Any conversation about the rising Tigers farm system begins with the arms. There are talented young hurlers at every level -- as there should be for an organization that has spent its last four top draft picks on pitchers.
But the Tigers have restocked the cupboards with position players as well, primarily through trades the past few years. A few of them already rank highly among the organization's prospects.
Jim Leyland, who's now a special assistant to the Tigers, mentioned three in particular during an appearance Thursday on the Karsch and Anderson Show on 97.1 The Ticket.
"I like the kid (Parker) Meadows that we took in the second round last year. He’s a high school kid. I went over to see him in Tiger Town the other day, he’s a specimen. He’s a big kid, he’s graceful, he kind of lopes after the ball. He’s really got some ability," Leyland said.
A 19-year-old who checks in at 6'5, 185 lbs., Meadows was seen as a potential first-round pick last June. The Tigers were excited to nab him with the top pick in the second. He's a speedy outfielder who can play all three positions, and he's got raw power at the plate.
Meadows signed with the Tigers last summer and hit well in limited action in the low minors. He's got a ways to go before he's in Detroit, but MLB Pipeline, which lists him as the Tigers' No. 9 prospect, says he "has a tantalizing ceiling as a center fielder with 20-20 potential."
Two players ahead of Meadows have also stood out to Leyland, who spends lots of time watching the prospects in Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo and reports to Al Avila on their progress.
Per MLB Pipeline, Paredes "has preternatural feel for putting the barrel on the ball and covers the plate well, with an advanced, contact-focused approach that results in low strikeout totals." The 20-year-old will likely make the jump to Triple-A this season.
Cameron, 22, is probably the best all-around athlete in the Tigers' system. He started last season in High-A and ended in Triple-A. His best asset is his speed, but he can hit, too. Right now, he looks like Detroit's center fielder of the future.
That's what the Tigers were hoping for two years ago when they acquired him from the Astros in the Justin Verlander trade. Cameron was the main piece of the package. His "ceiling is still coming into focus, but all the pieces are there for him to develop into an everyday center fielder at the highest level," says MLB Pipeline.
Leyland, of course, would be remiss if he didn't mention a few of the Tigers' young arms.
"We really have some good young pitching, and it’s getting closer, too, with (Matt) Manning and (Beau) Burrows and (Alex) Faedo and (Kyle) Funkhouser, guys like that," said Leyland. "It’s just a matter now of which ones separate themselves. They all can throw it up there at 95 mph, but it's a matter of adjusting to learn how to get hitters out, learn how to use your stuff.
"Some guys get over the hump, and some guys never get over the hump even though they have good arms. But I’m telling you, we’re loaded with some arms, in Double-A and Triple-A."
Other highlights from Leyland's interview on 97.1 The Ticket