Detroit Tigers announce Arizona Fall League roster filled with prospects

The Detroit Tigers have selected seven prospects to play in the yearly Arizona Fall League. The instructional prospect league features rosters of representatives chosen by their organizations to play 30 games over the course of October and November.

Among the chosen Detroit Tigers for this season’s edition of the fall league are none other than the two top bats in the organization: Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene. Joining the two are breakout shortstop Ryan Kreidler and a foursome of right-handed pitchers, Chavez Fernander, Wilmer Flores, Zack Hess, and Garrett Hill.

The trio of Torkelson, Greene, and Kreidler have moved through the organization together this season, with all three moving from Erie to Toledo and all three contributing in huge ways through the 40 games they played for the Mud Hens.

The Tigers are not the only team sending their top guns, however, as Tork and Greene are among the 17 MLB Pipeline top prospects represented, as established by MLB.com. Joining the Tigers in Salt River are prospects from the Mets, Brewers, Diamondbacks, and Rockies.

Detroit Tigers prospects look to show off for the league.

One of the most notable on the fall roster is 2020 number 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson, who has absolutely cruised through the minors en route to a .267/.383/.552 slash this season over three levels of minor league play. His 30 bombs ranked 15th in all of the minor leagues this season, while his 77 walks placed him sixth (stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference).

For Greene and Kreidler, the fall league represents an opportunity to build on their strong minor league performances in hopes of earning roster looks for the 2022 season. Both showed out in their stints with the Mud Hens, both with averages higher than .300, OBPs higher than .400, and SLGs higher than .500.

For the four pitchers, the fall league is a chance to set themselves apart and grow beyond the relative obscurity in which they currently sit. Among the most intriguing are power reliever Zack Hess and 2018 26th-round pick Garrett Hill.

Hess is a 24-year-old reliever that primarily works fastball-slider, with his fastball sitting around 93-95 mph and slider working around 83-87. He has shown the ability to throw both for strikes and shows that he is unafraid to throw either in any count. This past season he had a 3.42 ERA with 13 saves and an 11.8 K/9 between A+ West Michigan and AA Erie.

Garrett Hill is an even more compelling case. He started 17 games this season between West Michigan and Erie, and put up extremely impressive numbers. His 2.74 ERA was complemented by an 11.8 K/9, .4 BB/9, and a 3.54 K/BB ratio. He is an under-the-radar pick to show out, and as one Tarik Skubal has shown, gems can come from any round of the draft.

Detroit Tigers prospects are looking to join an impressive group out in Arizona.

The Arizona Fall League has some impressive alumni, including but not nearly limited to: Dustin Pedroia, Bryce Harper, Nolan Arenado, Mookie Betts, Aaron Judge, and Ronald Acuña Jr. Oh yeah, and that one Mike Trout guy. He’s pretty good.

The seven Tigers on the Salt River Rafters are hoping to join that esteemed group of players by showing out this fall. AFL Opening Day is set for October 13th, with the Fall-Stars Game slated for November 13th, and the Championship set a week later on November 20th.