Youth Movement in Detroit
The Detroit Tigers are in a fascinating limbo. A purgatory cultivated by President of Baseball Operations Scott Harris, the Tigers have one of the best farm systems in baseball (as of this writing), the best LHP in baseball, and one of the best records in baseball the last two months. Yet, their roster has far too many holes to be a true World Series contender, including a bullpen that leaks like a sieve, a thin bench, and a mostly barren AAA roster devoid of any OF or SS/3B depth. Despite sitting in 4th place in arguably the weakest division in MLB, after two consecutive surprise playoff appearances, there is still a bright future for Detroit.
(Caveat: the future is MUCH DIMMER if Skubal leaves.)
For the sake of this article, I attempted to focus on players aged 24 years or younger (sorry, there was one exception). Although catcher Dillon Dingler, OF Riley Greene, and INF Colt Keith are young players just entering their prime, they all have (or are close to) over 1,000 career plate appearances. Also, this article focuses on hitting and defense. Perhaps another article will highlight the few exciting arms in the system. But, the team’s defense begins up the middle.
The reason behind this article? The Tigers have promoted top prospect CF Max Clark to the major leagues.
Tigers’ Future in Centerfield
Max Clark was the 3rd overall pick in the stacked 2023 draft. The players picked ahead of him were consensus top picks, as the Pirates chose LSU SP Paul Skenes and the Nationals picked his teammate, OF Dylan Crews. Clark was drafted from an Indianapolis-area high school and was scouted as a potential 5-tool player. Clark was scouted with a 70 grade run tool, 60 grade hit, arm, and fielding tools, and 50 grade power. On the 20-80 scouting scale, with 50 representing the average major league player, a 60 grade overall represents high potential, as prospects rarely even reach 65 overall.
Max Clark via RotoBaller
The 21-year-old lefty CF is seen as a top 10 prospect in the sport, with Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus ranking him as high as 6th best prospect. Through the lower levels of the minors, he saw his wRC+ increase every year as he was promoted. In his last 23 AAA games, he’s produced a .322/.426/.556 slash line. He’s also 6/6 in stolen base attempts. Folks, that’s a 35 HR/42 SB pace over a 162 game season for a guy who can play a solid center field. A player like that is a foundational player; an annual MVP candidate. There have been approximately a dozen players the past 15 years who have produced a 30/30 season while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense. That is why Max Clark was selected 3rd overall out of high school and why the hype is real.
Clark’s AAA stats via TJ Stats
With the trade deadline days away, Clark was just promoted to the major league ballclub. CF had been manned by bench 3B/OF Matt Vierling and mercurial SS Javier Báez. Both of those players are better used as bench players. Vierling has produced -1.2 bWAR, 65 OPS+, and -6 DRS as a CF during the last two seasons. The 33-year-old Báez has produced 1.6 bWAR, 89 OPS+, yet 14 DRS while mostly playing SS/CF during the last two seasons. Former 2nd round pick Parker Meadows has shown promise as a CF but he’s been limited to 70 combined games the last two seasons and only has 189 career games spanning four seasons. Clark should have a clear runway to the CF job and should be given every opportunity to grow and learn in the majors.
The Infield Prospects
If you’ve followed baseball even a little bit, you know about potential rookie of the year SS/3B Kevin McGonigle. The soon-to-be 22 year old and fellow 2023 draftee has already produced 5.1 bWAR in 105 games. The former top 5 prospect has been as advertised for the Tigers, producing 12 DRS and 124 OPS+. His versatility on the left side of the infield has been a blessing for manager AJ Hinch, especially with quad A SS Trey Sweeney missing the entire season with a right shoulder injury and Javier Báez missing a large chunk of the 2026 season with an ankle injury.
23-year-old 2B/3B Hao-Yu Lee had a very productive July. The former Phillies farmhand hit .292/.324/.508 with a .352 wOBA. His 126 wRC+ ranked second on the team during the month and his 15 RBI ranked third. Scouted as a bat-first 2B, he appeared stretched defensively at 3B but with incumbent veteran Gleyber Torres refusing to move off the keystone, Lee has had to be versatile. But Lee’s hitting has forced Hinch to find PAs for the Taiwanese infielder.
2024 1st round pick SS Bryce Rainer missed most of 2025 with a shoulder injury. Rainer has spent most of the season in A+ ball and has improved as the season has progressed. He currently has an .824 OPS for West Michigan and doesn’t project to be part of the major league roster for a few more years. The other 2B at AAA is Max Anderson. The 24 year old Nebraska product is hitting .306/.377/.500/.877 in 65 games. The bat-first 2B is seen as even more limited defensively than Lee but with a potentially better bat. Anderson had a breakout during last year’s Arizona Fall League where he mashed .447/.609/.809/1.417 in 14 games. In a top heavy Tigers farm system, Anderson is considered a top 200 prospect and top 6 in the organization.
Lastly, while no longer technically a prospect, Jace Jung is still working on his craft in AAA. The 25 year old was a 1st round pick by the Tigers in 2022 from Texas Tech. The bat-first 2B (sensing a trend yet?) has been experimented at 3B during his minor league career. Spanning three seasons in AAA, Jung has produced an .810 OPS in 291 AAA games. But, it has yet to translate into even a modicum of major league success, as evidenced by his .189/.319/.227/.546 slash line. His career -1.0 bWAR in 58 MLB games (157 PA) highlights his deficiency defensively as well.
Conclusion
The Tigers fanbase has experienced a rollercoaster the last 2.5 years. There are some exciting foundational pieces to build with but the team needs to compliment the youngsters with veterans who can help the lineup and rotation. The team is still in a good place. With a payroll in the top half of the league, one can hope that the owner, Chris Ilitch, maintains a healthy budget for the roster. There have been failures with the rebuild, as I believe management should have spent more at some key position groups to build on the strong core. Despite the negatives, the future can be as bright as anyone’s in the sport… provided that management continues to spend in the places it needs to and continues cultivating young talent.
Bio
Michael L. Sküpin (Substack profile) is a grizzled millennial husband/dad who loves talking baseball, football, hockey, basketball, college sports, sports business, fantasy sports, and most other sports. Fandoms include Detroit, Philadelphia, & Indianapolis. Also, happy to chat about advocacy, mental health, social justice, and peace.