A week after landing just one player in Baseball America's top 100 prospects, the Tigers landed three in the same ranking by MLB Pipeline -- though none in the top 50.
As expected, right-handed pitcher Jackson Jobe led the way, coming in at No. 63 -- 20 slots higher than his Baseball America ranking. The third overall pick in 2021 is coming off a good-not-great debut season in Low-A and High-A.
"On a stuff level, you can still see what makes Jobe such a promising young righty," writes MLB Pipeline, while noting he needs to make better use of his arsenal "because right now, the sum is less than the total of the individual pitch parts. If it comes together, he has the tools to be a No. 2/3 starter."
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Next for the Tigers was infielder Jace Jung at No. 83, last year's 12th overall pick. Jung is a polished hitter who "has the strength and bat speed to show near-plus power to all fields," writes MLB Pipeline. Like Jobe, he's projected to reach Detroit in 2025.
Given his shortcomings in the field and on the base paths, Jung is "going to need to hit for both average and power to bring impact as an everyday player," says MLB Pipeline. "Luckily, he has a long resume of doing just that."
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Rounding out Detroit's top-100 prospects was right-handed pitcher Wilmer Flores, at No. 95. Flores, 21, is coming off a breakout season in High-A and Double-A in which he was named the Tigers' Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
MLB Pipeline projects Flores, who racked up 130 strikeouts in 103 innings last season thanks to a mid-90's heater and plus curveball, to reach Detroit this year:
"Flores has improved his strike-throwing enough that he should have the above-average control to stick in a starter’s role. He’s likely headed to Triple-A to begin his age-22 season and already has the polish to impact the back end of Detroit’s rotation by the year’s end."
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