The Tigers have enjoyed the buzz of several top prospects climbing national lists in recent years. Detroit had two of MLB Pipeline’s top five prospects in baseball in last year’s preseason rankings in Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson, and Greene was briefly No. 1 before he made his Major League debut last June. Torkelson was near the top when he made the Tigers’ Opening Day roster a year ago. Casey Mize was in the upper echelon before he graduated in 2021.
 
It was a great run for the Tigers that created buzz about their rebuild, but it also overshadowed the issue of a top-heavy system. Now that many big names have graduated and are in Detroit, the system has flipped somewhat. The Tigers’ highest-ranked prospect in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 is Jackson Jobe, currently at 63. But with three prospects in the Top 100, two others on positional Top 10 lists, and a few others knocking on the door, the Tigers are building depth.

If one or more of the Tigers’ Top 10 can blossom into an impact hitter, new president of baseball operations Scott Harris will have a lot more to work with as he tries to put Detroit back on a path towards contention. There are several intriguing prospects who could make the jump.

• MLB Pipeline | Top 100 prospects | Prospect video

Here's a look at the Tigers' top prospects:

1. Jackson Jobe, RHP (MLB No. 63)
2. Jace Jung, 2B (MLB No. 83)
3. Wilmer Flores, RHP (MLB No. 95)
4. Colt Keith, 3B
5. Ty Madden, RHP
Complete Top 30 list »

Biggest jump/fall

Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2022 preseason list to the 2023 preseason list:

Jump: Wilmer Flores (2022: 15 | 2023: 3)
A non-drafted free agent signing after the shortened 2020 Draft, Flores was a hard-throwing pitcher with intrigue a year ago. But the brother of Giants infielder Wilmer Flores (they have different middle names) established his name among baseball’s top prospects with a breakout season between High-A and Double-A with a 2.79 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 130 strikeouts in 103 1/3 innings. If he can continue that momentum, he could make his Major League debut later this season.

Fall: Gage Workman (2022: 11 | 2023: 30)
Workman fell out of the Top 30 for a while last year before returning now. His athleticism and talent remain impressive, but he struck out at a 40-percent rate at Double-A last year, worsening what was already a nagging knock against the former Arizona State standout. Still just 23 years old, he has a chance as a fresh start, but needs some changes in swing and approach to put his immense talent to work.

Top 30s
NLE: ATL | MIA | NYM | PHI | WSH
ALE: BAL | BOS | NYY | TB | TOR
NLC: CIN | CHC | MIL | PIT | STL
ALC: CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIN
NLW: AZ | COL | LAD | SD | SF
ALW: HOU | LAA | OAK | SEA | TEX

Best tools

Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.

Hit: 55 -- Jace Jung (Colt Keith, Justyn-Henry Malloy, Wenceel Perez, Cristian Santana)
Power: 55 -- Jace Jung (Colt Keith, Izaac Pacheco, Roberto Campos)
Run: 60 -- Wenceel Perez (Peyton Graham, Parker Meadows)
Arm: 60 -- Colt Keith (Ryan Kreidler, Parker Meadows, Dillon Dingler)
Fielding: 55 -- Ryan Kreidler (Dillon Dingler, Abel Bastidas)
Fastball: 65 -- Elvis Alvarado
Curveball: 60 -- Wilmer Flores
Slider: 65 -- Jackson Jobe
Changeup: 60 -- Reese Olson
Control: 55 -- Wilmer Flores (Ty Madden, Mason Englert)

How they were built
Draft: 19 | International: 5 | Trade: 3 | NDFA: 2 | Rule 5: 2

Breakdown by ETA
2023: 10 | 2024: 9 | 2025: 10 | 2026: 1

Breakdown by position
C: 2 | 1B: 0 | 2B: 3 | 3B: 3 | SS: 6 | OF: 3 | RHP: 11 | LHP: 2