Despite cuts, Tigers prospects closing in on bigs

LAKELAND, Fla. -- For several Tigers prospects, their time in Major League camp ended on Tuesday with the first significant batch of roster cuts. But the baker’s dozen roster cuts gave some hint on who could be an option to get to Detroit soon and how far others have to go.

Optioned to Triple-A Toledo were right-handed relievers Kyle Funkhouser and John Schreiber, infielders Sergio Alcántara and Isaac Paredes, and outfielders Daz Cameron and Derek Hill.

Reliever Anthony Castro was optioned to Double-A Erie.

Starting prospect Franklin Perez was optioned to Class A Advanced Lakeland.

Lefty prospect Joey Wentz, righty relievers Gerson Moreno and Wladimir Pinto, and catchers Cooper Johnson and Jhon Nunez were all reassigned to Minor League camp. They don’t have to be assigned to a level yet because they’re not on the 40-man roster and were in Major League camp as non-roster invites.

The moves leave 54 players still in big-league camp. Among them are top pitching prospects Casey Mize, Matt Manning, Tarik Skubal and Alex Faedo. None of them are expected to make the Tigers’ Opening Day roster, but the fact that they’re still around is a sign manager Ron Gardenhire and pitching coach Rick Anderson want to get another look at them and keep working with them.

“They’re going to Triple-A. Eventually it's going to happen,” Gardenhire said. “They need to get stretched out to get ready for their season. We want to see them one more time, a couple innings of whatever. Whether we have that time or not, I don't know.”

Among the players optioned, Paredes, Hill and Alcantara received a promotion after spending all of last season at Double-A Erie. The bump up was expected for Paredes, the Tigers’ fifth-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline. It appeared likely for Hill, who could handle center field in the Major Leagues right now according to some evaluators but needs to improve on his hitting.

Hill, Detroit's first-round pick in the 2014 MLB Draft, ranks 30th on the aforementioned MLB Pipeline list. He hit .243 with 19 doubles, 14 home runs, a .705 OPS and 78 runs scored in 120 games with the SeaWolves last year. He had a better approach in the second half, batting .269 after the All-Star break, with a .357 on-base percentage and a .758 OPS.

The same evaluation could be given for Alcantara, who spent the last two seasons in Erie. The 23-year-old hit .247 with a .642 OPS in 102 games for the SeaWolves last year, but showed better results this spring while batting 8-for-18.

Funkhouser returns to Toledo as expected, this time as a reliever. He was a starter last year and seemed in line for a midseason Major League debut before injuries and command woes derailed him. If Mize, Manning, Faedo, Skubal and Wentz all open the season in Toledo, the Mud Hens’ rotation would be set.

“It’s something he’s got to learn,” Anderson said of Funkhouser in relief. “That’s kind of what we see him as.”

Cameron’s return to Toledo was expected as he tries to rebound from a season of growing pains there last year. The 23-year-old hit .214 with a .707 OPS and 152 strikeouts in 120 games with the Mud Hens last season. He went 3-for-13 with two walks and four strikeouts this spring.

Schreiber was hoping to compete for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen after spending the last seven weeks with the Major League club last year, but he gave up three runs on three hits in three innings with four walks and two strikeouts.

"He's just misfiring," Gardenhire said of Schreiber. "He even said it. He's trying too hard. He's just pushing a little too hard, and he understood it. We'll see where we go from there."

While Perez made a strong impression in camp after injuries limited him to 27 innings over the last two seasons, the plan was always for him to open the season in Lakeland and build up innings. The former Tigers top prospect made just two starts last year before being shut down due to right shoulder inflammation.

If there’s any surprise over a non-promotion, it might be Castro, who climbed up the Tigers' prospect rankings after an encouraging season as a swingman in Erie. While his 4.40 ERA was nearly a full run over his career average, his 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings was nearly two strikeouts above his previous rate. But his Spring Training performances showed he needs work on command; he hit two batters and nearly hit another during an inning against the Astros last month.