Tigers Have Top-Five Farm System – And It's Only Getting Stronger

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All the losing is starting to pay off for the Tigers. 

Buoyed by a number of high draft picks in recent years, the club's farm system has risen from one of the worst in baseball to one of the best. It now ranks fifth in the majors, according to MLB.com. 

And it will only get stronger in June when Detroit adds another impact prospect with the No. 1 pick in the draft. The Marlins are the only other team team with a top-10 farm system and a top-five pick in 2020.

The Tigers have four top-50 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, which is tied for the most in baseball. 2018 first overall pick Casey Mize (No. 7) leads the way, followed by 2016 first-rounder Matt Manning (No. 24), 2019 first-rounder Riley Greene (No. 31) and Tarik Skubal (No. 46), a ninth-round find in 2018. 

MLB.com projects Mize to be Detroit's top rookie this year, adding, "Help is on the way thanks to the Tigers’ wave of upper-level pitching prospects, and the club also has a promising crop of young hitters that could move faster than originally thought."

The 19-year-old Greene leads that crop of hitters, which also includes infielders Isaac Paredes and Kody Clemens and outfielder Parker Meadows. Greene and Clemens, in particular, have stood out this year in spring training. Paredes, the club's No. 5 prospect, should get a look in Detroit this season. 

As for the draft, the frontrunner to go first overall remains Arizona State first baseman Spencer Torkelson. He's the best hitter on the board and he'd fill a major need for the Tigers moving forward. 

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Detroit's top-10 prospects are rounded out by shortstop Willi Castro, center fielder Daz Cameron, left-hander Joey Wentz, right-hander Alex Faedo and catcher Jake Rogers. Right-hander Franklin Perez, the prize of the Justin Verlander trade, has fallen to No. 12 amid his battles with injuries. 

2019 international signee Robert Campos, a 16-year-old outfielder, is a name to watch.