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Detroit Tigers one of two teams with 3 prospects in top 25 on MLB Pipeline's top-100 list
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- Detroit Tigers one of two teams with 3 prospects in top 25 on MLB Pipeline's top-100 list
The Detroit Tigers have four prospects on MLB Pipeline's preseason top 100 rankings , released Friday.
That includes three in the top 25: outfielder Max Clark (No. 13), infielder Colt Keith (No. 22) and right-hander Jackson Jobe (No. 25). Infielder Jace Jung (No. 60) is the final player from the organization to crack the top 100.
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The Tigers are one of two teams with three prospects in the top 25, along with the Baltimore Orioles , who have Jackson Holliday , Samuel Basallo and Colton Cowser in the top 20, plus three more prospects in the top 100.
BASEBALL AMERICA: Tigers have four prospects on Baseball America's top-100 list, led by Max Clark
Detroit Tigers infielder Colt Keith plays for Triple-A Toledo on July 9, 2023, at Fifth Third Field in Toledo Ohio.
The top 10 prospects from MLB Pipeline, in order: Holliday (Orioles), Jackson Chourio ( Milwaukee Brewers ), Paul Skenes ( Pittsburgh Pirates ), Junior Caminero ( Tampa Bay Rays ), Evan Carter ( Texas Rangers ), Wyatt Langford (Rangers), Dylan Crews ( Washington Nationals ), Ethan Salas ( San Diego Padres ), Colson Montgomery ( Chicago White Sox ) and Walker Jenkins ( Minnesota Twins ).
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The Tigers, under president of baseball operations Scott Harris, selected Clark with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 draft . The next two picks: Langford and Jenkins, both ahead of Clark on MLB Pipeline's list.
Clark hit .224 with two home runs, 21 walks and 25 strikeouts across 23 games last season in the Florida Complex League (12 games) and Low-A Lakeland (11 games). The 19-year-old, a true center fielder who bats left-handed, hit .154 without a homer in 51 plate appearances with the Flying Tigers.
On Clark, MLB Pipeline reports: "The only question that remains is his power. His early exit velocities in the Florida State League didn't stand out in a small sample, and Clark is close to being maxed out physically, even at a young age. He still has the bat speed to get to more pop and push his gap doubles over the fence, and if that happens, he has the five-tool potential on which dreams are built."
MORE ABOUT HIM: Top 2 Tigers picks no strangers, thanks to lessons learned on Team USA
Keith, selected out of high school in the fifth round of the 2020 draft , is on track to be the Tigers' second baseman on Opening Day this season. He hit .306 with 27 home runs, 60 walks and 121 strikeouts across 126 games last season with Double-A Erie (59 games) and Triple-A Toledo (67 games).
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The 22-year-old hit .287 and 13 homers in 301 plate appearances with the Mud Hens. He played more second base than third base in Toledo.
On Keith, MLB Pipeline reports: "The Tigers moved Keith — a below-average runner with a stocky frame — from third base to second on a near-full-time basis by mid-August last season out of the belief his reaction times and throwing motion work better at the keystone. He'd be a bat-first player at either spot, but there is a clear lane for Keith to seize a spot in the majors and join Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene as homegrown premier talents in Detroit."
MORE ABOUT HIM: Colt Keith thinks like Conor McGregor, plays like Joey Votto, looks like Tigers' best prospect
The Tigers, under former general manager Al Avila, selected Jobe with the No. 3 overall pick out of high school in the 2021 draft . The next pick: high school shortstop Marcelo Mayer by the Boston Red Sox . MLB Pipeline had Mayer, at No. 15, ahead of Jobe on this year's list.
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Jobe didn't pitch in a game last season until mid-June because of a back injury, but once he recovered, the 21-year-old dominated in five leagues with a new-look changeup, improved fastball and high-spin slider.
Jobe posted a 2.82 ERA with 11 walks (3.4% walk rate) and 103 strikeouts (31.7% strikeout rate) across 79⅔ innings in 20 starts last season. He made one start in the Florida Complex League, six starts in Low-A Lakeland, eight starts in High-A West Michigan, one start in Double-A Erie and four starts in the Arizona Fall League.
On Jobe, MLB Pipeline reports: "Jobe walked only 2.3 percent of his batters faced during the regular season last summer but that number climbed to 7.5 in the shorter AFL sample. Even with all the repertoire tinkering, his control gains have solidified his standing as one of the best prospect arms in the game. The next goal will be staying on the mound for 100+ innings in a season, at which point Jobe might be already knocking on Detroit's door."
MORE ABOUT HIM: What Tigers prospect Jackson Jobe learned in his first season of pro ball
Jung, the No. 12 overall pick out of Texas Tech in the 2022 draft , hit .265 with 28 home runs, 79 walks and 139 strikeouts across 128 games last season with High-A West Michigan (81 games) and Double-A Erie (47 games). The 23-year-old hit .284 and 14 homers in 209 plate appearances with the SeaWolves.
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The Tigers sent Jung to the Arizona Fall League to transition from second base to third base. In the Fall League, he had a .200 batting average with one homer, 14 walks and 19 strikeouts across 15 games.
On Jung, MLB Pipeline reports: "Jung was a surprise Rawlings Minor League Gold Glove winner given his pre-draft reputation, but he impressed Tigers officials and minor league managers with his ability to handle what's hit to him with his good hands. However, his lack of range limits his defensive ceiling up the middle, and his trial at third coincided with Colt Keith getting looks at the keystone. Jung's offensive ability is too good to ignore, and should he keep hitting the right benchmarks, he'll remain valuable in the lineup regardless of his defensive spot."
MORE ABOUT HIM: Tigers prospect Jace Jung, an ice cream emoji and his first taste of World Series
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers have four ranked among top 100 prospects right now
