Here's the Tigers' player pool for their Spring Breakout game

The Tigers are unbeaten through two years of MLB’s Spring Breakout series, and they’ll bring a prospect-loaded roster into this year’s event as they try to back up their standing as one of baseball’s top farm systems. Fans in Detroit and elsewhere will have a chance to watch the future Tigers -- some of them potentially in the very near future -- take on the Pirates in a game that could feature baseball’s top two prospects ... that is, unless Pittsburgh's Konnor Griffin and Detroit's Kevin McGonigle are still in big league camp competing for their clubs’ Opening Day roster.

What is Spring Breakout?

In 2026, MLB Spring Breakout will again be a four-day event showcasing baseball’s future -- the current stars of Minor League Baseball – in 16 exhibition games played between teams composed of each MLB organization’s top prospects. The third edition will be held from March 19-22 at Grapefruit and Cactus League stadiums during Spring Training.

In 2027, Spring Breakout will be expanded into a single-elimination tournament format, with champions being crowned in both the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues.

When is the Tigers’ game?

Detroit's prospects will face their Pittsburgh counterparts on Friday, March 20, at 7:35 p.m. ET.

How can I tune in?

MLB.TV, MLB.com, MLB App, SNP, Peacock, Amazon, Gameday

Notable position players

Top prospect (and MLB No. 2 prospect) Kevin McGonigle heads up the roster for the game, though he could be unavailable if he’s still fighting for an Opening Day roster spot in big league camp at that point. No. 2 prospect Max Clark (MLB No. 10) is also on the roster, as are No. 4 prospect Josue Briceño (MLB No. 40), Max Anderson (Tigers' No. 5), Hao-Yu Lee (No. 6) and Thayron Liranzo (No. 7).

Slugging outfielder Cris Rodriguez and slick-fielding shortstop Jordan Yost are also on the roster. For Rodriguez, Detroit’s No. 8 prospect, it’ll be his stateside debut after the highly ranked signing from last year’s international class spent the summer in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League. For Yost, the Tigers’ No. 9 prospect and first-round Draft pick last year, it’ll mark his professional debut.

Notable pitchers

No. 18 prospect Lucas Elissalt, the reigning Florida State League Pitcher of the Year, leads the list of pitching prospects alongside righties Ty Madden (No. 20) and Dylan Smith (No. 21). There are a number of noteworthy unranked pitching prospects, too, including knuckleballer Kenny Serwa, sidearmer Tanner Kohlhepp and hard-throwing reliever Yosber Sanchez.

Roster details

To accommodate the player movement involved with the World Baseball Classic and to create greater flexibility for clubs and farm directors, Spring Breakout rosters are being constructed in two phases in 2026. Clubs initially submit a preliminary 40-man player pool on Thursday, March 5, which will then be pared down to the official 23-27 man rosters on March 18.

The preliminary 40-man player pools consist of the team’s Top 30 prospects, as determined by MLB Pipeline, minus any injured players, players on a Dominican Summer League roster or players on the 40-man roster who have elected not to participate. The pools also include 10 or more additional unranked prospects submitted by the club to replace the above ranked prospects who are not participating.

Preliminary 40-man player pool (Tigers Top 30 Prospects list):

PITCHERS (18)
Max Alba, RHP, NR
Rayner Castillo, RHP, NR
Lucas Elissalt, RHP, No. 18
Dariel Fregio, RHP, NR
Marco Jimenez, RHP, NR
Tanner Kohlhepp, RHP, NR
Ty Madden, RHP, No. 20
Carlos Marcano, RHP, NR
Trevin Michael, RHP, NR
Joe Miller, LHP, NR
Hayden Minton, RHP, NR
Gabriel Reyes, LHP, NR
Moises Rodriguez, RHP, NR
Yosber Sanchez, RHP, NR
Kenny Serwa, RHP, NR
Johan Simon, LHP, NR
Dylan Smith, RHP, No. 21
Drew Sommers, LHP, NR

CATCHERS (4)
Josue Briceño, C/1B, No. 4/MLB No. 40
Ricardo Hurtado, C, NR
Thayron Liranzo, C, No. 7
Michael Oliveto, C, No. 13

INFIELDERS (12)
Max Anderson, 2B/3B, No. 5
Trei Cruz, INF, No. 26
Peyton Graham, UTIL, NR
Woody Hadeen, UTIL, NR
Hao-Yu Lee, 3B/2B, No. 6
Kevin McGonigle, SS, No. 1/MLB No. 2
Izaac Pacheco, 3B, No. 22
John Peck, INF, No. 15
Jack Penney, INF, NR
Eduardo Valencia, 1B/C, No. 25
Jude Warwick, SS/2B, No. 24
Jordan Yost, SS, No. 9

OUTFIELDERS (6)
Brett Callahan, OF, NR
Max Clark, OF, No. 2/MLB No. 10
Nick Dumesnil, OF, No. 27
Ben Malgeri, OF, NR
Cris Rodriguez, OF, No. 8
Jackson Strong, OF, No. 29