The Tigers' big arms aren't here yet, but they're coming. And they're rising up the ranks along the way.
In MLB.com's rankings of the top 10 RHP prospects and the top 10 LHP prospects in baseball, Detroit was the only club to land three names.
You can probably guess which ones: Casey Mize, Matt Manning and Tarik Skubal.
Mize led the way, ranking No. 1 among righties. He ranked No. 2 on the same list last year, then jumped Houston's Forrest Whitley with a standout season with Double-A Erie. Over 15 starts, Mize posted a 3.20 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and a 4.2 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
MLB.com named Mize's splitter the best secondary pitch in the group: "One of the most devastating pitches in baseball. It's a mid-80s offering that dives abruptly at the plate, and some scouts say they've never seen a pitcher command a splitter better than Mize does."
After Mize, Manning ranked No. 7 among righties. He was unranked a year ago. But Manning, 21, had an even better season than Mize, posting a 2.56 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and a 3.9 K/BB ratio over 24 starts in Double-A. Manning's curveball was named the best in the group, along with that of Whitley.
The biggest riser among the trio was Skubal, Detroit's 9th-round pick in 2018. Forget the top lefties; a year ago, Skubal wasn't even considered one of Detroit's top prospects. Then he put up a 2.42 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and a 4.8 K/BB ratio over 24 starts in Double-A. Now he's No. 4 among the game's left-handed prospects.
Per MLB.com: "He'd always been known as having good stuff; it's just that few got to see it. Tommy John surgery cost him nearly all of his first two collegiate seasons and he was inconsistent as a junior. The Tigers took a chance by taking him in the ninth round of the 2018 Draft and going above pick value to sign him. Looks like they nailed it."
All three pitchers should start the season in Triple-A. And if all goes well, each one should be in Detroit at some point next season.
The future is coming.
