelson does swing, he combines physical strength and bat speed to generate massive power from line to line, including elite raw power to his pull side. He gets to that power during games with relative ease, too, thanks to natural hitting ability that allows him to hit all different pitch types.” – MLB Pipeline

Scouting Grades: Hit 60, Power 70, Run 40, Arm 50, Field 50, Overall 65

No. 2 – Casey Mize

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Scouting Report: “Mize featured three plus pitches (fastball, splitter and slider) at Auburn and early in his pro career before adding a curveball and sinker to his arsenal in 2020. He sits around 93-94 mph but can touch 96 with his four-seam fastball and spots it well to both sides of the plate when he’s at his best. Mize’s plus slider plays nicely off his heater, registering in the upper-80s with late biting action, and his diving mid-80s splitter continues to be a nearly elite offering. He found success with all three pitches in the big leagues, albeit while operating with suboptimal control and command.” – MLB Pipeline

Scouting Grades: Fastball 60, Curveball 50, Slider 60, Splitter 70, Control 60, Overall 60

No. 3 – Riley Greene

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Scouting Report: “Green is advanced for a recent high school pick, possessing a unique combination of tools, skills and instincts that could help him move through the Minor Leagues relatively fast. The final product could be that of an above-average Major League player, if not better, who hits for average and power from the middle of a lineup.” – MLB Pipeline

Scouting Grades: Hit 60, Power 55, Run 50, Arm 55, Field 55, Overall 60

For the complete scouting reports of the Top-3 prospects and the complete Top-30 prospect list per MLB Pipeline click here.

So, what do you think Tigers fans? Do you think the MLB Pipeline got it right or did we Tigers prospect rankers get it right?