The Tigers have an offense that needs help and three hot-hitting prospects in Triple-A. But 21-year-old Colt Keith and 23-year-olds Parker Meadows and Justyn-Henry Malloy have more to do in Toledo before they get the call to Detroit, Tigers front office chief Scott Harris said Wednesday.
"Listen, I want to see those guys up here, too," Harris told Bally Sports Detroit during the Tigers' 12-3 loss to the Athletics. "The part that nobody likes to hear is that we make mistakes all the time in this game when we react too positively or negatively to something that happens in a short window of time. Baseball teaches you over time. I’m really glad that those guys are performing in Toledo right now, but there’s a little more that they have to do.
"Because we have to remind ourselves, the goal is not to get them here as quickly as we possibly can. The goal is to get them here when they’re ready to stay here and perform for a long time."
The stats for each player speak for themselves. Keith, now the Tigers' top prospect, tore the cover off the ball in Double-A to earn a promotion last month, and has been even better since arriving in Triple-A. He has an even 1.000 OPS on the season. Malloy has an .853 OPS, buoyed by great plate discipline. Meadows has an .800 OPS with elite speed on the bases.
"I think they have a little bit more to do," Harris said. "We want them to see different types of pitching. All three of them have admitted that pitching in Triple-A is a little different than Double-A. The misses are smaller, the attack plan is a little more sophisticated, pitchers are better at identifying and exploiting weaknesses.
"We want them to see those types of pitchers because once they have to make the jump to this level, it’s even harder. The stuff's even better, the command’s even better."
The biggest question for all three of them -- certainly for Keith and Malloy -- might be where they fit in the field. Keith has played third base and second this season, Malloy has played third, left field and right field, and Meadows has played all three outfield positions.
"We really want them to get more reps at multiple positions down there," Harris said. "All three of them are playing multiple positions. We feel like we need them to round out their games, so that A.J. can use them at multiple positions here and they can be assets out there and help us prevent runs."
But ultimately, Keith, Meadows and Malloy will be assets for the Tigers with their bats. And for an offense that was recently blanked for 17 straight innings by the worst team in the majors, any one of them could help. The Tigers just won't rush them here at the expense of their development.
"If you think about Justyn-Henry Malloy, he was hitting .400 for most of April and then he really struggled in May," said Harris. "It’s a good reminder that just because you’re putting together a stretch of two, three, four weeks, even a month, it doesn’t mean you’re quite ready."
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