If you haven’t heard much about any of the Detroit Tigers’ hot prospects this Spring Training, it’s probably because there really aren’t any. The Tigers’ farm system is regarded as one of the worst, if not the worst, in the majors. It has been for several seasons, mostly because it’s been poached to help the big club make the playoffs.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t a few young Tigers making an impact this spring. Catcher James McCann is making a case to become the team’s backup catcher to Alex Avila. He’s hit.375 in 32 at-bats and has improved offensively each of the past two seasons:
- 2012 A+/AA : .237 AVG/.278 OBP/ .311 SLG/ .286 BABIP
- 2013 AA: .277 AVG/ .328 OBP/ .404 SLG/ .321 BABIP
- 2014 AAA: .295 AVG/ .343 OBP/ .427 SLG/ .355 BABIP
A nearly 40 point bump in BABIP screams fluke, but following that up with another 30 point bump shows the development is likely legitimate. Couple the offensive development with his skills as a backstop—he’s thrown out 40 percent of attempted base stealers in the minors—and at the very least the Tigers have an average catcher. Bryan Holaday, the teams backup last season, is hitting .200 entering play Saturday, further opening the door for McCann to break camp with the big club.
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Hernan Perez and Dixon Machado are providing insurance in the middle infield, hitting .298 and .304, respectively, thus far this spring. Perez has already been on two postseason rosters for his adroit glove work and hit .305 in 90 games at Double-A in 2014—largely due to a .331 BABIP. Machado has always had the skills to play short defensively but kept slipping into the all-glove, no-stick ilk. Like McCann, he too is toting his bat to the ballpark more often than expected: his AVG and OBP have risen more than 90 points the past two seasons and his BABIP has been steady the past two seasons at .263 and .269. The depth these two give the Tigers is key, especially with concerns about an aging Ian Kinsler and Jose Iglesias, who missed 2014 due to stress fractures in both shins, currently making up the double play combo.
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On the mound, there isn’t anyone who is likely to replace Max Scherzer in the rotation, at least right away. Kevin Ziomek (2.27 ERA, 1.154 WHIP, 152 Ks in 123 innings pitched) could be a middle of the rotation lefty sometime in 2016 or 2017 at the earliest.
If the farm makes an impact in 2015, it’ll be out of the bullpen. Buck Farmer…hehe…had a standout 2014 in the minors, (3.07 ERA, 4.03 K/BB) before making two forgettable starts for the Tigers in August. The Tigers have been using him in one inning increments this spring, with mixed results; he’s pitched in eight games, never for more than 1.1 innings, and has given up runs in three of those appearances. He does have 10 Ks in 8.2 innings, so he may grow more comfortable as the season progresses, unless the Tigers decide to send him to the minors to continue his development as a starter. Angel Nesbitt, Jose Valdez, and Drew VerHagen also could make an impact in the pen.
The biggest star among Tigers minor leaguers, Steven Moya, is struggling. The high power, high strikeout hitter is hitting .125 with one home run in 32 at bats this spring, and with Rajai Davis, J.D. Martinez and Yoenis Cespedes in front of him, he may be stuck in a backup role, wait to be used as trade bait or wait until Cespedes is traded.