Reddit AMA: Are Tigers' top prospects close to Triple-A?

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Thanks to everyone who chimed in with questions on Wednesday’s Reddit AMA over at r/motorcitykitties. You can read the full transcript here. Here are the highlights, with questions and answers edited lightly for clarity:

How close are No. 2 prospect Max Clark, top prospect Kevin McGonigle and No. 3 prospect Josue Briceño to Triple-A? Are any of them 2026 Opening Day roster candidates?

At this point, they're going to finish out the season in Double-A and run through the playoffs with Erie. The Tigers believe getting players postseason experience at the Minor League level matters and helps prepare them for similar situations down the road. After that, McGonigle is going to the Arizona Fall League to make up some of the at-bats he lost to his ankle injury early in the season at West Michigan.

I'd expect all three to be in big league camp next Spring Training as non-roster invites. McGonigle might be the one with a chance to make the Tigers. But that also depends on what the Tigers might do with their infield in the offseason.

You're A.J. Hinch, let's say Paul Sewald & José Urquidy come back healthy. What does the pitching staff look like based on potential ALDS (praying for the bye) opponents?

The Tigers are going to have some decisions to make with their pitching staff. They're on track to have a lot of guys who could be multi-inning relievers and bulk pitchers (Sawyer Gipson-Long, Keider Montero, Chris Paddack, Urquidy, Troy Melton, Brant Hurter), but it makes no sense to carry them all for a postseason series if they also have a set rotation (Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, Jack Flaherty, Charlie Morton?). Some of those guys will get squeezed out. If Sewald is right, he joins a late-inning mix with Will Vest, Tommy Kahnle, Tyler Holton, possibly Melton and Kyle Finnegan if he's healthy.

Does Lou Whitaker have any shot still at Hall of Fame?

The Hall of Fame's Contemporary Baseball Era (1980-forward) Committee meets this coming offseason. Presumably Whitaker will be under consideration again. It's difficult to say he has a great chance given past results, but often the makeup of the committee (which Hall of Fame players and former officials are on it) has a big impact on players' chances.

When do we think No. 6 prospect Hao-Yu Lee gets called up?

Probably not this season. The Tigers already have more right-handed hitters than they know what to do with (see Justyn-Henry Malloy back in Toledo). I would think Lee gets a chance to compete for a spot next spring, but again, that might depend on offseason dealings.

What's been one of your favorite moments of the season?

Maybe it's recency bias, but watching Tuesday night's game and the way the Tigers celebrated it -- not for themselves, but for Paddack's save -- was special. Paddack has gone through a lot recently, including the death of a family member last week, and the Tigers made a point to make him feel he's a big part of this team. As I wrote, that says a lot about this team.

Wenceel Pérez might be one of the most under-the-radar guys on our roster, always smiling, too. What do you think the future holds for him as a Tiger? And what do you think it will take for Tiger fans to truly fall in love with the kid?

Wenceel's always going to have a big role here under Hinch as long as he hits. He's the only switch-hitter on the roster, which fits him into virtually any matchup A.J. encounters, and he can play center and right field. As for fan reception, postseason play has a habit of making unlikely heroes.

Assuming Matt Vierling is healthy, is he making the postseason roster or are they rolling with who they have now? Same with JHM. Do they value his bat over Trey Sweeney’s defense?

Vierling has a role on this team in October if he's healthy. Malloy's situation is tricky, in part because he has been fit into a role as more of a weapon against left-handed pitching, which Andy Ibáñez and Jahmai Jones already do. Can they carry three of them, two of whom overlap positionally? Maybe if they encounter an opponent with a lot of left-handed pitching, but I'm not sure any AL opponent fits that profile at this point.

We know the big-name hitting prospects in the farm system, but who are some pitchers we should keep an eye on for the future?

I've been an RJ Petit follower for a while. Part of that is because he's a unique pitcher for his size (6-foot-8, 300 pounds), but he also quietly has posted good, solid numbers at every level he’s played at, including Triple-A Toledo this summer. For a team that values different looks in the bullpen, there should be a fit for Petit eventually. Andrew Sears also is unique as a lefty with a low arm angle, a mid-90s fastball and funky slider.

I like when a team makes a playoff run and develops weird rituals and superstitions. Have you noticed anything like that in the clubhouse this season?

This team plays a lot of yacht rock and '80s music overall in the clubhouse. Not really a superstition, just something that stands out, particularly for a team with so many young players.

Thanks for joining us for questions. What differences have you noticed for player development since Scott Harris has taken over the Tigers organization?

The Tigers have done a ton to improve player development since Ryan Garko came on board in 2021 and Scott Harris a year later. The pitching department has become focused on individualized pitching plans and pitch designs to figure out what works for each pitcher. There has been a lot of work on getting hitters focused on plate discipline and damage in the strike zone. And the Draft philosophy has shifted toward talented high-school players at the top, finding value in signable high-school arms later in the Draft and identifying undervalued college hitters along the way.