Tigers Recent Draft Pick Has Rapidly Rising Stock With Stellar Performance on Field
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The Detroit Tigers lineup looks to be in great hands for the foreseeable future, with how much young talent is already at the Major League level.
Left fielder Riley Greene is a two-time All-Star at only 24 years old. Catcher Dillon Dingler has broken out this year at 26 years old. First baseman Spence Torkelson revived his career and is only 25.
Javier Baez and Zach McKinstry, two more All-Stars for the Tigers this year, are the only lineup regulars who are in their 30s. Gleyber Torres, who is only 28, is one of the elder statesmen of the group.
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The future is incredibly bright with this group already, before even considering how much high-level talent is working its way through the minor leagues.
Detroit has center fielder Max Clark and shortstop Kevin McGonigle who are going to be in the mix as the No. 1 prospect in the sport in 2026.
Fellow shortstop Bryce Rainer is already viewed as a top 50 prospect, providing the team with a lot of incredible infield depth. Either they will be sharing the field together, or the Tigers could use them as the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade proposal.
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The same could be said about second baseman Max Anderson, who is quickly rising the ranks and has seen his stock soar with some incredible production this year at Double-A Erie.
Max Anderson taking off at Double-A Erie
A second-round pick in the 2023 MLB draft out of Nebraska, he has taken his performance to another level after struggling in his Double-A debut last year.
In a small five-game sample size, he had a .182/.182/.273 slash line across 22 plate appearances.
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This year, in 395 plate appearances, Anderson has a .306/.359/.503 slash line with 14 home runs, 25 doubles, two triples and 62 RBI.
His bat-to-ball skills and strike zone recognition are both elite, putting him in a group that includes only three other top 100 prospects.
“He is one of only five full-season Minor Leaguers in their age 23-or-younger seasons to strike out less than 15 percent of the time (14.4 in his case) while slugging above .490, joining Top 100 prospects JJ Wetherholt, Moisés Ballesteros and Sal Stewart on that list,” as shared over at MLB.com.
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Slashing his ground ball rate by five points has enabled Anderson to tap into his power potential more this year, leading to a nearly 60-point improvement in his slugging percentage in 2025 compared to 2024.
Whatever Detroit’s development staff is doing with their young players, it is working. They need to keep this up as they are churning out middle infield prospects like it is nobody’s business.
For more Tigers news, head over to Tigers On SI.
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.