Who will Tigers protect ahead of Rule 5 Draft?

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The days of the Tigers hoarding 40-man roster spots for as many prospects as they can are on a bit of a hiatus. That’s what a postseason run and a rise into the orbit of playoff contenders will do.

Detroit is still focused on homegrown talent, as president of baseball operations Scott Harris has reminded multiple times already this offseason. And with more waves of young talent coming, the Tigers will have some difficult offseasons ahead for figuring out who they can protect and who they can leave available to the Rule 5 Draft.

This year’s deadline is Tuesday, but many of the Tigers’ pressing decisions were already made. No. 5 prospect Jace Jung, No. 14 prospect Ty Madden, No. 18 prospect Trey Sweeney and Brant Hurter (who graduated from prospect status) were called up in August. With those decisions already made, just five of the Tigers’ Top 30 prospects are Rule 5 Draft eligible, all in the bottom half of MLB Pipeline’s rankings.

Instead, the decisions Harris faces ahead of Tuesday are more practical: Who among the Tigers’ lower-ranked prospects have a chance to contribute in Detroit next year? Who among the prospects could be enticing enough to other organizations to select in the Rule 5 Draft and keep in the Majors for a full season? It’s a tricky process that often has as much to do with roster management as talent.

The Tigers’ 40-man roster is currently full, so any prospect added will require another player to be designated for assignment.

With that in mind, here are six Tigers prospects who could pose some discussion ahead of Tuesday’s deadline:

Joseph Montalvo, RHP (No. 16 prospect)
Montalvo made an impression after coming from the Rangers in the Andrew Chafin trade, despite a 4.74 ERA over five starts at High-A West Michigan. The 22-year-old has yet to pitch at the Double-A level, which could make him safe to leave unprotected, but his arm has upside.

Justice Bigbie, OF (No. 21 prospect)
The former 19th-round Draft pick from Western Carolina looked like the next breakout hitter in the Tigers' system a year ago, earning a non-roster invite to Spring Training coming off a 19-homer season with a .942 OPS in 2023. He hit just .248/.333/.334 this year at Triple-A Toledo and struggled mightily against left-handed pitching as a right-handed-hitting corner outfielder.

Gage Workman, IF/OF (No. 30 prospect)
The Tigers’ fourth-round pick from the 2020 Draft has played 309 games at Double-A Erie over parts of three seasons, a strong suggestion he has plateaued in the system. But after abandoning switch-hitting to bat left-handed full-time, the versatile athlete was a much better offensive player last year, batting .280/.366/.476 with 29 doubles, 18 homers and 30 stolen bases. He can play all over the infield as well as right field, and he just turned 25, which could lead a team to take a shot.

Chase Lee, RHP
A reliever named Chase is going to grab attention, especially after averaging 12.4 strikeouts per nine innings over his Minor League career. The sidearming right-hander experienced a big improvement after joining the Tigers' system in the Chafin trade and could provide a different look to a big league bullpen, though he thrives more on movement and deception than velocity.

Andrew Navigato, IF/OF
The 20th-round Draft pick from 2019 was a 21-homer, 22-steal player at Toledo this past season while batting .271/.363/.500 with 83 RBIs in 128 games and playing everywhere but first base, catcher and pitcher. That’s a nice skill set for a player to nab a bench spot somewhere with some finishing work on his defense. He’s a right-handed hitter but did most of his damage off right-handed pitching.

RJ Petit, RHP
The 14th-round pick from the 2021 Draft earned attention early in his career for his size at 6-foot-8 and 300 pounds, but the big reliever has shown he can pitch. He averaged 11.7 strikeouts and just 6.4 hits per nine innings out of Double-A Erie’s bullpen this season, aided by a changeup he developed to complement his mid- to upper-90s sinker. His walk rate was a concern, but like Lee, he has a chance to provide a different look in a bullpen.