Offseason moves: The Detroit Tigers add 2 top prospects to their roster, protecting them from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.
The Detroit Tigers, in the midst of the offseason, are actively engaged in shaping the 2024 edition of the team under the guidance of their team president of baseball operations, Scott Harris. As part of their efforts, the Tigers have added a pair of prospects to their 40-man roster in order to protect them from being poached by other teams in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.
The Rule 5 Draft explained
For those who are unfamiliar, the MLB Rule 5 Draft, occurring annually in December, permits clubs without a complete 40-man roster to pick specific non-40-man roster players from other clubs.
The pair of Tigers elevated are highly-regarded prospects
The Tigers have added RHP Wilmer Flores and C Dillon Dingler to the 40-man roster, as announced by the team's official PR X (formerly Twitter) account.
Flores, who is the brother of San Francisco Giants infielder Wilmer Flores and was undrafted in 2020, is ranked the 7th overall prospect in the Tigers' system by MLB Pipeline, while Baseball America has him ranked 8th overall in Detroit's system. He split last season between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie and posted a 4.65 ERA. He also dealt with a hip injury, but was able to return and appear in a postseason game for the Sea Wolves.
He originally signed with Detroit as undrafted free agent in 2020.
Dingler, who the Tigers made their the 38th pick in the 2020 draft out of Ohio State, finished last year with Triple-A Toledo and hit 16 home runs and 58 RBI in 89 appearances. Right now, he's ranked the Tigers’ 11th-best prospect per MLB Pipeline, while Baseball America has him ranked 6th overall in Detroit's system.
TL;DR (too long didn't read)
- The Detroit Tigers have proactively shielded two players from the imminent Rule 5 draft by including them in the 40-man roster.
- RHP Wilmer Flores, who divided his time last year between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie, is among the chosen players.
- The other selected player is catcher Dillon Dingler, originally drafted in 2020.
Bottom Line: Welcome to the big show
Both players are poised to progress in their professional journeys with the Tigers, having garnered significant recognition from the team's management, leading to their elevation to the roster to safeguard them from potential acquisitions by other teams.
We extend our best wishes for their continued development and eagerly anticipate seeing them donning the iconic Old English D insignia in the near future.
