This is the Detroit Tigers’ Infield of the Future

Earlier this month, Baseball America ranked the Detroit Tigers as the No. 5 farm system in baseball, based on draft picks the franchise snatched up the last few years.

Prospect rankings are like our dreams: they may be fun to talk about (I was flying above the city and my great grandmother was with me!), but they most likely don’t mean anything.

That’s why I take the prospects ranking lists we see all over baseball websites with a large grain of salt. As large as a pile of Michigan road salt. As large as a Great Lake. As large as Prince Fielder’s belly. Yet, there is hope for Tigers fans, and it may come in the near future.

The Tigers are lining up a trio of young players who could make their infield a quartet of formidable players as soon as this season.

The Detroit Tigers Infield of the Future is taking shape. Let’s examine each of the four players, and speculate when we may see this group together in the Motor City.

Spencer Torkelson, First Base

You’ve probably heard of him. Coming up in the organization quickly, he was heralded in a way young blue chip prospects out of top college programs are heralded. It took Tork the requisite 150 MLB games or so, but he’s figured out how to compete at-bat per at-bat at this level. The right-handed power hitter smacked 31 bombs in 2023.

Torkelson’s power surge in his second season is impressive, and rare in Tigers history. But, as positive as that development is, it may be his growth as a defender that makes me like him even more. That’s because Torkelson has dedicated himself to being a plus-defensive player at first base. That’s a sign that he has the character to improve as a player. It also helps the team, because we have Javy Baez throwing 30 balls a year into the dirt.

Torkelson is going to have some downs to go with his ups. But, he’s going to be a booming bat in the middle of the lineup for years if he stays healthy. He would be wise to use the entire field at cavernous Comerica Park, so as to get 35-40 doubles each season, instead of foolishly trying to pull every pitch in a big park (listening Javy?). The Tigers seem set at first base for a while.

Colt Keith, Second Base

A former fifth round draft pick, Keith busted out in 2023 at Erie and Toledo with 27 homers and a .306/.380/.552 slash line. Originally a third base prospect, the Tigers like him as a second baseman now. Since he’s on the 40-man roster, he’s going to get a chance to win the starting job at that position.

It’s possible Keith, who bats lefthanded and projects as a high average, mid-power hitter in the majors, will be at second base for opening day in 2024. But, considering how conservative the Tigers are, don’t be surprised if they ask him to play a few weeks for the Mud Hens. The Tigers are frightened of making bad decisions. This organization dumbfounds us constantly by playing bad players instead of more talented young players.

The Tigers got Keith’s name on a six-year contract to secure him through his first few arbitration years. That’s the new MLB trend: lock up a future star in exchange for financial security. There’s an element of risk to it, but it’s not a big concern. The Tigers are not a team ready to win tomorrow, and the $28.6 million he’s guaranteed is a rounding error for the Ilitch empire.

Of the four players in this article, I think Keith can be the best major league player. He hits, and he’s hit everywhere he’s played. He’s a good athlete, and will probably handle second base just fine. Will he turn the double play like Sweet Lou Whitaker? Of course not. But as long as Keith makes the routine plays, he’ll be fine.

Eddys Leonard, Shortstop

Remember last summer when the Tigers failed to trade Eduardo Rodriguez because the pitcher vetoed a deal to the Dodgers? At the same time, the team was able to complete a deal with LA, when Detroit bought the contract of shortstop Eddys Leonard.

The Leonard deal may end up being much more important for the Tigers than the non-trade and subsequent loss of Rodriguez, who signed with the Diamondbacks this last offseason.

Leonard is a 23-year old shortstop who was drafted by the Dodgers as a teenager out of the Dominican Republic. Unlike many previous Dominican shortstops, Leonard is not known mostly for his glove: he can hit the ball, and hit it with authority. In 2021 in the High-A Central League, Leonard’s exit velocity ranked second in the circuit. Last year in 40 games at Triple-A Toledo, he had a 905 OPS and once again recorded an exit velocity of nearly 89 miles per hour. Leonard batted .302 with 18 extra-base hits and 31 RBI in that limited stretch with the Mud Hens.

So far, Leonard’s name has been missing from the mouths of the men who lead the Detroit farm system, as far as discussions of the future. But, Leonard offers an offensive option the Tigers don’t currently have at the position. The scouting reports label him as an average defender, which would be fine in Detroit: it’s offense we woefully need from this position.

Javier Baez has played two seasons for Detroit on his six-year, $140 million contract. He’s been a disaster. At this point it’s looking like Javy could be the worst free agent signing in the history of Detroit sports. In the last two years, among players with at least 250 games played, Baez’s OPS+ of 77 ranks third-worst in all of baseball. In his first season he was also a minus-defender (when you remove the positional adjustment). Baez is not just a well-below average ballplayer, he’s now the team’s highest-paid player, and he’s had issues being a good example on the field.

But realistically, the Tigers aren’t going to bench Baez unless he falls way off the deep end. His statistically superior defensive play over the last four months of the 2023 season also give his supporters something to point to when they defend him. But, Baez’s juice is not worth the squeeze: for every flashy play he makes in the field, and every swing-from-the-heels home run he hits, there are weeks of nothingness as he flails at sliders out of the strike zone or suffers embarrassing defensive lapses. Eventually, the Tigers will have to cut bait from Horrible Javy, and when they do, they’ll need a shortstop.

Leonard could be a better offensive player than Baez this season. It wouldn’t take much to improve on a .222/.267/.325 slashline. Heck, Alan Trammell could do better, and Tram turns 66 later this month. I suspect Baez will eventually be moved to designated hitter as he plays out this terrible contract. Or maybe Scott Harris will find a team to take Baez off his hands. It would be nice to see Leonard get a chance.

Don’t say the name Ryan Kreidler and “starting shortstop” in the same sentence. Just don’t. Kreidler has now played more than 600 professional games, and his slugging percentage is .387. At best he’s a utility man who can occasionally run into a fastball and hit it over the wall. Remember when Detroit thought Ryan Raburn would be a good everyday player? Kreidler isn’t half the player Raburn was. And Rayburn was an average MLB player, at best.

Jace Jung, Third Base

Jung is the younger brother of Texas Rangers’ infielder Josh Jung. Like his older brother, Jace played for Texas Tech, and like his older brother, he was a first round draft pick. Also like his sibling, Jace is being asked to change positions. It’s clear the Tigers think he’s the best third base prospect in their farm system.

Last season, Jung hit 14 homers in half a season with West Michigan. That earned him a promotion to Double-A Erie, where he hit 14 more homers in only 47 games (936 OPS). He has a nice lefthanded swing, and he also understands the strike zone.

The Tigers are switching Jace Jung from second base to third, and Colt Keith from third base to second. Well, I suppose they know what they’re doing, but it’s puzzling. Last season, Jung won a minor league Gold Glove for his play at second. His arms seems better suited for the middle of the infield, too. But, Scott Harris does what Scott Harris wants, I suppose.

Jung is 23 years old. He’s only 13 months younger than Torkelson. He’d probably struggle a bit with big league pitching, but he should get a chance. Detroit will almost certainly start him in Toledo to begin the 2024 season. I suspect if he plays well, he could be in Detroit for a taste of The Show in September. I’d be shocked if Harris let’s him see MLB pitching until then. But, at 23, he should be given a chance, in my opinion. The alternatives are Matt Vierling, Andy Ibáñez, and Zach McKinstry, according to A.J. Hinch in the Detroit Free Press. Blech.

This quartet: Torkelson, Keith, Leonard, and Jung, will probably not play together in Detroit in 2024. It’s possible, but the team is likely to be patient with Jung, and Leonard would need to get a chance that Harris and his front office may not be ready to give. We may never see Leonard as Detroit’s starting shortstop.

But if the Tigers can see through the silliness of playing McKinstry and Baez, we may see this young group get a chance. What do the Tigers have to lose?