The Big 3 Promoted To Erie

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Peter Welch

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Jul 6, 2025, 8:57:36 PM7/6/25
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The Tigers have promoted their top 3 hitting prospects, SS Kevin McGonigle, CF Max Clark and C-1B Josue Briceno, to AA Erie.  All 3 of them are only 20 years old. McGonigle and Briceno might be the 2 top hitting prospects in baseball.    Erie has a hitter-friendly ballpark so expect continued big numbers from them.

Peter

Michael W

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Jul 6, 2025, 10:56:45 PM7/6/25
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Very exciting!  Promotions to AA don’t always go well, but these guys have talent.

Michael 

Peter Welch

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Jul 7, 2025, 12:06:54 AM7/7/25
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Erie will now become a terror for opposing AA pitchers with those 3 guys joining Max Anderson, Carlos Mendoza, Thayron Liranzo, Trei Cruz, Eduardo Valencia, Jake Holton, etc. in the Erie lineup.  The 23-year-old Anderson should probably be promoted to AAA soon to see how he can hit more advanced pitching.  He has a .950 OPS in AA with 11 homers and 24 doubles. 

Going into the season, Liranzo was considered the Tigers' top catching prospect, but Briceno reportedly has been working hard on his catching skills and has probably surpassed Lirzanzo as the system's top catching prospect.  Briceno is a better hitting prospect than Liranzo.  Liranzo has struggled a bit this year in AA, hitting .219/.350/.401 with a 29% strikeout rate.  Liranzo has good power and can draw some walks, but struggles to make contact.  

Peter

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Mike Coveyou

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Jul 7, 2025, 12:47:56 AM7/7/25
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Are  Briceno and Liranzo the next incarnation of Dingler and Rogers?  It does sound as though there may be traffic jam at catcher in the next year or two (probably not until 2027, but Briceno has been so impressive that he may be knocking on the Tigers door by spring training.

Mike Coveyou

Tanvir Shaikh

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Jul 7, 2025, 3:28:26 AM7/7/25
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On Mon, Jul 7, 2025 at 6:47 AM Mike Coveyou <mcov...@gmail.com> wrote:
Are  Briceno and Liranzo the next incarnation of Dingler and Rogers?  It does sound as though there may be traffic jam at catcher in the next year or two (probably not until 2027

The question is whether either of the former two can stick at catcher.   Briceno is big -- 6'4", 200+ lbs. -- and has had knee problems already.  If he moves to 1B, then there's a logjam there instead.  Liranzo is a better bet to stick behind the plate, but I read that he converted to catcher relatively recently, and needs work there.

The logjam has already hit Erie, with Liranzo and Briceno now there, along with organizational soldier Eduardo Valencia (signed out of Venezuela in 2018), who has a 859 OPS.  My suggestion would be to bump Valencia up to Toledo, where there's minimal production at catcher, and see if there's any potential there.

-Tapu

Peter Welch

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Jul 7, 2025, 8:29:55 AM7/7/25
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Move them to 2nd base!

Peter
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Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 3:28 AM

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Peter Welch

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Jul 8, 2025, 8:02:06 PM7/8/25
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Clark, Briceno and McGonigle already have combined for 4 hits tonight in their AA debuts.

Peter
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Move them to 2nd base!

Peter
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Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 3:28 AM
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On Mon, Jul 7, 2025 at 6:47 AM Mike Coveyou <mcov...@gmail.com> wrote:
Are  Briceno and Liranzo the next incarnation of Dingler and Rogers?  It does sound as though there may be traffic jam at catcher in the next year or two (probably not until 2027

The question is whether either of the former two can stick at catcher.   Briceno is big -- 6'4", 200+ lbs. -- and has had knee problems already.  If he moves to 1B, then there's a logjam there instead.  Liranzo is a better bet to stick behind the plate, but I read that he converted to catcher relatively recently, and needs work there.

The logjam has already hit Erie, with Liranzo and Briceno now there, along with organizational soldier Eduardo Valencia (signed out of Venezuela in 2018), who has a 859 OPS.  My suggestion would be to bump Valencia up to Toledo, where there's minimal production at catcher, and see if there's any potential there.

-Tapu

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Tanvir Shaikh

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Jul 10, 2025, 4:11:46 AM7/10/25
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On Mon, Jul 7, 2025 at 9:28 AM Tanvir Shaikh <taput...@gmail.com> wrote:
The logjam has already hit Erie, with Liranzo and Briceno now there, along with organizational soldier Eduardo Valencia (signed out of Venezuela in 2018), who has a 859 OPS.  My suggestion would be to bump Valencia up to Toledo, where there's minimal production at catcher, and see if there's any potential there.

Probably not very interesting nor important, but Valencia was indeed promoted to Toledo as part of the shuffle, as was Trei Cruz.  Franyerber Montilla was the star of the day though, with 3 XBH and a BB for Lakeland:


I wonder how Mud Hens will use Cruz.  I suppose Jace Jung and Hao-Yu Lee will split 2B & 3B, and if so, the primary remaining positions of both Cruz and Ryan Kriedler are SS and CF, so maybe they'll also share those two positions.  I further suppose that none of these 4 guys is the organization's top prospect at their respective positions, and that they're being groomed for utility roles.  If that's the case, Jung would be the biggest disappointment of the group as a first-round pick, although Lee is young enough (22) to jump in performance.

-Tapu

Peter Welch

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Jul 10, 2025, 9:18:52 AM7/10/25
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Valencia hit a homer in his first AAA game a couple of days ago.  He's never hit for much power or average until this year with Erie.  At 25, he isn't that old for a catching "prospect", so he might be able to get some time in the majors in the future for someone as a backup catcher if his defensive skills are ok.

Jung reportedly has been working on a big swing change.  He used to hold the bat a little bit like Mickey Tettleton, but he's abandoned that.
He's gone 7/11 in his last 2 games so maybe he's figuring some things out.  He needs to do something to salvage his prospect status.

Peter
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Sent: Thursday, July 10, 2025 4:21 AM

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Peter Welch

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Jul 10, 2025, 9:28:36 AM7/10/25
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Max Anderson should probably also be in Toledo but he would create an even bigger logjam at 2B/3B.

Peter
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Tanvir Shaikh

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Jul 10, 2025, 10:56:58 AM7/10/25
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On Thu, Jul 10, 2025 at 3:18 PM Peter Welch <pw...@hotmail.com> wrote:
Valencia hit a homer in his first AAA game a couple of days ago.  He's never hit for much power or average until this year with Erie.  At 25, he isn't that old for a catching "prospect", so he might be able to get some time in the majors in the future for someone as a backup catcher if his defensive skills are ok.

I had read somewhere that Valencia's catching skills are so-so, not enough to carry him in the majors if he doesn't hit at least a little.   My guess is that he's the #5 catcher in the organizational depth chart, behind Dingler, Rogers, Liranzo, and Briceno.  (I'm not counting Tomas Nido.)  Liranzo and Briceno are at lower rungs in the minors though, so if we needed a temporary replacement in 2026 or so, there's a window of time where Valencia might fit into our plans.

-Tapu

Michael W

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Jul 10, 2025, 12:27:51 PM7/10/25
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Tapu:
> I wonder how Mud Hens will use Cruz.  [...]  I further suppose that none of these 4 guys is the organization's top prospect 
> at their respective positions, and that they're being groomed for utility roles. 

Cruz isn't being groomed, he's reached his potential - high-minors utility guy.  Figuring out how to hit AA pitching, in his fourth AA season at age 26, didn't make him a major league prospect, even for the bench. 

As a guy who can play a bunch of positions, he'll be welcome in Toledo as long as he wants to stay, (occasionally being sent down to Erie when there's a glut of guys at Toledo).  Without a guy like that (Andrew Navigato is another example) you end up with Josh Lester playing second base.  It's an organizational need, but the pay is poor, so guys usually don't stick it out too long once it's clear that there are no more steps.  

There isn't much loyalty to organizational soldiers.  Navigato never got an inning in the majors; Ben Malgeri didn't even get to play AAA.  Now that the rosters don't expand to 40 in September any more, even the loyalty promotions don't happen.

I'm glad Cruz finally made it to AAA - he certainly put in the work.  But it will be frustrating for him, I'm sure, to be that close, see lots of guys getting called up every month, and never get the call.  I hope he's not still there at 30.

Michael

Michael W

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Jul 10, 2025, 12:42:15 PM7/10/25
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> Max Anderson should probably also be in Toledo but he would create an even bigger logjam at 2B/3B.

Right now, Lee is a blocker.  The Tigers have to decide pretty soon if he's got major league potential, and bring him up, or trade him while he still has a bit of shine.  It's a shame that he didn't get Ibanez's job.  There is a downside to having marginal guys like Vierling and Meadows on the major league roster - they add some value and can help win a game here or there, but they create road blocks for development of the prospects. 

We're not used to having this problem in Detroit!  From a fan's point of view it's a good problem to have.  It was only a few years ago that guys like that were considered our prospects or upgrades on the previous guys.

Michael

Peter Welch

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Jul 10, 2025, 2:44:58 PM7/10/25
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Cruz might make the majors for somebody in the next 2-3 years even if just for a few games.  His bloodline helps his name recognition, and he has said he is really motivated to at least make the majors so that he’d be a 3rd generation major leaguer in his family.

But likely he’s just going to be a minor league veteran filling out somebody’s AAA or AA roster.

Peter

On Jul 10, 2025, at 12:27 PM, Michael W <miw...@gmail.com> wrote:


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Michael W

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Jul 10, 2025, 6:55:52 PM7/10/25
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> The question is whether either of the former two can stick at catcher.   

Alfonzo started at catcher this evening.  Maybe not a good sign.

Michael 

Peter Welch

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Jul 10, 2025, 8:20:17 PM7/10/25
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Briceno might be the best power hitting prospect the Tigers have had in a long time.  I’d rather not have him injured all the time playing catcher.  

Peter

On Jul 10, 2025, at 6:55 PM, Michael W <miw...@gmail.com> wrote:


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Peter Welch

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Jul 13, 2025, 3:35:29 PM7/13/25
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Meadows needs to be in Toledo.  Put Baez back in CF.

Peter
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Sent: Thursday, July 10, 2025 12:42 PM

Roger King

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Jul 13, 2025, 3:40:31 PM7/13/25
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Yeah, that’s the thing. Obviously when Meadows was hitting well in the second half last year, he was valuable across the board. But even with a hitting slump, you might say his elite defense still justifies a spot on the roster. Now, after seeing what Baez did in the first half, if Meadows isn’t hitting, there’s no reason to keep him on the 26-man roster.  Especially with Vierling back.  


Peter Welch

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Jul 13, 2025, 3:49:01 PM7/13/25
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Baez/Perez platoon in CF (with Vierling playing some CF as well) should be ok.
Meadows needs some time in Toledo to work on his hitting like he did last year when he was awful early in the season and got demoted.  He's looking like he did in April/May last year when he was striking out all the time.


Peter
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Jeffrey Withey

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Jul 13, 2025, 3:53:40 PM7/13/25
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Both Meadows and Vierling are absolutely terrible. Vierling wasn’t hitting at Toledo either. Baez/Greene/Perez can cover center and JH Malloy would be a backup upgrade at a corner position. At least he takes walks and can hit for power. 

Jeff

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[EXTERNAL]

Roger King

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Jul 13, 2025, 4:01:36 PM7/13/25
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Don’t forget that Carpenter is presumably coming back after the break. Meadows pretty much has to be the one going down to Toledo in that scenario.

I think they’ll give Vierling more opportunities to rebound. They love his position versatility and he has only had 38 AB’s on the season. 


Peter Welch

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Jul 13, 2025, 4:39:17 PM7/13/25
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Can Vierling pitch?  I guess not with his bum shoulder.  (BTW, he was a pitcher in college).

Peter
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Peter Welch

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Aug 4, 2025, 6:42:03 PM8/4/25
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20-year-old Tigers' SS prospect Franyerber Montilla at Lakeland tore his ACL and is out for the season and will probably miss a chunk of next season.

21-year-old OF Jackson Strong and 20-year-old RHP Lucas Elissalt have been promoted from Lakeland to West Michigan.
Elissalt pitched very well for Lakeland this year (2.48 ERA in 16 games, 10 starts).  He only has a 0.980 WHIP with 77 Ks and 20 walks in 65 innings.

Peter

Michael W

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Aug 4, 2025, 11:10:45 PM8/4/25
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I’m glad Strong got promoted, he deserved it.

Michael

Peter Welch

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Aug 7, 2025, 1:37:12 PM8/7/25
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Trey Sweeney had a big day on Wednesday as he had 6 hits in a doubleheader sweep by the Mud Hens vs. Louisville.
Sweeney hit 2 homers in game 2.  He had 3 hits in each game.  Sweeney is hitting .389 for Toledo (ok, it's only 36 at-bats).

Justyn-Henry Malloy is hitting .307/.445/.442 for Toledo.  At this point the Tigers should just call up Malloy and platoon him with Riley Greene.  Malloy would probably get on base more than Greene.  Heck, Carlos Mendoza would probably get on base more than Greene.

Cody Heuer picked up a save for Toledo by getting the final out with a strikeout in game 2 of the doubleheader.

Alex Lange has a 6.10 ERA for Toledo in 12 appearances.  He's walked 7 and struck out 12 in 10.1 IP.  As usual, control continues to be Lange's problem.

SS Kevin McGonigle was 3-4 with a triple in Erie's 6-3 loss to Richmond on Wednesday. 

McGonigle is hitting .290/.375/.507 (.882 OPS) with Erie.

CF Max Clark was 0-5, but he's still hitting .297/.369/.514 (.883 OPS) since being promoted to Erie.

C Josue Briceno was 0-4.  He's hitting .224/.289/.358 (.647 OPS) for Erie.

West Michigan won 8-2 vs. Cedar Rapids.

2B John Peck has been hitting well lately.  The 23-year-old Peck was 3-5 with 3 singles and raised his average to .314.
Peck was the Tigers' 7th-round pick in 2023.

CF Jackson Strong was 1-4 with a single in his high-A debut.

23-year-old righty Preston Howey threw 4 no-hit innings with 5 Ks and 1 walk.

Lakeland won 7-4 vs. Bradenton.

19-year-old SS Jude Warwick was 2-3 with a double and an RBI.
Warwick is hitting .429 since being promoted from the FCL Tigers.

Wilmer Flores, on rehab assignment, threw 1 shutout inning.

Here's video of Tigers' recent #1 pick, SS Jordan Yost.  I'm guessing this was some sort of practice game because the Florida Complex League season is over.


Peter

Michael W

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Aug 19, 2025, 11:11:01 PM8/19/25
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>I'm glad Cruz finally made it to AAA - he certainly put in the work. 
> But it will be frustrating for him, I'm sure, to be that close, 
>see lots of guys getting called up every month, and never 
>get the call. 

Well, Cruz is certainly making his case for a call-up.  After a good game tonight he’s pushed above .950 OPS is his first 120 or so PA.  Go Trei!

Michael 

Peter Welch

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Aug 20, 2025, 12:33:48 AM8/20/25
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I was wondering the other day about switch hitters other than W. Perez in the Tigers' system.  Cruz is a switch hitter.  Looking at his splits, he hits righties (.936 OPS) much better than lefties (.680 OPS).

How good is his defense at SS?

Peter
Sent: Tuesday, August 19, 2025 11:11 PM

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