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DETROIT — The Tigers’ prospect rankings were expected to be in flux this year after several players graduated to Detroit over the past year, but a strong 2023 Draft and a few breakout performances led to even more change from initial rankings in March.
It’s not just Clark. Detroit’s first MLB Draft under president of baseball operations Scott Harris, assistant GM Rob Metzler and amateur scouting director Mark Conner yielded a handful of prospects who cracked the rankings, four of them out of high school. Clark is the third Tigers top prospect this year, having unseated Colt Keith, who leapfrogged Jace Jung earlier this season following a breathtaking first half at Double-A Erie. They’re all in the top four, along with pitcher Jackson Jobe, Detroit’s top prospect at the end of last year before a back injury shelved him for the first few months of this season.
Barring injury, Clark seems set at the top for a while as he begins his climb toward Detroit. Keith could reach Comerica Park later this season and graduate from prospect status soon after, as could Triple-A Toledo teammate Justyn-Henry Malloy. Otherwise, this is a system with a fair number of prospects at the middle and lower levels.
Here’s a look at the Tigers’ Top 5 prospects:
Max Clark, OF
Colt Keith, IF
Jackson Jobe, RHP
Jace Jung, 2B
Kevin McGonigle, SS
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the preseason list:
Jump
Sawyer Gipson-Long, RHP (Preseason: NR | Midseason: 19)
The final prospect acquired by former general manager Al Avila in the Michael Fulmer trade last summer, Gipson-Long had a breakout at Double-A Erie after adding a cutter to his arsenal. He’s now in the rotation at Triple-A Toledo.
Fall
Izaac Pacheco, 3B/SS (Preseason: 14 | Midseason: 30)
This season has been a tough learning experience for Pacheco, the Tigers’ second-round Draft pick in 2021. He entered Friday batting .195/.273/.322 with a 33 percent strikeout rate in 93 games at High-A West Michigan.
New to the list
Here are the players added to the Top 30 from outside the organization:
Impact callup
Detroit’s No. 2 prospect, Colt Keith, has been humbled a bit by Triple-A pitching (.270/.344/.426 in 30 games) since his promotion in late June, but that’s to be expected for a 21-year-old. He still stings the ball hard, with a max exit velocity of 110.1 mph for Toledo. If he adjusts to the league as he’s done elsewhere, Keith could be a late-season replacement, à la Gunnar Henderson and Corbin Carroll last year, that would give him a taste of the Majors but still keep him eligible for AL Rookie of the Year in 2024. He continues to see time at second and third to keep his MLB options open.
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools — 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.
Hit: 60 — Clark (McGonigle)
Power: 60 — Keith
Run: 70 — Clark
Arm: 65 — Clark
Defense: 60 — Clark
Fastball: 65 — Jobe
Curveball: 60 — Keider Montero (Wilmer Flores)
Slider: 65 — Jobe
Changeup: 55 — Jobe
Control: 55 — Gipson-Long (Brant Hurter)