Power Potential of Detroit Tigers Star Prospect Deemed 'A Rarity for His Position'
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The future is incredibly bright for the Detroit Tigers, who have done an excellent job of stockpiling high-upside young talent in recent years.
Some of those players have already begun to shine in the Major Leagues.
Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, Colt Keith, Parker Meadows and Trey Sweeney are part of an incredible foundation that helped turn the team around in the second half of the 2024 season to earn an unexpected playoff berth.
They shouldn’t be a flash in the pan either, as the Tigers are set up for long-term success.
Not only do they have young players contributing now, there is another wave of prospects who are quickly moving through the minor league system that will help push the team to the next level.
One of the prospects whom people are most excited about his catcher Thayron Liranzo.
He was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers, along with Sweeney, ahead of the trade deadline last July in exchange for Jack Flaherty. It was a major win for the franchise, landing two stellar prospects and bringing the star pitcher back in free agency.
Signed to a two-year deal, if Flaherty re-ups with Detroit long term, he will be working closely with the player he was traded for in the near future.
A consensus top 100 prospect across every outlet for the first time in his career, Liranzo earned that ranking with some eye-popping production after moving from the Dodgers to the Tigers.
In 26 games and 115 plate appearances at High-A West Michigan, he recorded a slash line of .315/.470/.562 with five home runs and seven doubles.
The power display didn’t stop there.
During his time in the Arizona Fall League, he hit two more home runs with six doubles and a triple in only 48 at-bats.
He faced some competition, but that hot streak is what helped him edge out other youngsters in the organization for the title as the team’s top power hitting prospect in the opinion of Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Sam Dykstra of MLB.com who believe he is "a regular threat to hit 25+ homers" per season which is what they consider "a rarity for his position."
Arguably the most impressive thing about his power is that he isn’t an all-or-nothing hitter.
Liranzo has exhibited incredible patience for a player of his age, drawing 37 walks since the trade compared to 29 strikeouts.
Only 21 years old, he is just scratching the surface of his potential as he continues adapting to better competition on the mound.
He will be competing with Josue Briceno as the backstop of the future for the Tigers, and his bat is what could separate him if the power production continues to show.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.