2. Matt Manning, RHP
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 1/28/1998 (20)
2017 teams/levels played for: short-season A-ball Connecticut Tigers, low-A West Michigan Whitecaps
2017 Stats: 14 GS, 51 IP, 3.18 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 11.5% BB, 28.4% K
Info: The son of former NBA player Rick Manning, Matt had college interest in both sports early on in high school due to his premium fastball and his athletic stature. Standing 6’6″ with a fastball that could reach the upper 90s, baseball was a more certain professional path, and his selection #9 overall by the Detroit Tigers in the 2016 draft was indication of just that.
The reasoning why the dividing line is so clear is not evident, but there is absolutely a dividing line at six feet and six inches, where players above that line struggle to maintain their mechanics due to their long levers, and guys just a single inch shorter don’t seem to struggle in the same way.
Manning faced that struggle in 2017, pitching to an impressive performance in the New York Penn League while keeping his walk rate around 10% (still too high, but manageable with high K rates), but when he was bumped up to low-A, Manning saw his delivery “fall apart” to some degree with the main issue for Manning being a varying arm slot, leading to a 14% walk rate.
Manning works with a fastball that can reach upper-90s and sits 92-94 and he pairs it with a very impressive 12-6 curve when he’s in line on both pitches. He has the makings of a future average to above average change up as well.
With those weapons, Manning has the ceiling of a frontline starter, but he will still need to get his delivery in line. His athleticism should certainly help this, but he could end up spending all of 2018 back at West Michigan.
1. Franklin Perez, RHP
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 12/6/1997 (20)
2017 teams/levels played for: high-A Buies Creek Astros, AA Corpus Cristi Hooks
2017 Stats: 19 G, 16 GS, 86 1/3 IP, 3.02 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 7.6% BB, 22% K
Info: Perez was originally signed by the Astros in 2014, and his easy delivery has allowed him to move quickly through the minor leagues.
Perez was the highlight of the Detroit Tigers return for Justin Verlander, and he’s a viable top prospect in most organizations, though he’s likely more of a lower-half top 100 guy due to not really having frontline starter projection.
Perez was the highlight of the Detroit Tigers return for Justin Verlander
Perez has a fastball that ranges in the low 90s and can tough 96 with excellent life. He works with excellent secondary pitches that he can command and control well. He altered his slider this season, and he now works with more of a power slider with a hard, sharp break rather than the more elongated gradual break he was getting before that bled into his curve.
Perez has the repertoire and consistency of a guy who would work in the middle of the rotation for quite some time without any improvement in his stuff, but at just 20 to open the season in 2018, there’s no reason that Perez could not still add another tick of velocity as well.
Most likely the Detroit Tigers will open Perez in AA, though he did throw 32 innings at the level with success in 2018, so he could end up in AAA to open the season. He very well could end up with a cup of coffee at the end of 2018.
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