Rating Detroit's Top Rookie Prospects
ALSO: Remembering Bob Uecker, Milwaukee's 'Mr. Baseball'
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
Change is coming to Canada, where the Toronto Blue Jays could lose general manager Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider after 2026, when contracts for both expire . .
Team president Mark Shapiro could proceed them out the door as his five-year deal runs out this fall . . .
Top priority for Toronto is retaining first baseman Vlad Guerrero, Jr., a prospective free agent who could be the biggest bat in next year’s free agent class . . .
Bo Bichette, whose contract also expires, could be traded soon . . .
The Jays haven’t won a pennant since 1993 . . .
Chaim Bloom will take over as chief trade-maker in St. Louis this fall, replacing John Mozeliak.
Leading Off
Detroit Tigers’ Top Prospects For 2025
By Joe Underhill
The up-and-coming Detroit Tigers will bank heavily on kids. Here are the scouting reports on the best:
Jackson Jobe – RHP
Jobe is widely considered one of the best right-handed pitching prospects in baseball and got his first taste of the Majors last season. Jobe has four plus pitches and has shown plus command during his minor league career. He spent the majority of 2024 at AA Erie where he posted a 1.95 ERA in 73.2 innings with 81 strikeouts and 38 walks. The walk total was high for Jobe but could be attributed to working on the shape of some of his off-speed pitches. Jobe will get to compete for a spot in the Tigers rotation in spring training, but will most likely spend at least the first half of the season in AAA refining his tool set.
Max Clark – CF
Clark was the Tigers third overall pick in the 2023 draft. Since he was drafted the lefty swing Clark has shown off his speed and elite defense in center while continuing to develop into an above average hitter. The Tigers are hoping Clark will be able to develop into a top-of-the order table setter who’s on-base and speed will cause problems for opposing pitching staffs. In 2024, Clark slashed .279/.372/.421 at Low and High A, he also stole 29 bases in 33 attempts. Clark will most likely start the year back at High-A West Michigan, but will look to push into the upper minors by the end of the season.
Kevin McGonigle – SS/2B
McGonigle is another 2023 draft pick who has hit the ground running in his early minor league career. McGonigle suffered a right hamate fracture that prematurely ended his season shortly after being promoted to High-A West Michigan. McGonigle has a chance to stick at shortstop, but like all Tiger infield prospects is getting reps at multiple positions to give them more versatility. His defensive home is of lesser concern for the Tigers who are waiting to see if McGonigle can continue to demonstrate the plus bat skills he has shown early in his career. In 2024 he slashed .309/.401/.452 and stole 22 bases as well.
Bryce Rainer – SS
The Tigers were quite happy to find Rainer available when it came their turn in the 2024 draft. He is a lefty-swing shortstop who looks like he should stick at the position defensively. He was a two-way player in high school and scouts believe his offensive will fully evolve now that he will focus solely on offense.
Josue Briceno - 1B/C
Briceno was an international signing in the class of 2022. Hailing from the same hometown as Miguel Cabrera, Briceno burst unto the scene in 2023 and had a promising start to his 2024 derailed by a sprained knee. He made up for lost time in the AFL winning the first ever triple crown. In the AFL Briceno played all 12 games at first base and with the addition of Thayron Lirzano, first base will probably be a better long term fit. He will start the year in West Michigan.
Thayron Liranzo – C/1B
Liranzo was the return from the Jack Flaherty trade and immediately began to hit in the Tigers system slashing .315/.470/.562 after the trade. He looks like he will be able to stick at catcher but has also played some first base as well. Along with Briceno, Liranzo had a strong AFL slashing .375/.492/.667 he is likely ticketed to start the year at double-A.
Jace Jung – 3B/2B
Jung got his first taste of the Show in 2024 but struggled to find the power that was a key part of his offensive profile before his promotion to the majors. The Tigers moved Jung to third in difference to Colt Keith who has since been moved (at least temporarily) to first. Jung needs to show improved defense if he is going to earn a spot on the 26-man roster, but his offense should rebound. He had “minor” surgery on his right wrist in October and that injury may have played into his lack of power. Baring another free agent signing, Jung will be competing for third base reps in spring training.
Jaden Hamm – RHP
Hamm had a strong first full season in the Tiger minor leagues pitching the full year at High-A, West Michigan. He posted a strong 2.64 ERA over 99 innings with a K/9 rate of 11.1. His best two pitches are a upper zone fastball and a low zone curve that have generated most of his swing and miss. He also mixes a change and a slider. If starting doesn’t work out, he would be a leverage arm in the bullpen. He will most likely start the year in the AA rotation.
Hao-Yu Lee – 2B
Lee was the lightly heralded return in 2023 for trading Michael Lorenzen to the Phillies. He spent all of 2024 at AA Erie, where he slashed .298/.363/.488 with 16 steals. He has good plate discipline and has played solid defense. He’ll most likely start the year at AAA Toledo.
Trey Sweeney – SS
Sweeney was the “other” player who came from the Dodgers in the Flaherty trade. Shortly after the deal the Tigers promoted Sweeney, and he took over as the starting shortstop and helped propel the Tigers to the postseason. His overall numbers were not great, but he played above average defense posting a DRS of 3 in just 36 games. He will need to cut down on his strikeouts and improve his contact rates, but he is the front-runner to be the starting shortstop in 2025.
Just Missed:
Brant Hurter LHP, Dillon Dingler C, Owen Hall RHP. Hurter and Dingler will compete in spring training for spots on the 26-man roster. Hall was a second-round pick in 2024 and will likely start the year in Low-A.
Joe Underhill is a high school administrator and diehard baseball fan and fan of the city of Detroit. Joe currently writes for the HTP Newsletter. You can follow Joe on X (Twitter)@TransplantedDet and @transplanteddet.bsky.social
Cleaning Up
Bob Uecker’s Best Hits Came on Comedy Circuit
By Dan Schlossberg
Johnny Carson loved him. So did Phil Niekro, not mention a myriad of Milwaukee baseball fans.
Bob Uecker, 90, has finally found his niche in Baseball Heaven.
He broadcast Brewers games for 54 years, even finding time to play Harry Doyle in Major League and himself on The Tonight Show.
Carson invited him back more than 100 times.
Uecker, who once shared a room on the road with Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews, once bragged that his room produced 400 home runs. He was right: 399 for Mathews at that moment in time but one lonely long ball for Uecker himself.
He couldn’t hit a lick but redeemed himself by saving Niekro’s once-floundering career. For some reason, he could catch that dancing knuckler, enabling Niekro to win and keep a spot in the Braves rotation as he twirled his way toward 318 wins and a Cooperstown plaque.
Uecker is there too – in the so-called “broadcaster’s wing.” He won the annual Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting.
The guy was not just funny. He was hilarious. People love self-depricating humor.
Still working at age 90, Uecker had a well-deserved national reputation.
“Ueck was the light of the Brewers, the soundtrack of our summers, the laughter in our hearts, the heart and soul of Wisconsin and a dear friend,” the Brewers said in a statement. “Bob loved people. His presence warmed every room and he had a way of welcoming all of us into his world as if we were lifelong friends.”
Calling him “a national treasure,” Major League Baseball Trade Rumors cited his wry sense of humor and signature voice in its tribute.
“We join countless baseball fans around the world with a heavy heart in light of this morning’s news,” the website said. “Rest in peace, Mr. Baseball.”
It was Carson who gave Uecker the nickname. But it could have been anyone within earshot.
Consider some of his comments:
“The highlight of my baseball career came in Philadelphia's Connie Mack Stadium when I saw a fan fall out of the upper deck. When he got up and walked away, the crowd booed.”
“The best way to catch a knuckleball is to wait for it to stop rolling and then pick it up.”
Uecker started and ended his career with the Braves, playing for the team in both Atlanta and his native Milwaukee. He had a lifetime batting average of .200 with 14 home runs in 843 plate appearances. Uecker also played for the Phillies and Cardinals.
Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ can be reached via ballauthor@gmail.com. He is the author of 42 baseball books, including two Hank Aaron biographies and the forthcoming New Baseball Bible, featuring 25 chapters and 512 pages — many in color.
Timeless Trivia
With the baseball writers set to announce their Class of 2025 selections Tuesday, three words from past elections remain viable: expect the unexpected . . .
With 75 per cent of the vote needed for enshrinement, Joe DiMaggio got only 44% of the vote in 1953 . . .
Although Fred McGriff never got the needed three-quarters of the vote from writers, he was elected unanimously (16 out of 16) by the Eras Committee considering the Class of 2023 . . .
The writers elected five men for the inaugural Class of 1936 but never more than four in any year since . . .
Four were picked by the writers in both 2018 and 2019, years when the veterans elected two more . . .
When Nolan Ryan, George Brett, and Robin Yount were all picked for the Class of 1999, it was the first time since that initial 1936 vote that the writers had elected more than two new members.
Know Your Editors
HERE’S THE PITCH is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [gopherben@gmail.com] handles the Monday issue with Dan Freedman [dfreedman@lionsgate.com] editing Tuesday and Jeff Kallman [easyace1955@outlook.com] at the helm Wednesday and Thursday. Original editor Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com], edits the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Former editor Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] is now co-director [with Benjamin Chase and Jonathan Becker] of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, which publishes this newsletter and the annual ACTA book of the same name. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HtP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.