Could Position Change Be Coming for Detroit Tigers Star Prospect?

It seems like a position change is coming for one of the Detroit Tigers top prospects.

A detailed view of Detroit Tigers hat and glove | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Coming into the Arizona Fall League in 2024, much of the attention regarding who the Detroit Tigers sent was surrounding Thayron Liranzo, the catcher they acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the trade deadline when they shipped Jack Flaherty out of town.

Seen as someone who could be the future of that position for the Tigers, there was a lot of anticipation to see what he could do against some other top prospects in the sport.

However, it was a different Detroit catcher who stole the show.

Josue Briceno won the Triple Crown on his way to securing the MVP Award, turning heads by showcasing his ability to hit for power (10 homers and 27 RBI), while also putting together solid at-bats with 39 total hits, a batting average of .433 and an on-base percentage of .509.

At just 20 years old, the future looks really bright for the prospect who is ranked No. 9 in the Tigers' pipeline, but when it comes to his position going forward, a change could be coming.

Because Liranzo is seen as a better prospect behind the plate, there is a chance Briceno could be the one who has to change positions.

And if that does happen, MLB Pipeline seems to be pretty confident that first base will be the right long-term answer for the slugger since they ranked him within their top 10 prospects at that position despite him playing just 37 games there during his career.

Jac Caglianone, Bryce Eldridge and Nick Kurtz headline the 2025 Top 10 1B Prospects list: https://t.co/zwNN4A96i0 pic.twitter.com/vfFLYHSRMk

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) January 19, 2025

It feels like this change is going to happen at some point.

While Briceno has stated he wants to remain a catcher, his 6-foot-4 frame presents some challenges that certainly doesn't help with his defense already being sub-par to begin with.

Changing to first base wouldn't be the worst thing for him if he gets converted to that position full time.

Detroit is trying to figure out who is going to man that position going forward with Spencer Torkelson seemingly on his last chance since they're already moving Colt Keith into a platoon role with him.

Briceno has only reached the Single-A level thus far, so it will be seen if he can keep up the same level of production he's produced in the minors and during the Arizona Fall League.

He has a bright future, and it seems like it will be at first base.