The Detroit Tigers moved Elvin Rodriguez to their 40-man roster on — wait a second.
Elvin who?
I mean no disrespect but in a farm system filled with big names like Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene and Jobe Jackson, Rodriguez has been flying under the radar while quietly climbing to Double-A Erie.
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Rodriguez is a 23-year-old pitcher who was about to become a minor-league free agent, so the Tigers moved him to the 40-man roster to hold onto him.
Which came as a surprise to most.
Including him.
“To be honest, yeah, it caught me by surprise,” Rodriguez said through a Tigers interpreter. “But that’s one of the things that I’ve been working for the whole season.”
Rodriguez is expected to pitch in Triple-A Toledo next season. Considering how many pitchers a team can churn through in a season, it’s not a stretch to think he’ll be in Detroit at some point in 2022.
Baseball America ranked him as the Tigers’ No. 18 prospect in 2020, but he fell off the top 30 list by the summer of 2021. Here was his 2020 Baseball America scouting report: “Rodriguez tops out at 93 mph with his fastball, but there is room for growth with his projectable frame. His delivery is smooth and allows him to throw plenty of strikes. Rodriguez uses a change-up that flashes plus with horizontal movement and gets under the barrel consistently.”
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But he said that his fastball is up to 95, and he’s added a slider.
“The fastball is my best pitch, followed by the breaking ball and the curveball,” he said. “Then I also have a change-up and I just added the slider.”
The Tigers picked up Rodriguez in 2017 in the Justin Upton trade with the Los Angeles Angels.
“I’m working on getting stronger physically and I think I can easily reach 95-96,” he said. “I am pretty sure I can add some velo on my pitches at Triple A.”
And that’s why the Tigers moved him to the 40-man.
But he is not the only under-the-radar prospect in the Tigers system.
Here are four more to keep an eye on:
RHP Garrett Hill, 25
Hill is not listed as one of the Tigers’ top-30 prospects by Baseball America.
And he’s not listed by MLB Pipeline either.
But he has impressed in the Arizona Fall League, recording 21 strikeouts in 13⅔ innings with just three walks. He will play in the Fall Stars all-star game (7 p.m. Saturday, MLB Network).
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In a preview of the game, Hill was named the prospect with the best change-up by Jim Callis, the highly respected MLB.com reporter who wrote: “Hill is more about deception than power, an approach he has ridden to a 2.54 ERA in three pro seasons … he consistently fools hitters with his change-up, which sits in the low 80s and combines fade and depth.”
Hill is expected to pitch in Toledo next year.
RHP Reese Olson, 22
Olson is not a familiar name for most fans only because he hasn’t been around very long.
He might be better known as “that guy the Tigers got from the Brewers for Daniel Norris.”
Olson pitched five games at Erie, throwing 24⅔ innings, striking out 21 and walking 14. He had a 1.30 WHIP.
He is expected to be in Toledo next season.
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RHP Beau Brieske, 23
Brieske is known for his fantastic control.
After climbing to Erie he pitched in eight Double-A games, had a 2.66 ERA with 40 strikeouts in just 44 innings while walking just eight.
In 32 games in the Tigers system, he has a 1.03 WHIP.
He is ranked 27th in the Tigers system by MLB Pipeline.
“Brieske forced the Tigers to pay attention with a breakout first half of 2021 at High-A West Michigan, where he fanned 76 and walked only 15 in 62⅔ innings prior to a late July promotion to Double-A,” MLB.com wrote. “Hurlers with four pitches and good control will always find spots in an organization, and folks in the Detroit organization admit Brieske’s 2021 ascent is getting him more consideration within the system. A lack of standout stuff blunts his potential to be a high-impact starter at the top level, but a fifth spot in the rotation/bulk arm out of the bullpen could be within reach if Brieske’s ascent continues apace.”
C Eliezer Alfonzo, 21
Alfonzo might have had the best season of any catcher in the Tigers system. Playing in Lakeland and West Michigan, he hit .287 with eight home runs and 18 doubles in 98 games.
He has hit .304 in the Tigers system, although never advancing beyond A-ball.
Here’s a stat that jumps out at you: he had just 35 strikeouts in 403 plate appearance in 2022.
So he doesn’t chase and while he is not known for his power, it has increased. He had just two homers before this year, where he hit eight.
Alfonzo’s father, who has the same name, was a catcher in the big leagues from 2006-11, mostly for the Giants.
“Alfonzo distinguishes himself with a baseball IQ well beyond his years, great plate discipline and defensive maturity,” according to Baseball America. “Alfonzo blocks well and carries all the intangibles managers love to have in a catcher, including his work ethic, game calling, ability to handle a pitching staff and overall knowledge of the game.”
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Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.