The Tigers have arguably the best Top 10 prospects in baseball. The system falls off after that, but if you believe that stars make an organization run, you’ll like what they are doing.
At the top are Max Clark and Jackson Jobe—two potential impact players at the highest level. Jobe should see Detroit in 2025, with Clark following in 2026. Given his excellent bat-to-ball skills, Kevin McGongile has jumped up on my list, and Jace Jung has already seen time in the Major Leagues.
The Tigers did well in selecting Bryce Rainer, with their first selection in July’s Draft. I don’t believe he has the same upside as Clark, but there is much to like. Finally, they have a pair of intriguing young catchers, Thayron Liranzo and Josue Briceno, that I like. The ceiling is extremely high on both.
Prospect Snapshot
- Top Prospect: Max Clark
- Biggest Mover: Kevin McGonigle and Jaden Hamm
- Biggest Disappointment: Wilmer Flores
- Emerging Prospect: Nestor Miranda
1. Max Clark (OF)
- Highest Level: High-A ETA: 2026 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 30 OF
- Date Updated: 10/29/2024
- Tools Summary: Extremely athletic with plus speed and plenty of bat speed to project future power.
Max Clark was one of the most athletic players in the 2023 Draft, with 70-grade speed and plenty of bat speed to project future power. His exit velocities are solid but are peaking out in the Low 100s, which is fine for now. He will get stronger, and when he does, I expect to see a ton of doubles power with 15 to 18 home run pop. He has tools similar to Cedric Mullins’s (likely without the 30-HR peak season). I think he’ll control the strike zone better, but defensively and tools-wise, they will be similar.
Clark split his time in 2024 between Low and High-A, posting an impressive stat line for a kid who doesn’t turn 20 until December. In 490 plate appearances, he slashed .279/.372/.421 with nine home runs and 29 stolen bases. He struck out 19% of the time while walking 12% of the time.
2. Jackson Jobe (RHP)
- Highest Level: Majors ETA: 2024 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 30 SP with upside
- Date Updated: 10/29/2024
- Tools Summary: He has #1 stuff, and if he continues to throw strikes, he could be an ace.
Jackson Jobe was likely to see Detroit in 2024, but a hamstring injury in May caused him to miss six weeks, and the Tigers decided to keep him in the minors for the entire season. It was the second season he had spent considerable time on the IL, although none were related to his arm.
The arsenal continues to impress. His fastball averages 97 MPH (T 98) with high spin (2450 RPM). His breaking pitches also have crazy spin rates of 2800+, with his curveball tapping out at 3100. Even his change-up has nice fade. This is the arsenal of an ace.
His ability to control his arsenal has been inconstant in 2024. A couple of difficult starts drove his totals higher, but his athleticism is there, and his ability to repeat his delivery should exist.
3. Kevin McGonigle (2B/SS)
- Highest Level: High-A ETA: 2026 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 15 2B
- Date Updated: 10/29/2024
- Tools Summary: High-floor player who should hit with a bit of power and speed.
Kevin McGonigle makes excellent contact, which should translate into a high on-base percentage player. There’s solid bat speed to project average future power, and at least early in his career, he should be able to steal double-digit stolen bases.
In Low-A, he’s walked more than he struck out (9% K-Rate and 13% BB-Rate), and after his promotion, that continued (7% K-Rate and 19% BB-Rate). Those are impressive strikeout-to-walk ratios and foretell the type of hitter he can become.
There aren’t huge exit velocities in looking through his game log, so I maintain that he’ll likely have average future power or 12 to 15 home run pop.
His season ended in mid-August when he broke his hamate bone. He should be fully ready for spring training unless he’s a Mike Trout-type healer.
4. Jace Jung (3B)
- Highest Level: Majors ETA: 2024 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 15 3B/1B
- Date Updated: 10/29/2024
- Tools Summary: He has developed a highly leveraged swing that produces more over-the-fence power but at the expense of some swing-and-miss.
Jace Jung has a skill set similar to his older brother, hopefully with better luck staying healthy.
Jace is a hit-first prospect with 20+ home run pop. The power emerged faster than anticipated, and consequently, the Tigers aggressively moved him through the system. Jung made his Major League debut in September of 2024.
The data suggests a highly leveraged swing, putting some pressure on his batting average as he’s striking out more than anticipated. He’s not a great defender at third base, but if he wants to break through in Detroit, that might be his only option.
The ceiling is a top-15 third or first baseman with 20+ home run pop, a .260 batting average, and limited speed.
5. Bryce Rainer (SS, #11)
- Highest Level: DNP ETA: 2027-28 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 15 SS with extreme risk
- Date Updated: 10/29/2024
- Tools Summary: He has plus raw power and a feel to hit. There is current speed that will not be a big part of the profile in the future.
Bryce Rainer attended Harvard-Westlake, an elite private school outside Studio City in California. Many kids from wealthy families have gone there, and it also has one of the country’s best baseball programs. It takes money to travel for showcases and get private instruction.
Bryce Rainer is one of the elite players from the school this draft. He’s a 6-foot-3 kid with excellent raw power and a 70-grade arm. He’s played at all the elite showcases and even in Australia for a summer. That’s what money will do. He’s being compared to Corey Seager, but I don’t think the ceiling is that high. It might be more where Marcelo Mayer is winding up – a poor man’s version of Seager. There are solid hitting instincts with a ton of power.
6. Jaden Hamm (RHP)
- Highest Level: High-A ETA: 2026 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 45 SP with upside
- Date Updated: 10/29/2024
- Tools Summary: A potential plus arsenal who throws strikes. It looks like the recipe for a top-of-the-rotation starter.
Jaden Hamm was the Tigers’ fourth-round pick in 2022. Since signing, he’s increased his velocity and is now sitting 94 to 95 MPH (T 97) with significant carry (2400 RPM). He also throws a change-up, a plus pitch with excellent fade, and an over-the-top curveball with great shape. Most importantly, he’s throwing strikes. It’s everything you want in a kid to pitch at the top of the rotation.
The arsenal and control translated well in 2024 as he posted a 2.64 ERA in 99 innings, striking out 11 per nine while walking 2.8 per nine. I’ve put his ceiling as a number three starter, but if he can repeat what he did in 2024 in Double-A, that ceiling will rise.
7. Thayron Liranzo (C/1B)
- Highest Level: High-A ETA: 2026-27 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 15 1B or Catcher
- Date Updated: 10/29/2024
- Tools Summary: He has plenty of bat speed and physicality to project 25+ future home run power.
Thayron Liranzo was one of the Dodgers’ breakout players last season after he hit .272 with 24 home runs in the California League (Low-A). It took him a while to get comfortable with his promotion to High-A. Before his trade to the Tigers, he only hit .220 with seven home runs in 74 games with the Dodgers, but afterward, he hit .315 with five home runs in 26 games.
Liranzo has excellent bat speed and the physicality to develop 25+ home run pop at the highest level. He’ll strike out more than you would like but does have a solid understanding of the strike zone and will work walks. He’s an average catcher, so I’m not convinced he will stay behind the backstop.
8. Josue Briceno (C/1B)
- Highest Level: Low-A ETA: 2026-27 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 15 C or Top 15 1B
- Date Updated: 10/29/2024
- Tools Summary: He hits the ball extremely hard with a feel to hit.
Josue Briceno is one of the players who burst onto my Top 400 Prospect list in May. He has some of the best exit velocities in the entire Tigers system and should develop 25+ home run future pop. He’s a big guy at 6-foot-4, so there are some questions as to whether he’ll be able to stay behind the plate, but there is a feel to hit with excellent pitch recognition skills.
Unfortunately, he missed three and half months of the season with a knee sprain but looked healthy when he returned in late August. I still believe the future is exceptionally bright, as he played the entire season as a 19-year-old.
9. Max Anderson (2B)
- Highest Level: Double-A ETA: 2026-27 Fantasy Ceiling: Middle Infielder
- Date Updated: 10/29/2024
- Tools Summary: He makes excellent contact with emerging power.
Max Anderson was the Tigers’ second-round pick in the 2023 Draft. He makes elite contact (14.0% K-Rate) with enough exit velocity to suggest 15+ home run pop. He is aggressive at the plate, but if he can continue to make elite contact, that will likely be okay. As he filled out, we’ve seen the speed diminish, so I don’t think speed will be a part of the profile in the long term.
I wish there were more defensive flexibility, but the Tigers have played him exclusively at second base. This could limit his opportunities and, therefore, his fantasy ceiling.
10. Ty Madden (RHP)
- Highest Level: Majors ETA: 2024 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 60 SP or Closer
- Date Updated: 10/29/2024
- Tools Summary: His arsenal looks solid, if not plus. However, his control backed up in 2024 and he needs to find some answers.
Ty Madden started the season poorly, walking over six per nine in his first ten starts. Things improved as the season wore on, and the Tigers’ brass took note and promoted him to the Major Leagues in September, where he pitched well.
He has an excellent fastball/slider combination but lacks a third pitch to neutralize glove-side batters. The issue has worsened as he has progressed through his development process, and in his time in the Major Leagues, left-handed batters hit 90 points higher than right-handed batters. If he can’t improve his Splitter or introduce another pitch that fades away from glove-side batters, a move to the bullpen could be in order.
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