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When will Detroit Tigers' two Arizona Fall League stars hit MLB?
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- When will Detroit Tigers' two Arizona Fall League stars hit MLB?
The stars of the Arizona Fall League belong to the Detroit Tigers .
Catcher Thayron Liranzo and first baseman Josue Briceño are the hottest prospects in baseball because of their offense-first performances with the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Fall League.
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The AFL started Oct. 3 and ends Nov. 16 .
Liranzo is the No. 6 prospect and Briceño is the No. 9 prospect in the Tigers' organization, according to Baseball America 's midseason rankings, unveiled in early August.
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Josue Briceno #20 of the Scottsdale Scorpions rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the game between the Surprise Saguaros and the Scottsdale Scorpions at American Family Fields of Phoenix on Saturday, October 26, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Baseball America prospect expert Geoff Pontes evaluated both players in Arizona over the past month, describing Briceño as "the MVP of the Fall League."
Briceño, a left-handed hitting first baseman who turned 20 in late September, is hitting .458 with seven home runs, eight walks and 14 strikeouts in 16 games, posting an AFL-best 1.430 OPS. He has a 11.8% walk rate and a 20.6% strikeout rate in 68 plate appearances.
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He delivered a three-homer game Oct. 12, becoming the first AFL player to do so since Renato Núñez in 2015. In that game, he hit home runs off Andrew Painter ( Philadelphia Phillies ), Trent Baker ( St. Louis Cardinals ) and Peyton Pallette ( Chicago White Sox ).
"It's all about the bat," Pontes said of Briceño. "The fact that he's moved over to first base, I think it's where he's going to end up long term. Definitely not going to be a catcher. ... What he is, though, is a really polished hitter. The combination of bat-to-ball skills, power and good swing decisions. ... It's the balance of being able to discern balls and strikes and hittable pitches in the zone. He does that really well, and he does it with all-fields power."
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Liranzo, a 21-year-old switch-hitting catcher, is hitting .389 with one home run, six walks and eight strikeouts in 10 games, logging a 1.170 OPS. He has a 14.3% walk rate and a 19% strikeout rate in 42 plate appearances.
The Tigers want Liranzo, a better hitter from the right side with more power from the left side, to develop his game-calling and pitch-sequencing in hopes of building him into a starting catcher despite below-average defense.
"He's not the most natural framer," Pontes said of Liranzo. "That's one part of his game that isn't super tight. ... He's never going to be the most athletic guy back there. ... As a hitter, it's more of a three true outcomes type of profile. I think the power upside is much higher (than Briceño). It's a more optimized swing. ... Still a really good approach. There's swing and miss, but not at a point where you're super concerned with the whiff. It's about 70% contract rate overall. In-zone, there's some heightened whiff, but it's not outrageous. And he doesn't chase. He has a decent enough set of plate skills to get to that power."
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Pontes joined a recent episode of the "Days of Roar" podcast and predicted the timelines for the MLB debuts of Liranzo and Briceño after evaluating both players in the AFL.
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Thayron Liranzo
Predicted MLB debut:September 2025.
The buzz:The Tigers acquired Liranzo (and shortstop Trey Sweeney , who made his MLB debut in mid-August) from the Los Angeles Dodgers for Jack Flaherty at the July 30 trade deadline in 2024, with Liranzo as the headliner. He immediately impressed upon joining High-A West Michigan, hitting .315 with five home runs, 26 walks and 20 strikeouts in 26 games. He needs to continue his development as a catcher to avoid a transition to first base, but he has some of the highest potential on offense in the Tigers' farm system thanks to an elite blend of swing decisions and power, even though there are swing-and-miss concerns. It's rare to find a switch-hitting catcher with this kind of raw power, especially when combining advanced plate discipline, but the Tigers have one in Liranzo.
Thayron Liranzo #14 of the Scottsdale Scorpions bats during the game between the Salt River Rafters and the Scottsdale Scorpions at Scottsdale Stadium on Sunday, October 20, 2024 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
What Pontes said:"A guy like Liranzo, you're talking about somebody who is at least part of your catcher rotation, can fill in at designated hitter and probably some first base. It's a switch-hitter. I've seen him hit for power from both sides of the plate. He's a little bit more easily slotted into your lineup every day. I think he walks. You're going to get all of that. Probably a plus offensive hitting catcher. The batting average could fluctuate between .230 and .260, but he probably keeps a 12% walk rate, so the on-base percentages are always going to be pretty high. It's 25-30 homers, easy. Maybe there's more in the tank there, if he's making really consistent contact. It's easily 60 power, probably 50 hit when you factor in walk rates and on-base ability to that hit-tool grade. And then it's just a matter of like, can he get to fringe average as a defensive catcher? I think if he gets there, because of the value of the bat, you keep him in the lineup. If he hits next year, I think there's an outside chance that he could see games in September of 2025. He's Rule 5 eligible in December of 2025. If the 40-man roster has a spot, and they need a boost in terms of offensive production, I think that's a guy that probably could get onto the 40-man roster next year and see some action toward the end of the year."
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Josue Briceño
Predicted MLB debut:April 2026.
The buzz:The Tigers signed Briceño — born in Miguel Cabrera 's hometown of Maracay, Venezuela — for an $800,000 bonus in January 2022 during the international signing period. He stood out in 2024 as one of the youngest players in the Florida State League. Briceño hit .278 with two home runs, 22 walks and 26 strikeouts in 40 games in Low-A Lakeland before a right PCL sprain, suffered while running the bases, sidelined him from mid-May until late August. His 17.8% whiff rate with the Flying Tigers — better than Max Clark (20.5%) and worse than Kevin McGonigle (10.7%) — proved his ability to put the ball in play at the Low-A level. He still has a long ways to go, but he should start 2025 in High-A West Michigan and move quickly if he finds success at the plate.
What Pontes said:"There's a chance he hits his way into that first base job (in 2026). I think (2025) is about getting a full season under his belt. He's playing every day. He's at the (first base) position 75% or more. I don't know if they'll completely kick the idea of him catching. I think offensively there's a lot of similarities under the hood between Briceño and Vinnie Pasquantino , where Pasquantino was better than other first base prospects who were ranked ahead of him. I was like, 'Is Pasquantino better than Tork?' I think he has that, where you need to have that balance of plus bat-to-ball skills, above-average or better approach and above-average to plus power. He checks all of those boxes. He is a hitter who has power, and I think that's what you really strive to have at that position. If he hits and continues to do what I think he'll do, because the bat-to-ball skills are there, the approach is there, the adjustments and the barrel control are there, I think he will be their starting first baseman in April of 2026. I don't think that thinking two years out is all that crazy. I don't know if he's an All-Star or anything like that, but certainly somebody that when we list out the top 15 offensive first basemen in the game, he could probably be up there, just because he has that balance of skills. There are so many guys in that same boat who don't have that bat-to-ball skills and that approach balance. I think there's a legitimate chance here that this guy develops into a pretty good hitter."
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Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple , Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers prospects Thayron Liranzo, Josue Briceño scorching AFL
