The Tigers' top hitting prospect is one step closer to Detroit.
Colt Keith has been promoted to Triple-A Toledo after killing Double-A pitching for the first three months of this season -- a day after the Tigers demoted third baseman Nick Maton from Detroit to Toledo.
Keith is hitting .325 with 14 homers and 50 RBI in 59 games with Erie and ranks third in the International League with a .976 OPS. He recently vaulted into Baseball America's top 30 prospects, with the scouting service calling him "the Tigers’ most promising and polished minor league hitter."
Just last week, Tigers president of baseball ops Scott Harris said the 21-year-old Keith "in many ways embodies the offensive approach we’re trying to build around in this organization."
"He’s swinging at the right pitches, he’s accessing his power almost every night," Harris said. "If you don’t catch yourself, it’s easy to forget that he’s the youngest player on the team and one of the youngest players in all of Double-A."
Harris added that the Tigers want Keith to continue improving his defense in the infield after losing all of last summer due to a shoulder injury. He also missed a few games earlier this month due to arm soreness and has served mostly as the designated hitter since his return.
"The standard he’s setting (in Double-A), being obsessed with trying to get better every day, is the standard we want to have at all levels," Harris said. "The development goals for him right now are continuing to see different types of pitching, working to refine his defense at both third base and second base and making up for some of those lost reps. If he continues to do that, he’s going to be just fine."
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