With the Minor League season opening this week, here's where Detroit’s Top 30 Prospects are projected to start:

1. Jackson Jobe (MLB No. 4), RHP -- Detroit (MLB)
2. Max Clark (MLB No. 5), OF -- West Michigan (High-A)
3. Kevin McGonigle (MLB No. 27), SS/2B -- West Michigan (High-A)
4. Bryce Rainer (MLB No. 51), SS -- Lakeland (Single-A)
5. Thayron Liranzo (MLB No. 80), C/1B -- Erie (Double-A)
6. Josue Briceño (MLB No. 93), 1B/C -- West Michigan (High-A)
7. Jace Jung, 3B/2B -- Toledo (Triple-A)
8. Hao-Yu Lee, 2B -- Toledo (Triple-A)
9. Jaden Hamm, RHP -- Erie (Double-A)
10. Cris Rodriguez, OF – Dominican Republic extended spring training
11. Owen Hall, RHP -- Lakeland (Single-A)
12. Troy Melton, RHP -- Erie (Double-A)
13. Franyerber Montilla, INF -- Lakeland (Single-A)
14. Ty Madden, RHP -- Injured (right shoulder strain)
15. Ethan Schiefelbein, LHP – Extended spring training
16. Enrique Jimenez, C -- Extended spring training
17. Jake Miller, LHP -- Erie (Double-A)
18. Josh Randall, RHP -- Lakeland (Single-A)
19. Joseph Montalvo, RHP -- Erie (Double-A)
20. Michael Massey, RHP -- Injured list (left oblique strain)
21. Paul Wilson, LHP -- Lakeland (Single-A)
22. Roberto Campos, OF -- Erie (Double-A)
23. Max Anderson, 2B -- Erie (Double-A)
24. Carson Rucker, SS/3B -- Lakeland (Single-A)
25. Zach Swanson, RHP -- Injured (Tommy John surgery)
26. Tyler Mattison, RHP -- Toledo (Triple-A) -- IL (Tommy John rehab)
27. Justice Bigbie, OF -- Erie (Double-A)
28. Tyler Owens, RHP -- Toledo (Triple-A)
29. Jose Dickson, SS -- Extended spring training
30. RJ Petit, RHP -- Erie (Double-A)

Team to watch
Opening with West Michigan, No. 5 overall prospect Clark is a potential human highlight reel with his speed, defensive ability in center and arm strength, and he could take another step offensively in his second full season. McGonigle (No. 27) has a claim for the Minors’ top hit tool, given his advanced approach and ability to punish balls in the zone, and he could be a contender for the Minor League batting title in 2025. Those two alone would make the Whitecaps intriguing, but Briceño gives the lineup a third Top 100 prospect as he gets a bump after winning the Arizona Fall League Triple Crown. Forget the Midwest League. This might be the most interesting lineup in High-A.

Teams on MLB.TV and MiLB.TV
Triple-A Toledo
Double-A Erie
High-A West Michigan
Single-A Lakeland

Players we could see in MLB in 2025
Jung was optioned to Toledo after getting heavy consideration for the Tigers’ third-base job. After undergoing offseason surgery to address a lingering right wrist issue, he still hits the ball plenty hard but could use more defensive consistency to push his way back to the bigs. Lee has also proven to be an above-average hitter at most levels and joins Triple-A for the first time. He has split time between second and third base in the early going and could muscle his way into that hot-corner conversation. We know A.J. Hinch loves to use pitchers in bunches, and Melton, Mattison, Owens and Petit could be considerations at various points in 2025.

New faces
Rainer made headlines for his two-hit showing in the Spring Breakout game against the Braves, and that essentially marked the 2024 11th overall pick’s organizational debut after he didn’t play last summer. He’ll get his Minor League career going for real with Single-A Lakeland, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Clark and McGonigle with a strong start in the Florida State League. Prep pitching picks Hall and Schiefelbein will continue to build up in extended spring training.

On the shelf
Madden suffered a right rotator cuff strain this spring and was placed on the Major League 60-day IL last week. Mattison was added to the 40-man roster last winter but is still on his way back from Tommy John surgery that knocked him out for all of 2024. Swanson, a ninth-rounder out of Washington state last year, will miss what would have been his first full season following his own Tommy John procedure, and fourth-rounder Massey will open on the IL with a left oblique strain but is throwing bullpens twice weekly.