Saturday, March 15

The Tigers head into their Spring Breakout game Sunday against the Braves (4 p.m. ET, MLB Network) with one of the best rosters in the event. Max Clark, Kevin McGonigle, Thayron Liranzo and Hao-Yu Lee get most of the headlines, but the strength of the Tigers’ roster – and an emerging strength of their system in general – is their depth.

Before Josue Briceño became an MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospect and an Arizona Fall League triple crown batting champion, he was a player to watch in last year’s Spring Breakout. This year, the Tigers have several candidates to follow that path. Here are five prospects to watch Sunday:

SS Bryce Rainer (Tigers No. 4 prospect, No. 52 overall)

The Tigers have two other shortstops on the roster with McGonigle and No. 14 prospect Franyerber Montilla. Unlike them, this will be the first chance for fans to see Rainer, the 11th overall pick in last year’s MLB Draft, on the field in a Tigers uniform, as he did not play in games at any level after signing last summer. As such, he’ll be one of several prospects to make their pro debut in the event. His size, power and left-handed bat have brought comparisons to Corey Seager.

RHP Jaden Hamm (No. 9)

Hamm is the Tigers’ highest-ranked pitching prospect after Jackson Jobe, and was the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year last year in his first full pro season. The former fifth-round Draft pick out of Middle Tennessee dominated Midwest League hitters for most of last season, finishing with 122 strikeouts over 99 innings. His curveball is a buckler, his slider has good sweeping action and his fastball plays at the top of the strike zone with good ride. Spring Breakout should be a good springboard for Hamm to an assignment at Double-A Erie, where he could pitch his way into Detroit’s picture.

LHP Jake Miller (No. 18)

Miller, an eighth-round pick in the 2022 Draft out of Valparaiso, opened eyes last year by going 9-3 with a 1.85 ERA in 24 games across three levels, then striking out 24 batters over 16 2/3 innings in the Arizona Fall League. He’s a hybrid starter-reliever, which fits well in showcase events like this where his stuff can play up. He also fits well in an organization that made pitching chaos a brand. He’s not a power thrower, even in relief, but he has a lot of deception in his delivery and a wipeout slider.

RHP Josh Randall (No. 19)

The Tigers have been impressed by their third-round pick in last year’s Draft, whose only pro experience to date consists of four innings for Single-A Lakeland at the end of last summer. The University of San Diego product is a classic sinker-slider pitcher whose style has drawn comparisons to former Cleveland All-Star Justin Masterson. Whether he ultimately makes it as a starter or reliever is up for debate, but with a mid- to upper-90s sinker and a high-spin slider, he has impressive stuff that can induce ground balls and strikeouts. It’ll be interesting to see what he can do when given an inning to let his fastball ride.

3B Carson Rucker (No. 25)

The Tigers still think highly of their fourth-round pick from the 2023 Draft, a two-time Mr. Tennessee winner in high school who spurned a commitment to Tennessee to sign. Injuries, including shoulder surgery, have limited him to 13 games, all at the rookie-level Florida Complex League. He’s healthy now and impressed during the Tigers’ Minor League minicamp. He has an impact power bat when he’s right.

Who was the Tigers' top prospect in MLB Pipeline's 2015 rankings? 

A. Buck Farmer
B. Derek Hill
C. Steven Moya 
D. Spencer Turnbull

-- The Tigers hit into a crazy double play Wednesday that included a throw bouncing off the helmet of Javier Báez.

-- The competition for the final two spots in Detroit’s rotation will go down to the final days.

-- There will be at least 10 Tigers games on over-the-air television thanks to a partnership with FanDuel Sports Network and FOX 2.

C. Moya

Moya, a slugging outfielder and 2008 international signing, topped the rankings after hitting 35 home runs for Double-A Erie in 2014 and making his MLB debut for the Tigers as a September callup. He played parts of three seasons in Detroit, including five homers in 2016, before going overseas.

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