Tigers prospects mailbag: Could Alex Faedo go straight to majors?

detroit tigers-alex faedo
By Emily Waldon
Feb 17, 2018

Baseball is back, and while pitchers and catchers from the Tigers farm system don’t report until next month, the non-roster invitees to major-league camp are already getting the opportunity to show what they can contribute.

The Tigers’ pitcher-heavy system has the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s MLB amateur draft, and while damage control will be a primary focus at the major-league level, some key prospects are on the way up.

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Kyle Funkhouser is healthy, and many of the top arms in the system expected to rise quickly. So even though 2018 has the potential to be a difficult season in Detroit, it’s important to remember that help is on the way.

Who else can we expect to see stepping up in 2018? We’re tackling your questions for this week’s prospect mailbag.

Let’s dig in:

Alex Faedo, the No. 18 overall draft pick last year, will be closely watched this season. But I don’t expect the Tigers to promote him directly to the majors without a single game of minor-league play on his résumé.

Factoring in his collegiate postseason experience and obvious success, Faedo made it clear that his development is much further along that many pitchers entering their first professional season. I believe it was the right move for Detroit to have him put his feet up for a while after the draft. This season, an opportunity to get his feet wet in the minors would be beneficial.

The 21-year-old righty unquestionably has the makeup of a front-end starter, and I would like to see him get at least a handful of games with Class-A West Michigan, but depending on how confident the Tigers feel, he could begin the year at High-A Lakeland in the Florida State League.

Sending him to Double-A Erie or Triple-A Toledo to begin the year would be overly aggressive, in my opinion.

While sitting at one of Burrows’ Double-A outings last season, an American League scout told me this: “When it finally clicks for this kid, it’s going to suck to have to bat against him.”

Rated as the No. 4 prospect in my Tigers Top 20 prospects list, Burrows turned heads with a dominant inning of work in the 2017 MLB Futures Game, tipping the scales with a 98-mph heater.

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After struggling with command at Class-A West Michigan, Burrows looked great at High-A Lakeland to start the 2017 season, posting a 1.23 ERA over 58 2/3 innings of work and just 1.7 walks per nine innings.

Burrows’ promotion to Double-A Erie last June didn’t translate to the same instant success he saw in Lakeland, but as the season progressed, you could see the pieces beginning to click for the Tigers’ 2015 first-round pick.

On Aug. 12, 2017, Burrows was nearly perfect through six innings for the SeaWolves, walking two without allowing a hit. Erie manager Lance Parrish pulled the righty, because the Tigers were closely monitoring his workload. But despite Burrows’ disappointment, his ear-to-ear grin after the game told the whole story.

“I don’t know, man. Something just clicked today,” Burrows told The Athletic afterward.

Burrows posted a 1.47 WHIP in 76 1/3 innings at Erie. If he can get that number down and maintain command, good things will happen this season.

I think the Tigers made it clear that they plan to invest in Soto after naming him the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2017.

For the 23-year-old lefty, the challenge has never been about having the arsenal to hitters out, it’s about getting them out consistently.

Of his three-pitch mix, Soto relies on on a dominant plus fastball that tops out around 96 mph and flashes decent life from the left side. The inconsistency that plagued him primarily during his time with Class-A West Michigan is more visible in his secondary pitches. The more effective of the two, Soto’s curve, is generally average but can morph its shape with enough snap to keep hitters off balance. Tying his arsenal together, a below-average changeup lags the most in development.

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Wrapping the 2017 season with High-A Lakeland, Soto appeared to gain more feel from the hill, dropping in his walks per nine innings from 5.1 to 3.5 from his time in West Michigan. Soto knows his value, but in order to hit his stride, he’ll need to figure out how to display that value consistently.

I’m going to highlight sidearm reliever John Schreiber. Selected in the 15th round of the 2016 draft, the Tigers signed Schreiber for $6,000 out of the University of Northwestern Ohio.

Throwing from a low three-quarter right-handed slot, the Wyandotte, Michigan, native isn’t viewed as a true submarine pitcher, but his unconventional mechanics still stand out — and looking over his Midwest League performance in 2017, he crippled opposing hitters.

Although 23 in his first full pro season, the Tigers chose to pace the 6-foot-3 reliever. Over 50 1/3 innings out of the bullpen for the Whitecaps, Schreiber struck out 70, walked 1.4 hitters per nine innings with a 0.54 ERA and 1.37 FIP — yes, I said 1.37.

For Schreiber, as with any fresh arm, the question will come down to his ability to transition beyond the lower levels. I expect the Tigers to stretch him this season and look forward to seeing how he handles the pressure.

It’s a hole that will need to be filled sooner, rather than later. Where the Tigers decide to place the need on their priority list is the ultimate question.

The hitter with the best chance to match the power of players such as Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez is definitely Christin Stewart. The Tigers’ pipeline boasts a slew of consistent hitters, such as Michael Gerber and Kody Eaves, but in the search for a true power bat, Stewart unquestionably leads the pack. Expect to see progress from Stewart, because his bat is still finding its identity.

As mentioned before, the organization is heavy on pitching. I would like to see Detroit stockpile a few more legitimate bats. The system is lacking, no question. How soon the Tigers choose to remedy that situation is up to them.

Both players are 25, so it really is a must — specifically for Turnbull.

Turnbull came into Detroit’s organization as a second-round pick in 2014, the blueprint of a Dave Dombrowski-era draft pick: 6-foot-3, 215-pounder fresh out of the University of Alabama. Turnbull’s strength came through a dominant fastball, but inconsistencies in pitch location created a struggle in his first few pro seasons.

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After suffering a right shoulder impingement that sidelined him for the majority of the 2016 season, Turnbull returned with less velocity. But with the change, Turnbull’s location clicked.

The right-hander got his first look at Double-A to end last season, finishing with a 6.20 ERA over four starts in the Eastern League.

Greiner was drafted one round below Turnbull in 2014. The deceptively athletic catcher has a sharp understanding of how to work with his 6-foot-6 build. Despite multiple knee surgeries, the University of South Carolina product has proven he can handle himself defensively at every level so far.

Offensively, Greiner flashes power, but not on a consistent basis. After one game with Triple-A Toledo in 2016, Greiner ended the 2017 season with five games for  the Mud Hens. After hitting .241 over 98 games with Double-A Erie, Greiner wasn’t able to click at the plate with Toledo, posting just two hits in 14 trips to the plate.

The Tigers will need a successful year from Greiner if they hope to hold some depth at the catching position, and while he’s found a good deal of success defensively, the bat will absolutely need to keep up.

After making a seamless transition to second base last season with Double-A Erie, I don’t expect the Tigers to keep him on a short leash. Since arriving with Detroit alongside Jose King and Sergio Alcantara from Arizona in exchange for J.D. Martinez last season, it’s no secret that Lugo is being groomed.

A shortstop and third baseman by trade, Lugo’s plus arm profiles well for the hot corner, but the Tigers followed through on the decision to transition him to second base last summer at Erie. He handled the transition well and should see continued success as a Triple-A middle infielder.

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Likely to start the year with the Mud Hens, Lugo is still learning how to wield the bat. He flashes some natural power from his 6-0, 190 pound frame, and we could see more impact at the plate as his pitch recognition continues to improve. Lugo’s swing remains a bit disconnected, with full rotation in his upper body and almost no movement from his lower half.

Those two pieces need to click for Lugo to live up to what the Tigers hope to see from him in 2018.

(Top photo of Alex Faedo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

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