| Detroit Free Press
Detroit Tigers GM Al Avila explains manager search, offseason expectations
Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila speaks with reporters Friday, October 2, 2020, following his team’s season to share offseason expectations.
Many Detroit Tigers prospects were forced to train on their own time during the 2020 season when minor leagues were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Others went to the alternate training site at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, where they played in intrasquad scrimmages without much competition.
“I don’t think it helped by any means,” Tigers general manager Al Avila said Friday about the 60-game MLB season. “Obviously, it hurt in the development side. The alternate training was not really a good place for development. We practiced, we did drills, we played intrasquad games, but that’s not the best way to develop players.”
[ Making the case for Detroit Tigers hiring A.J. Hinch as next manager ]
To continue the farm system’s maturation, the Tigers announced Friday their list of 49 players invited to partake in instructional league camp in Lakeland, Florida, home of the team’s spring training facility. As of this week, players have begun arriving and will stay through Nov. 8.
Avila said the goal is to play 15 games against other teams.
“There’s some clubs that are not going to play, some clubs are not going to play as much, so it’s been a little tough,” Avila said Friday. “We’re going to have 50 players and 20 staff members.”
The list includes 16 of the Tigers’ top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. The only members permitted to play in the instructional league are those not on the 40-man roster. Meanwhile, the Arizona Fall League, which hosts top prospects, is canceled because of the coronavirus.
[ Tigers managerial search: These are candidates, traits Al Avila is looking at ]
The Tigers’ 49-player roster features five of the six players they selected in the 2020 draft:
First round, No. 1 overall: 1B/3B Spencer Torkelson
Competitive balance, No. 62: OF Daniel Cabrera
Third round, No. 73: SS Trei Cruz
Fourth round, No. 102: 3B Gage Workman
Fifth round, No. 132: 3B/P Colt Keith
Catcher Dillon Dingler (second round, No. 38 overall), who was with the Tigers for summer camp and at the alternate training site, is not on the instructional league roster. Of the six players drafted, Torkelson and Dingler were the only members who made the 60-man player pool this season.
[ Tigers prospects Spencer Torkelson, Dillon Dingler show progress after wild draft year ]
Also, the Tigers are sending right-handed pitchers Matt Manning and Alex Faedo to Lakeland, but they will not play in games. Both were shut down in late August with forearm strains. Manning is the team’s No. 3 prospect. Faedo is No. 10.
“Just working out and building back up strength,” Avila said. “Right now, they’re perfectly healthy and doing really good. We’re just not going to pitch them in games at this point.”
Here’s the Tigers’ 49-man instructional league roster, with their MLB Pipeline prospect ranking included:
Pitchers (23)
RHP Gio Arriera
RHP Drew Carlton
RHP Ethan DeCaster
RHP Angel DeJesus
LHP Rodolfo Fajardo
RHP Jason Foley
RHP Ruben Garcia
LHP Max Green
RHP Carlos Guzman
RHP Wilkel Hernandez
RHP Zac Houston
RHP Marco Jimenez
RHP Alex Lange
RHP Keider Montero
RHP Gerson Moreno
LHP Cleiverth Perez
RHP Wladimir Pinto
RHP Paul Richan (No. 29)
RHP Elvin Rodriguez (No. 30)
RHP Joseph Salazar
LHP Jared Tobey
RHP Will Vest
RHP Brendan White
Catchers (5)
Eliezer Alfonzo
Cooper Johnson
Sam McMillan
Yoandy Rea
Eduardo Valencia
Infielders (14)
Cesar Calderon
Kody Clemens (No. 19)
Trei Cruz (No. 27)
Alvaro Gonzalez
Carlos Irigoyen
Colt Keith (No. 21)
Ryan Kreidler
Andre Lipcius (No. 28)
Wenceel Perez (No. 16)
Daniel Pinero
Nick Quintana (No. 24)
Adinso Reyes (No. 23)
Spencer Torkelson (No. 1)
Gage Workman (No. 22)
Outfielders (7)
Daniel Cabrera (No. 11)
Kerry Carpenter
Jose De La Cruz (No. 25)
Riley Greene (No. 4)
Kingston Liniak
Parker Meadows (No. 13)
Bryant Packard (No. 18)
Evan Petzold is a sports reporting intern at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here’s how you can gain access to our most exclusive Detroit Tigers content.