The Detroit Tigers Now Have 3 Top 100 Prospects in MLB

It could be a sign the Detroit Tigers farm system is on the mend or maybe it is the effect of drafting higher in the first round each of the last three years, but after the MLB's midseason prospect rankings came out this week, the Detroit Tigers now boast three players in the top 100 prospects of Major League Baseball.

In the 2017 preseason edition of the rankings, the Tigers had just one player on the list.

In order those players are Matt Manning (#71), Alex Faedo (#77), and Beau Burrows (#98). They are also listed as the top three prospects in the Tigers system by MLB.

Manning, who was the Tigers lone player on the preseason list at 74, has had a decent season so far in short season A-ball with the Connecticut Tigers. The 2016 first round draft pick is currently 1-1 in seven starts with a 2.70 ERA. Hitters are hitting .244 against him this season. Manning fastball and curveball both come in at 60 or higher in the MLB 20-80 scouting system. He is currently 19 years old and projected to arrive in the majors in 2020 by MLB.

Faedo, the Tigers first round pick of 2017, was named the College World Series Most Outstanding Player as his Florida Gators went on to claim the NCAA championship this season. Due to his season running long into mid-June, Faedo has not appeared in a game for any Tigers minor league affiliate yet but he has reported to the Gulf Coast League for rookie ball. Faedo's slider is his best pitch according to scouts with a 65 rating versus a 60 fastball by the 20-80 system.

Burrows is a 20-year-old pitcher who is quickly making his way up the ranks of the Tigers minor league system. After being drafted 22nd overall in 2015 and foregoing his commitment to Texas A&M, Burrows has been a consistent starter no matter what level he's been at. Currently with the Erie Seawolves (AA), Burrows' talent on the mound has gotten him promoted three times already while a Tiger prospect. In 19 starts between Erie and high-A Lakeland this season he has amassed a 7-6 record with a 2.65 ERA, though his Lakeland numbers tell the story of why he was promoted midseason in 2017. A 4-3 record with a 1.27 ERA and a 0.955 WHIP in 11 starts showed that Burrows was ready to get out of the Florida State League. His K/BB ratio in that league was over 5.5.

Though we should not expect to see any of these players in the majors even as early as 2018 the growing number of Tigers that populate the MLB top 100 list illustrates that a rebuild might not be as hard to stomach as some people think. If the Tigers farm system continues to grow, the quicker any potential rebuild process will go.