# New additions help Tigers make MLB Pipeline’s farm systems with best pitching prospects
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Entering the 2026 season, the Detroit Tigers’ top talent on the farm was dominated by bats.
Between prospects graduating to the majors, trades and the MLB Draft, that talent breakdown has become more balanced.
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They’ve infused a Tigers farm system that had been dominated by hitters with a dose of talent on the mound. Baseball America, as an example, did not have a pitcher among its top 10 Tigers prospects entering the season. Now, there are five, with four coming from 2026 trades and the draft, and Jacobs elevating thanks to a breakout season between Lakeland and West Michigan (3.72 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 115 strikeouts in 82.1 innings pitched).
It shows in MLB Pipeline’s rankings of 10 farm systems with the best pitching prospects, released Tuesday night, Aug. 25. The Tigers check in at No. 7, with Pipeline writer Sam Dykstra noting Detroit’s depth at the position, thanks to draft and the organization’s work at the trade deadline.
“The Tigers boast just a single Top 100 arm, with River Ryan (No. 66) recently joining the organization via the Tarik Skubal trade,” Dykstra writes. “But there’s some depth here, with 12 total pitchers in the top 30, five of whom hit Detroit’s top 10. Ben Jacobs has been in the system all year, courtesy of the 2025 Draft, and now he has company: 2026 first-rounder Cameron Flukey and trade acquisitions Kash Mayfield (Casey Mize deal) and Brady Smith (Skubal) are all in the top 10 with him.”
6. Detroit Tigers: $471.8 million
Quality depth rank: 5
Previous rank: 6
Kevin McGonigle is the big graduate from Detroit’s system, but Max Clark is in the big leagues early enough in the summer that he might also graduate before the season ends. Bryce Rainer has been tough to evaluate this year, with huge, worrying in-zone miss, but is a standout at everything else to the point that I still think he can dial it in to reach his big league potential.
Ranking prospects traded at MLB deadline
You know the major leaguers who moved – but what about the potential stars of tomorrow who headed the other way? Kiley McDaniel »
Zyhir Hope, River Ryan, and Brady Smith were acquired in the Tarik Skubal blockbuster, and the first two are 2027 big league options in the middle of the top 100 while Smith is a premium lottery-ticket type who could join them if he continues on this trajectory.
Keep an eye on Lucas Elissalt as a riser; he’s in the conversation with Smith, 2026 first-rounder Cameron Flukey, 2026 deadline return Kash Mayfield, 2025 second-rounder Malachi Witherspoon and new big leaguer Andrew Sears for second-best pitching prospect in the organization.
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Tigers have young guys coming out of the woodwork these days.
This kid was a 14th round pick in 2025!
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I was hoping his contract ran only through this year. 
McKinstry may not be a good every day player, but he is a solid end of bench guy that can play decent defense in the infield and outfield. His versatility at a low cost is the least of the Tigers’ issues.
The issue is Weasel’s Hinch Postulate #3
Give him shitty toys and he will overuse them to the detriment of their even having held a roster spot in the first place. Aka The Jahmai Paradox
You could just get rid of Hinch. 
After hitting the ball on the ground 39.5 percent of the time during his DSL debut, Rodriguez cut that number down to 33.3 percent in the Complex League. And more importantly, his line-drive rate jumped by more than 10 percent to 30.4, the fifth-best of any Tigers Minor Leaguer this year with at least 150 plate appearances.
Gargantuan raw power, impressive batted-ball data – what’s the catch? Strikeouts. Getting those long levers consistently timed up has been a struggle for Rodriguez, who whiffed in 32.5 percent of his plate appearances in the Florida Complex League. The tradeoff was especially jarring since he ran just a 9.1 percent walk rate in the same span, figures that will need to trend closer together as he faces more advanced pitching.
But time is on his side. Rodriguez will wrap up the final few weeks of his season at Single-A, not turning 19 until this offseason. Through his first 101 pro games, he mashed 21 homers and collected 75 RBIs while hitting .294 with a .908 OPS. At the same age many prospects are either just getting ready to embark on their college careers or have arrived at the complex shortly after graduating high school, Rodriguez has a considerable leg up.
9% walk rate is fine…jeebus
This is exactly the issue I have. If McKinstry is an end of the bench guy, then use him as such. The problem is, he’s one of AJs guys and he uses him too much. A guy hitting .216 with little power should not get almost as many ABs as Colt Keith. McKinstry will get 400 ABs this season.
Nobody can accuse Rainer of hitting cheap homeruns. Seems like everything he hits is 400+ feet.
From Gemini.
Chris Fetter is widely regarded as one of the top 3 pitching coaches in Major League Baseball.Key Achievements and RecognitionCoach of the Year: Named the 2024 MLB Coach of the Year by Baseball America.Staff Turnaround: Transformed the Detroit Tigers pitching infrastructure into a premier development factory, helping the team rank among the league’s best in ERA (3.63) and FIP.Player Development: Credited with the breakout success and career transformations of pitchers like Tarik Skubal (unanimous AL Cy Young winner), Jack Flaherty, and Reese Olson.
Chris Fetter’s Analytical MethodsChris Fetter relies heavily on a data-driven, collaborative approach that translates complex analytics into simple, actionable concepts for players. Instead of forcing a universal pitching style, he tailors mechanics to each pitcher’s unique movement profile.Pitch Design: Uses high-speed cameras (Edgertronic) and trackman data to adjust finger pressure and ball spin, creating entirely new pitches for struggling veterans.Leveraging Strengths: Focuses heavily on optimizing a pitcher’s best weapon rather than trying to fix every flaw.Game Planning: Builds highly specific attack plans using heat maps and visual data to show pitchers exactly how their arsenal matches up against opposing hitters.Open Communication: Demystifies advanced data by stripping away dense analytical jargon, ensuring players understand why a change works.
Developing Tarik SkubalUnder Fetter’s guidance, Tarik Skubal transformed from a talented but inconsistent prospect into a unanimous American League Cy Young Award winner.Changeup Revolution: Fetter helped Skubal refine a devastating, high-velocity changeup that mirrors his fastball release point, completely throwing off hitters’ timing.Arsenal Optimization: Dialed back Skubal’s reliance on ineffective secondary pitches to emphasize his elite four-seam fastball and sinker.Mechanic Adjustments: Rebuilt Skubal’s lower-body mechanics to maximize power output while significantly reducing structural stress on his arm.Mental Approach: Instilled an aggressive, strike-zone-flooding mentality that allowed Skubal to limit walks and maximize high-leverage strikeouts.
The hands. Big difference. I could never hit a fastball with my hands starting that high. In fact, I could never hit a fastball. 
My vision has sucked since I was about 16 or so. I was better with curves.
https://x.com/tigersMLreport/status/2094454993252233665?s=20