The Detroit Tigers have seen a handful of their players get named to the 2020 MLB Top 100 prospects list.
As the 2020 MLB Pipeline Top 100 Prospect list was released, the Detroit Tigers got a look at which of their players are cracking the list. They were one of six teams who have five players or more on the list.
The Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres both had six players on the top 100 list, leaving four teams with five or more. The Tigers join the Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves, and Los Angeles as the teams with five top 100 prospects.
The impressive thing about the Tigers is that they have five prospects who would all be within the top 50 if Tarik Skubal bounced up one ranking from 51st overall. Quite the feat for the tigers to see five of their prospects represented, and all near the top half of the list.
The Tigers saw their first overall draft choice Spencer Torkelson crack the top ten alongside Casey Mize, who continues to work out at the club’s alternate training site. There are no shocks when it comes to the Tigers who made the Top 100 list, all of these prospects are expected to play integral roles in the future.
Beyond the top 100 list, the league released its top 30 prospects per team list, which makes the Tigers look quite phenomenal. The farm system the Tigers have built, after some trade deadline deals and solid back to back drafts have helped this ranking.
On the top 30 list, all six 2020 draft selections would find their way from Torkelson at one, to Trei Cruz at 28th. The front office has made some smart decisions, for once, really helping the health of this farm system.
The appeal of the top 30 list makes the Tigers organization appear as if they are one of, if not, top farm systems across the whole league. The 2019 and 2020 draft classes are both represented well in the Top 30 prospects, including some current Tigers players.
The list has players like Bryan Garcia and Rony Garcia, who are both in the Tigers bullpen and have been used in games during the 2020 season. There are other players on the top 30 list who have are poised to see the big leagues at some point, or have seen the big leagues but have since been demoted.
That being said, looking at the Detroit Tigers best of the best, here’s a look at the five players who made the 2020 MLB Pipeline Top 100 list.
The Detroit Tigers saw Riley Greene, Matt Manning, and Tarik Skubal make the top 100 list.
#51 LHP Tarik Skubal
Starting in reverse order at 51, Tarik Skubal was the last Detroit Tigers player to make the cut, just missing the Top 50 mark by one spot. The 23-year-old left-hander looks like he could become a future mainstay for the Tigers organization.
He battled back from Tommy John Surgery and has been nothing but impressed with the Tigers organization. The list has his ETA set at 2022, which seems pretty fair, he could have a chance to see the big leagues in 2021 depending on the state of the Tigers rotation.
There is plenty of excitement with Skubal, and there is no question why he made the list, too bad he was not bumped up one spot, so every Tigers player was in the Top 50.
#33 OF Riley Greene
The Tigers saw their prized first-round selection from the 2019 draft, Riley Greene, crack into the top half of the top 100 rankings. The nineteen-year-old outfielder put on quite the display while partaking in the 2020 Tigers Summer Camp before heading to Toledo.
Greene looks to be developing quite well, showing speed and an ability to field very well while he patrols the outfield. He played a lot of corner outfield in Summer Camp, but the youngster still is aiming to be a big-league centerfielder with some pop in his bat from the left-side.
He looks to keep climbing the prospect list to get even higher on his road to Detroit.
#26 RHP Matt Manning
The Tigers would have one of their prized arms rank into the top grouping on the top 100 list, coming in at 26th, just missing that top 25 mark. Matt Manning and Mize are the two most exciting arms the Tigers have, however, MLB Pipeline seems to favor Mize having him in the top 10.
Manning is a 6-foot-6, 195-pound right-hander who is going to become a front of the rotation pitcher at the big league level. He was able to get some time in during Summer camp before heading to Toledo to continue training. MLB Pipeline has his ETA set for the 2020 season.
Manning’s future rotation battery mate Casey Mize came in even higher than him, take a look at how the Tigers two players within the top ten finished out.
The Detroit Tigers had two players representing the farm system in the top ten of the top 100 list.
#8 RHP Casey Mize
Coming in just inside the top ten was Casey Mize, who was showing that he is quite ready for a stint in the big leagues during the 2020 Summer Camp. Mize is 23 years old and looks to be prepared for the big leagues, but in a season where there is nothing but uncertainty.
The right-handed pitcher who thrives off of his splitter will look to get his chance in the big leagues sooner than later. The Tigers should only bring Mize up when he can stay up for an extended amount of time, which should only be done when things are certain.
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The Tigers rebuild is going to hinge on the arms mentioned throughout this list, Manning, Mize, and Skubal are three arms which will help carry the rotation in the future.
So weeding out any players who are not up to standards will be crucial for the rebuild.
#7 3B Spencer Torkelson
Naturally, the Tigers’ first overall draft choice from the 2020 Firs-Year Amateur Player Draft would find himself near the top of this list.
Torkelson is arguably the best power bat in the draft class and could find himself higher on this list in the coming years.
Though some reports had the Tigers entertaining the idea of bringing up Spencer Torkelson in 2020, the uncertainty and service time elements will shut this down.
Torkelson needs to mature and develop into the player he is expected to become. That being said, his ETA was listed as 2022. It sounds about right that Torkelson will take some time, but the tools that he possesses are beyond impressive and exciting.
The Tigers should expect Torkelson to be able to use his bat to become a massive power threat as well as use his abilities as a pure athlete to transition from first over to third base. Well-deserving of a top ten nod looking at the upside and projectability, knowing he may climb even higher.
Overall, the Detroit Tigers would come away with five players ranked on the 2020 MLB Pipeline Top 100 list, now its time to watch them develop on their road to Detroit.