It’s crazy to think that spring training is just about a month away, when pitchers and catchers will be reporting to their respective camps in mid-February.
The Detroit Tigers will be showcasing a number of new faces as they begin their first full season of this rebuilding phase. What will ultimately dictate the pace of said rebuild will be the progression of some notable farmhands.
The team acquired a very respectable crop of big league prospects last season through trades as they gradually fell out of any postseason contention they were hanging on to. A lot of those very prospects have been partaking in offseason winter leagues around the world, continuing to hone their craft in an effort to improve their standing within the organization.
Here are a list of names that have or are currently playing winter ball elsewhere. Keep in mind, not all the various winter leagues run concurrently, nor are their season lengths the same, so some have larger sample sizes than others.
JEIMER CANDELARIO
2017-18 WINTER: Corner infielder Jeimer Candelario has posted up in the Dominican Republic this offseason, with Los Toros del Este of La Liga de Beisbol Dominicano. In 22 games (95 plate appearances), Candelario is posting a .289 BA and a .770 OPS. While only six of his 24 hits are for extra-bases, he’s only striking out in 18.9 percent of his PAs, which is just about on par with his pro career average.
2018 OUTLOOK: The Candy Man is expected be the Tigers’ starting third baseman come Opening Day, barring some huge drop-off in spring and/or an unforeseen injury. He’s without question the most big league-ready farmhand the Tigers received in a trade last year, when he came over from the Chicago Cubs in the Justin Wilson/Alex Avila swap. Candelario put together a nice string of games down the stretch for Detroit in 2017, it will be interesting to see what he can do for a full season.
SERGIO ALCANTARA
2017-18 WINTER: 21-year-old middle infielder Sergio Alcantara is also playing down in the Dominican Republic (Spoiler Alert: Five of the six guys on this list are playing in La Liga de Beisbol Dominicano). Alcantara in 33 games with Los Tigres del Licey is hitting .255 with a solid .358 on-base percentage, but is slugging under .300. Like Candelario, Alcantara has showed great plate discipline. In fact, he has more walks (16) than strikeouts (15) in those 33 games played.
2018 OUTLOOK: Alcantara is the prototypical slick-fielding, slap-hitting middle infielder. His .631 OPS with Licey in the D.R. is actually a little below his career mark over nearly 500 games across all levels of professional baseball. He joined the Tigers in the J.D. Martinez trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks last summer. He’s still a ways away from sniffing the majors. Look for him to start off 2018 at High Class-A Lakeland, perhaps Double-A Erie.
EDWIN ESPINAL
2017-18 WINTER: First baseman Edwin Espinal is continuing to do what he has done virtually his entire pro career since debuting as a 17-year-old in 2011: rake. Espinal with Las Águilas Cibaeñas is slashing .287/.350/.364 in 44 games played. He’s not a serious power threat, just two homers for his team, but he paces the club with 24 runs batted in this winter.
2018 OUTLOOK: Unlike the majority of players on this list, Espinal was a minor league free agent signing. Detroit reportedly agreed to terms with him back in November before the club made the official announcement the following month. Still just 23 years old, Espinal is an under-reported but serious candidate to play first base long-term, once the team formally shifts Miguel Cabrera to the DH role. A full year at Triple-A is likely in the cards for him this season, but don’t be surprised if he’s called upon mid-season due to injury.
DAWEL LUGO
2017-18 WINTER: Dawel Lugo is also playing for Licey with Alcantara in the Dominican. Albeit in only 19 games, Lugo is hitting a cool .324 over 78 plate appearances. Perhaps more impressively, he’s fanned just seven times in that sample size, following that trend of being a disciplined hitter, utilizing the “small ball” approach. Only four of his 24 knocks are XBHs, all being doubles.
2018 OUTLOOK: It’s likely that Lugo makes the jump to Triple-A this season after spending most of the previous two years at Double-A. Whether he starts at Toledo or Erie remains to be seen. Defensively, Detroit has been splitting him between second and third base, though it would appear that they want him playing more of the former moving forward, largely given the fact that the other infield spots could be taken for. The numbers show that he’s evolving into a modest two-way player, with potential for being a versatile defender.
ISAAC PAREDES
2017-18 WINTER: 18-year-old Isaac Paredes is the lone Tiger prospect on this list playing somewhere other than the D.R.. He’s also having as good of a winter ball run as any of the Tigers farmhands. In 15 games (61 ABs) with Los Yaquis de Obregon of La Liga Mexicana del Pacifico, Paredes is hitting .370 with an OPS approaching 1.000. Seven of his 20 hits are for doubles, and he’s struck out just five times.
2018 OUTLOOK: Look for Paredes to make the jump to High Class-A this upcoming season, after spending 2017 in the Midwest League (Low Class-A). He does not turn 19 until mid-February, so Detroit figures to be patient with him. He came over along with Candelario in the mid-season trade with the Cubs last year, and some argued he has perhaps the highest ceiling of all the newly-acquired prospects for the Tigers.
PAUL VOELKER
2017-18 WINTER: Right-handed reliever Paul Voelker is the only hurler on this docket but could very well be the most impressive one as well. Voelker too has found a winter home in the Dominican with Los Leones del Escogido. In 12 games (11.2 innings pitched), he’s registered a 1.54 ERA and is holding opposing hitters to a .190 batting average, striking out a batter per inning.
2018 OUTLOOK: Voelker is probably No. 2 on this list of players closest to the show behind Candelario. He’s done really great work in his four seasons in the Tigers’ system: a 2.77 ERA and 11.3 K/9 in 143 games, all in relief. However, he only pitched in 33 games last season after getting popped for 50 games due to PED use. Much of that limited work was down in Erie. Look for Voelker to start the season either with the SeaWolves or Mud Hens, depending on how spring camp goes, and he could turn into a viable bullpen option down the road for Detroit.
