Keep an eye on these Tigers prospects in 2025

This story was excerpted from Jason Beck's Tigers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Considering the Tigers just rode a wave of homegrown talent to a postseason run that brought them within a game of the ALCS, it’s a good time to be in Detroit’s farm system. Even with the club planning to look for help on the free-agent and trade markets, president of baseball operations Scott Harris makes it no secret that the bulk of the work will come from current Tigers. That not only includes players already toiling at Comerica Park, but prospects on the road to Detroit.

The Tigers' system stood at No. 6 on MLB Pipeline’s farm-system rankings over the summer, and it boasts five Top 100 prospects, even after several youngsters were called up. There’s plenty more talent where this current group came from, but how quickly it develops and arrives remains to be seen.

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While a lot of attention justifiably centers on Jackson Jobe (the Tigers' No. 1 prospect), Max Clark (No. 2) and Kevin McGonigle (No. 3), there’s more to this system.

Three players who jumped on the radar

Jaden Hamm, RHP (Tigers’ No. 7 prospect)

By now, Hamm’s story should be familiar, given how much success the 2023 fifth-round MLB Draft pick from Middle Tennessee State enjoyed in his first full pro campaign. No player in the organization did more for their stock this season. By throwing more high fastballs and adding a slider, Hamm boosted his strikeout rate from college to the pros, averaging 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings at High-A West Michigan while posting a 2.64 ERA and 6.6 hits per nine innings. In the process, Hamm rose from an unranked prospect to one of Detroit’s highest-ranked pitching prospects, behind only Jobe.

Josue Briceño, C/1B (Tigers’ No. 9 prospect)

The Venezuelan-born Briceño caught evaluators’ attention in Spring Training before a knee injury limited him to 40 games at Single-A Lakeland. He has made up for lost time with a power display in the Arizona Fall League, including a three-homer game, and entered Friday batting 18-for-41 with six homers and 12 RBIs. Briceño turned 20 years old in September, and he shows an impressive level of plate discipline for his level of power. He has played first base exclusively in the AFL, but the more he hits, the easier it becomes for the Tigers to eventually find a spot for him.

Hao-Yu Lee, 2B/3B: (Tigers’ No. 8 prospect)

The return prospect in the deal that sent Michael Lorenzen to the Phillies at the 2023 Trade Deadline, Lee was an offensive catalyst for much of the year in Double-A Erie’s Eastern League title defense before lumbar spine inflammation ended his season in August. With 12 homers, 19 doubles, five triples and 16 stolen bases in 17 attempts, the 21-year-old Taiwan native flashed an impressive combination of power and speed, catching the eye of Detroit’s front office.

Two breakout players to watch

Franyerber Montilla, IF (Tigers’ No. 13 prospect)

Signed in the same 2022 international class as fellow Veneuzelan Briceño, Montilla spent two years in the Dominican Summer League before coming to the States this year. He grabbed attention with a .273/.409/.448 slash line and 24 stolen bases in 48 games in the Florida Complex League. A late-season promotion to Single-A Lakeland was a tougher jump for the 19-year-old Montilla despite continued chaos on the basepaths. Still, there's a lot to like about the speedy switch-hitting shortstop.

Carson Rucker, 3B (Tigers’ No. 23 prospect)

A separated shoulder limited the Tigers’ 2023 fourth-round Draft pick to just four games in the Florida Complex League this year, giving Rucker 13 games over 1 1/2 seasons as a pro. But the athleticism that drew the Tigers to Tennessee’s two-time Mr. Baseball winner is still there if his health allows him the playing time to let it show.

One big question

How close are Clark and McGonigle to the Majors?

With Jobe having made his case in the big leagues, Clark and McGonigle are part of the next highly anticipated wave, albeit still far off from shore. Manager A.J. Hinch not-to-subtly hinted that he’d like both prospects to be invited to Spring Training next year, even though neither has played above High-A West Michigan. Both have a lot of development to go, and McGonigle has to get healthy after his season ended with a broken right hand in August. Still, both could get to Erie at some point next season, which would put them within closer view of Detroit. Until then, bet on a bigger contribution from the Tigers’ system depth in 2025, particularly on the pitching side, with a potential debut for Lee.