The names by now are familiar. Casey Mize and Matt Manning. Franklin Perez and Beau Burrows. Alex Faedo -- remember him? And those are just the ones that rank within the Tigers' top-10 prospects.
They're down in spring training at the moment, and Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire has liked what he's seen. Which ones stick out?
"They all do," Gardenhire told the Jamie and Stoney Show on 97.1 The Ticket. "That's why there were these picks."
But Mize, the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft and one of the top-20 prospects in the game, seems to be making a particular impression.
"Getting them out on the field, there's a little bit more savvy from some of the college kids, like Mize," said Gardenhire. "He's got a little more savvy to him and kind of knows what he's doing already, and he's still making adjustments. He was out there the first time and we watched him and he came out saying, 'I just gotta be better than that. I need to get the ball over the plate a little bit more.'
"So these guys understand. Some of the younger prospects that we have are still trying to figure it out, but some of those kids that went to college, they're pretty polished. You just gotta bounce them up a level and finally get them here -- and they'll get here. They'll all get here together and it'll be pretty fun to watch."
The 26-year-old Turnbull, Detroit's second-round pick in 2016 who climbed his way to Triple-A last season, has a shot to make the big-league club this spring. But he'll have to win a spot in the starting rotation to stick, which is hard to envision with Michael Fulmer, Jordan Zimmermann, Matthew Boyd, Daniel Norris, Matt Moore and Tyson Ross already ahead of him.
"I don't think we're going to put him in the bullpen. He's too good of a starter, and we need starters," Gardenhire said. "If he doesn't make this ballclub as a starter then it's probably going to be in Triple-A starting out. But I just love the movement he's got. I stand behind (the cage) during batting practice down here and I watch his ball. It comes out of his hand and darts left and right, and again yesterday, great velocity.
"We just hope that he continues that this spring and we'll go from there. We'll see at the end. I know our bosses have signed some people and brought them in here to protect some of these young guys. That's what we all get to sit down and talk about at the end of spring training, what the bosses want and what's right for the kids and this organization right now."
Other highlights from Gardenhire's interview on 97.1 The Ticket:
On Miguel Cabrera: "He's happy. That's the big thing right now, he's feeling good. He said the first day out there he felt a little disoriented, if you can imagine that. The guy's played a long time, but he sat out for quite a bit and he was trying to get his steps in place and get his rhythm with the pitch going across home plate playing first base. Said he felt a little weird, which when you sit out a long time it does feel weird to get back out there.
"He's happy, he's swinging good, he feels good. He's actually been smiling an awful lot, more than we've seen him over the last year or so, and it's nice to have him back. He can hit, the guy can still flat out hit, so that's gong to be fun for the ballclub. Gotta keep him healthy."
On Nicholas Castellanos: "Catellanos is doing his work. He's fine, you know Nicky. He is what he is. His whole situation this winter (with the trade rumors) and coming into camp wasn't ideal for anybody, but he's moved past that. As I told him, just go play, and that's what he's doing. The kid goes out there and works really hard in the outfield, works hard with his swing. I told him, 'Just forget all about this other stuff. We can't control that. Let's just play baseball.' And that's kind of what he's doing."
On the slow free agent market: "It is a little bit mind-boggling to see some of these guys that can really play having a hard time getting a job. But I think -- and I've said it all along -- when guys are asking for $300 million, that's going to slow the process down. When they're holding out for some of the biggest money we're ever going to see, that's what slows the process down.
"I think there was just pushback (from teams): 'We can't pay this, there's no way.' A lot of organizations have done that, and that's kind of why there's a bunch of guys still out there. They just backed off and said, 'We're not going to go for this stuff. We can't do it.' That's what I see in my mind. That's the only reason that I can see something like this going on like it is. But they're holding out and some of them are holding out for a lot of money, and they may not get it this year."
