Five Tigers crack Keith Law's elite Top 100. Discover rising stars McGonigle, Clark, and Rainer, showcasing Detroit's revamped prospect pipeline.
Keith Law of The Athletic released his Top 100 prospects list Monday morning, and for those who closely follow prospect rankings, his history with Tigers farmhands has rarely been generous, and often for good reason. Until recently, Detroit’s minor league pipeline has been inconsistent in producing even steady major league contributors, and Law has never shied away from critiquing the organization’s player development shortcomings.
For his new rankings, Konnor Griffin of the Pirates is number one, which seems to be the conscious across the board on every list and rightfully soon. Law describes Griffin as the next Robin Yount ($), which is accurate based on his contact skills and size playing short.
Overall, Detroit featured five prospects in the top 100 with McGonigle as the highest ranked at 2. Law said this about McGonigle's hit tool:
"He’s an elite hitter for hard contact, pairing that with outstanding swing decisions, so the result is that he hits the ball in the air and pulls it a ton, getting to surprising power for a guy with more of a medium build and frame. "
Watching the two square off in the Eastern League playoffs last season, both Griffin and McGonigle showcased why they are viewed as potential candidates to make their MLB debuts in 2026. Last season, McGonigle was ranked 23 to start the season so quite the rise for McGonigle.
Coming in at number five is Max Clark, who has been in the top 10 on most of the lists. Law mentioned Clark's advanced eye at the plate, something he discussed with myself and Chris back in December.
"Clark has excellent bat speed and a very advanced eye at the plate, which combined to produce just an 18 percent whiff rate on the season, along with an 18 percent chase rate that dropped to 10 percent on pitches well out of the zone. "
Bryce Rainer, who Baesball America believes could be the number one prospect in 2027, comes in at number 17 after being ranked 70th last year. Law's main takeway on Rainer:
"He’s a very instinctive player who showed excellent on-field leadership in high school as well, and at least has the aptitude to move quickly despite the lost time. "
The Tigers' infield depth, once considered a major weakness in development, continues to growth with their recent first round picks. The last two on the list in Josue Briceño, coming in at number 59 and Max Anderson, at number 91 were not first round picks, but Anderson is somewhat a surprise.
Anderson has a strong hit tool, but his defense has considered shaky but from what I saw last season, Anderson improved greatly at second and was able to take reps at third and was able to hold his own in Toledo, which lines up to what Law believes as far as his defensive range.
"He’s played second and third in pro ball and isn’t better than a 45 at either spot; he can field what’s hit at him but doesn’t have much range, and as much as everyone I ask says he should be a catcher, that’s not happening with a 24-year-old on the cusp of the big leagues. "
Detroit continues to elevate themselves in prospect circles, now the question will be if these players can be big league regulars sooner than later.
Follow me on "X" @rogcastbaseball