Two Tigers among Baseball America's top 5 prospects for 2022, 3 in top 100
Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson are two of baseball's top prospects heading into a season in which they likely will make their debuts with the Detroit Tigers.
Greene ranks No. 4 and Torkelson is No. 5 in Baseball America's top 100 prospects for 2022, unveiled Wednesday, with right-hander Jackson Jobe (No. 79) giving the Tigers three on the preseason list.
Though Baseball America updates its rankings periodically during the season, Wednesday's reveal signifies a move up for all three prospects relative to the publication's midseason rankings. Torkelson, a first baseman, was No. 6, with the outfielder Greene right behind him. Jobe, selected No. 3 overall by the Tigers in July's MLB Draft, climbed 17 spots after debuting at No. 96.
Greene, 21, hit .301 with a .921 OPS across two levels last season, clubbing 24 home runs, 25 doubles and eight triples in 124 games, the last 40 of which were spent with Triple-A Toledo. He also collected 16 stolen bases.
"Greene has rocketed up the minors since the Tigers selected him fifth overall in the 2019 draft," Baseball America writes. "With a sweet, powerful lefthanded swing, he projects to be an offensive force in the middle of the Tigers lineup and an all-star regardless of whether he ends up in center field or a corner."
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Torkelson, 22, also ended up in Toledo, his third stop last season on the Tigers' minor-league ladder. He hit a combined .267 with 30 home runs and 91 RBIs and a .935 OPS, though he struggled with the Mud Hens, hitting .238 in 40 games. He hit 11 home runs with 27 RBIs.
"The top overall pick in the 2020 draft hit 30 home runs and rose three levels to Triple-A in his first full season," Baseball America writes. "His patience at the plate and enormous power have him set to be a middle-of-the-order force in the Tigers lineup for years to come."
After the draft, Jobe spent time at the Tigers' facility in Lakeland, Florida, working on conditioning and techniques before calling it a season.
"With the third overall pick in the 2021 draft, the Tigers picked Jobe, an athletic righthander with an assortment of pitches that could grade out plus or better," Baseball America writes. "He throws hard, but it's his ability to manipulate his secondary stuff that sticks out, particularly with a slider that should lead to big strikeout numbers."