Tigers Prospects Likely to Debut in 2021

The Detroit Tigers are next on our Players Likely to Debut series. In case you missed it, here’s a look at all the teams that we have covered so far.

AL East: Red Sox — Yankees — Orioles — Blue Jays — Rays

NL East: Marlins — Braves — Phillies — Mets—Nationals

Below, you will find a list of three prospects from the respective organization. Each prospect will have a number score next to their name — this number will represent the estimated amount of time we anticipate that player seeing at the big-league level. Players that have already made their big-league debut will not be included on this list.

BREAKDOWN OF TIME ON ROSTER SCORES:

1 — September call-ups / guys that are likely to see less than 20-25 games on the roster

2 — 1/4 of the season (roughly 40 games on roster)

3 — 1/2 of the season (roughly 80 games on roster)

4 — 3/4 of the season (roughly 120 games on roster)

5 — Full season on the MLB roster

Detroit Tigers

Position — Name (Time on Roster Score)

INF-Zack Short (3)

The Tigers have a strong idea of what they were getting in Short. Acquired for Cameron Maybin in 2020, he rates as an above-average fielder plays multiple positions, can draw walks, and has some pop, hitting 17 home runs in Double-A in 2018. General Manager Al Avila has said he is an “MLB-Ready” defender.

“We like him a lot in the sense that from a makeup perspective, he’s one of those guys that managers love to manage because he’s a high energy — sort of a baseball rat who plays hard,” Avila said. “He’s a very good shortstop, from our reports, and from our data. He’s really major league ready right now from a defensive perspective.

If Short hits the ground running at Toledo, he would be one of the first call-ups for the Tigers if there is an injury to a starter.

RHP-Matt Manning (2)

“I’m ready to go”. Those four words Manning muttered during a recent session with the media last week. His numbers in Erie in 2019 stood out, striking out batters at a 28.1% clip and posting a FIP of 2.53.

The good news for Tigers fans is, after a forearm issue back in August, he had no restrictions in his offseason throwing program. What is even better news is he spent time this off-season tinkering on his off-speed pitches and mechanics, creating a new arm slot.

It is a matter of time before Manning throws his changeup with more confidence and once he gets that down in Toledo, where he slated to start the season, he will be a quick drive up I-75 north.

OF-Akil Baddoo (5)
The Tigers are betting on the upside on the left-handed hitting centerfielder. He was a Rule 5 pick in December 2020 so he must stay on the roster the entire season so this has the potential to be similar to when Detroit drafted outfielder Victor Reyes in 2017.

Baddoo is known for his athleticism, ability to draw walks, above-average speed, and has power potential. He only played 29 games in High-A in 2019 before he hurt his elbow and required Tommy John surgery. His arm is considered below-average.

As our own Trevor Hooth wrote up:

“Baddoo will be most successful by utilizing his good eye to capitalize on mistake pitches. His lack of feel to find the barrel of the bat is one of the bigger weaknesses. What he has a tendency to do is just throw his hands at the pitch once he decides it will be a strike. That results in whiffs, as evidenced by his 24 percent strikeout rate in 2018, which was pacing higher before the injury in 2019. The other outcome of this is bad and sometimes hesitant swings that result in poor contact.”

Daz Cameron and Derek Hill are the two other outfielders pushing for time in the outfield so Baddoo will have his work cut out for him in spring training.

Notable

Joey Wentz, a left-handed starting pitcher who is coming back from Tommy John surgery, is a name who could get a September call-up. After coming over in a trade from Atlanta, his debut in Erie turned some heads, posting a 37.8% K rate in 25.2 innings of work. Riley Greene, who was hitting with power both in spring and summer camp, continues to rise through the system. He could also get a look in September.