PHOENIX — Detroit Tigers prospect Colt Keith will take the field Sunday afternoon at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona, as a member of the American League team in the Arizona Fall League’s 2022 Fall Stars Game.
Keith is arguably the best prospect in the Tigers’ farm system.
The 21-year-old infielder is joined on the AL roster, revealed Friday afternoon, by two other Tigers prospects: right-handed reliever Tyler Mattison and left-handed starter Joey Wentz. The Fall Stars Game begins at 4 p.m. ET Sunday and will air on MLB Network.
More:Why Detroit Tigers feel better equipped to help Javier Báez maximize strengths in Year 2
Wentz, who turned 25 in early October, will not participate in the Fall Stars Game. After a strong September in the big leagues, the Tigers sent Wentz to the Fall League to accumulate more innings. He finished his three-start showcase with 12 scoreless innings, four walks and 14 strikeouts.
The Tigers sent eight players to the Fall League, and among the group, the most notable prospect is Keith, a fifth-round pick out of high school in the 2020 draft. He blends plate discipline with an optimal swing path and hard contact.
Through 16 games for the Salt River Rafters, Keith is batting .314 with a .456 on-base percentage, one home run, 15 walks and 14 strikeouts. On Thursday, he finished 0-for-5 with four strikeouts.
More:Detroit Tigers’ Spencer Torkelson has massive offseason ahead: ‘I would stay with this guy’
Keith spent the entire 2022 campaign in High-A West Michigan, but his regular season ended in June when he injured his shoulder diving back to first base on a pickoff attempt. He spent four months rehabbing at the Tigers’ spring training facility in Lakeland, Florida.
For the Whitecaps, Keith hit .301 with nine homers, 22 walks and 42 strikeouts in 48 games.
The Tigers drafted Mattison in the fourth round of the 2021 draft from Bryant University. The 23-year-old reliever received his first taste of professional baseball in 2022, appearing in three games in the Florida Complex League and 24 games in Low-A Lakeland.
Mattison registered 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings with the Flying Tigers, which spanned 32⅔ innings. He throws a four-seam fastball, changeup, cutter and slider.
In the Fall League, Mattison has a 3.48 ERA with eight walks and 16 strikeouts over 10⅓ innings in nine appearances out of the bullpen. On Wednesday, he allowed four runs (three earned runs) and tossed 36 pitches.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.