5 storylines to watch for Tigers in Spring Breakout

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.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Rosters were announced on Thursday for the Tigers’ first Spring Breakout prospect showcase game, pitting a squad of Tigers prospects against their Phillies counterparts on March 16 at Joker Marchant Stadium at 1:05 p.m. ET.

It’s a fun event designed to put a spotlight on prospects up and down the various farm systems, not just the top guys in big league camps. The Tigers, not surprisingly, have a lot of good young talent on their squad, including MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects Max Clark (Tigers' No. 1 prospect and No. 13 overall) and Jace Jung (Tigers' No. 4 prospect and No. 60 overall).

How this inaugural event unfolds will be fascinating to watch. But from a pure matchup standpoint, here are five things I’m looking forward to seeing:

Mix of young and old in Tigers' infield

Jung has been the kid in the Tigers’ Major League camp this Spring Training, a non-roster invitee who was drafted just two years ago. By contrast, the 23-year-old could be the oldest member of the Tigers’ infield for this game, potentially playing alongside 19-year-old shortstop Kevin McGonigle (No. 7 prospect), 20-year-old infielder Cristian Santana (No. 27), 21-year-old second baseman Hao-Yu Lee (No. 15) and 22-year-old second baseman Max Anderson (No. 18). Only 26-year-old first baseman Jake Holton, Jung's teammate at Double-A Erie last year, has him beat in the age department.

“Just playing with everybody throughout the org, I think that’s pretty cool,” Jung said. “You get a feel for some guys that you’ll eventually play with, hopefully in The Show. Especially the young high-school guys that just got drafted, I think that’s unique, to get to know them and what they’re like on the field, how they are in the dugout and stuff like that. That way, as you go up [the system], you’ve kind of got a feel for them, what you can do with them, what you can’t, just trying to lead by example.”

Tram in the dugout

Nearly 20 years have passed since Alan Trammell’s tenure as the Tigers' manager. He’ll reprise that role, this time leading a group of hitters who, in some cases, were just toddlers when he was manager and, in almost all cases, weren’t alive for his playing days. But the youngsters have grown to revere Trammell for his current role as a special assistant with a passion for working with prospects. These infielders have all worked with him, including in 2024 camp.

“Lotta pressure on Tram,” manager A.J. Hinch joked on Thursday. “Handed him as much talent as we could. … It’s great, and it’ll be great for the kids too. He’s amazing.”

Madden vs. Phillies prospects

With Jackson Jobe off the roster, Ty Madden -- the Tigers’ No. 5 prospect -- is the highest-ranked pitcher on Detroit’s side. He made an impression in Major League camp with 3 2/3 scoreless innings and five strikeouts over two appearances.

One of the next steps for Madden is to limit his damage against left-handed hitters, who batted 70 points higher (.267 with an .871 OPS) than right-handed hitters (.197, .557) against him last year in Double-A. The Phillies’ roster includes several left-handed hitters, led by No. 4 prospect Justin Crawford, along with switch-hitters Starlyn Caba (No. 5) and Bryan Rincon (No. 8).

Ironically, Madden fared better last year against hitters older than him (.205 batting average with a .636 OPS allowed) than younger hitters (.287 batting average, .886 OPS).

Tait vs. Clark and Stephenson

Eduardo Tait, the Phillies’ No. 9 prospect, is a strong-armed 17-year-old catcher who threw out 44 percent would-be basestealers last year in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League. Seth Stephenson is a fleet-footed Tigers outfield prospect who swiped 70 bases in 85 attempts last year in his first full pro season. Clark is a 70-grade runner, according to MLB Pipeline, who went 5-for-6 in stolen bases in 23 games last year. If they somehow match up, it could be fascinating.

Petit vs. Phillies

Though R.J. Petit remains unranked on MLB Pipeline’s list, the 6-foot-8, 300-pound reliever is starting to get some well-deserved prospect respect following some solid stretches in Double-A and some impressive work in the Arizona Fall League.

The combination of his size and pitching style creates a different look for hitters. Petit's live batting practice against Kerry Carpenter last week left the slugger impressed. Petit followed that up by striking out both batters he faced on Thursday night in the Tigers’ 11-5 split-squad win over the Yankees. Detroit’s pitching staff for this game lines up well for Petit to get some late-inning work.