Detroit Tigers Feature Intriguing Pitcher Just Outside Top Prospect List

The future of the Detroit Tigers’ farm system is not just limited to the prospects included on a recent Top 30 list.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Kenta Maeda warms up during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Detroit Tigers have a wealth of high-level prospects in their minor-league system. Five of them were ranked in the Top 100 in Baseball America.

One of them, pitcher Jackson Jobe, is the No. 1 Tigers prospect and considered a real option for the Detroit opening-day starting rotation.

But, behind him are prospects that need more time to develop, but are just as intriguing — outfielder Max Clark, infielder Kevin McGonigle, shortstop Bryce Rainer and catcher Thayron Liranzo.

The site even released its Top 30 list for the system. But, after that, the publication also released the Top 10 players that didn’t make the list, a bonus look at what’s happening deeper in the system.

Right outside the Top 30 is left-hander Paul Wilson, who is an MLB legacy.

His father, Trevor Wilson, pitched for eight years in the Majors with the Giants, as he went 41-46 with a 3.87 ERA as a part-time starter. He missed three seasons due to injury. His best season was in 1991, as he went 13-11 with a 3.56 ERA in 44 games, including 29 starts. He set a career-high 139 strikeouts that season.

Father was an eighth-round pick in 1985 out of Oregon State. Son skipped college altogether, as the Tigers selected him in the third round of the 2023 MLB draft out of Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego, Ore.

Detroit chose not to throw in him into the system in 2023, giving him time to work on his mechanics and, per Baseball America, they still need work.

Wilson spent all of last season with the Florida Complex League Tigers, where he went 1-2 with a 6.62 ERA in 11 games (eight starts), with 34 strikeouts and 36 walks in 35.1 innings.

So, what happened? Scouts at the publication wrote that his left arm regularly trailed behind his lower body, leading to a lack of control and a high walk rate. It’s a performance that may keep him with the Tigers’ FCL team, at least to start the season.

Perhaps more worrisome is scouting that noted that his velocity went down. In high school he threw a fastball that regularly hit 93-94 mph and could touch 97 mph. Last season his fastball was clocked at 91-92 mph.

Tigers fans shouldn’t expect to see him in Detroit anytime soon. He needs at least two more years of development. But, given his family ties, all he needs is to develop a good track record to start moving through the system.