The second installment of the Spring Breakout series proved to be quite an enjoyable experience. Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves farm systems locked up for a televised matchup. You can’t read much into this game, but notably Tigers first rounder Bryce Rainer looked quite good in his two ABs. That matters a little more as Rainer hasn’t even played in the Complex League. The Tigers top prospects put up a healthy lead early on and the Tigers went on to win 6-3 on Sunday afternoon.
The Tigers' hopes dimmed rapidly during the opening frame against the formidableJR Ritchie. Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle both skyed their chances with quick fly outs, followed by Thayron Liranzo whiffing on a slider for his third strike.
Lefty Jake Miller got out to a good start for Alan Trammell’s Tigers squad. Looking like he made sure not to skip leg day this offseason, Miller was throwing 93-96 mph out of the gate and carved up Carlos D. Rodriguez with a slider to start the bottom of the first. Catcher Liranzo called for plenty of fastballs, and John Gil flew out solidly to Max Clark in center field, while Luke Waddell grounded out to Josue Briceño playing first base.
Hao-Yu Lee hit an infield single to start the second inning. Briceño then came up with a sharply-hit single towards the right-field line; it might have been a double if not for bouncing off the stands and rolling back toward the Braves' right fielder. This allowed Lee to advance to third base, setting the stage for outfielder Brett Callahan to step up to bat.
In that same inning, Ritchie reached speeds of up to 99 mph. Callahan hit into a double play which allowed Lee to score from third base, making it 1-0 for the Tigers. Next up, Roberto Campos swung sharply and got a clean single past the infield, countering a 95 mph fastball. Then came Bryce Rainer’s turn; this marked his debut as the Tigers' first-round pick from the 2024 draft. Upon seeing the initial fastball, Rainer managed an effective ground ball towards right field but was initially ruled out due to a close call following a precise throw from third baseman David McCabe. Thus ended the inning with a score of 1-0 favoring the Tigers.
In the bottom of the second inning, Miller surrendered a leadoff single to McCabe when the ball sailed into the right-center field gap; it seemed uncertain whether Clark and Campos were both hesitant about taking responsibility for catching the ball. Following this play, a wild pitch thrown by Miller occurred as first baseman Drew Compton stepped up to bat. Compton then hit a firm single through the infield, evening the score at 1-1.
Miller fanned David Montgomery swinging for the second out, brushing him off with consecutive fastballs. He followed up by inducing a weak line drive to second base from Owen Carey, which concluded the inning.
Infielder Franyerber Montilla led off the third, and hitting left-handed he saw the best changeups of his young career from Ritchie and struck out. Max Clark drilled a double the opposite way that the Braves’ left fielder dove for but could only deflect. Clark easily cruised into second base bringing McGonigle to the plate. The Tigers center fielder was dancing off second base and got in Ritchie’s head a bit. McGonigle got a fastball and smoked it at 104 mph for a sharp line drive single the opposite way. Clark had to hold at third, and it worked out as Thayron Liranzo did the job, lifting a sacrifice fly to left center field. Clark tagged and scored to make it 2-1 Tigers. Hao-Yu Lee got a 2-2 slider away and lifted it out to right field for the final out of the inning.
Right-hander Josh Randall, the Tigers third round pick last summer, took over in the bottom of the third, slinging 93-95 mph from a low arm slot and bending a good slider across the plate. He got Luis Guanipa chasing a slider for the first out. Rodriguez flew out to Callahan in left field for the second out.
Randall missed connecting with a swinging pitch and almost hit John Gil. However, Gil managed to send a ground ball towards McGonigle at third base, outrunning the throw due to his quickness for an infield single. Waddell then smacked a single into center field; although Clark rushed over quickly, he was able to make up some ground on the play. Meanwhile, Gil aggressively rounded second base. Seeing this, Clark promptly threw the ball to Montilla, who tagged Gil out just before reaching home plate, ending the inning with their team down three outs.
Right-hander Garrett Baumann took over for the Braves in the fourth. He promptly walked Briceño on four pitches. Callahan lifted a shallow fly ball to left for the first out of the inning. Campos had a couple of good takes, and Baumann walked him as well. That brought up Rainer for his second AB of the game.
Rainer still hasn’t even played Complex League ball, but he had no issues, driving a deep fly ball to the wall in left field. It was misplayed on the warning track by the left fielder, and dropped for a single. Briceño read it well and scored from second, while Campos tagged and took second base. Montilla fell behind 0-2, and Baumann was up to 99-100 mph, but the Tigers second baseman tightened things up and battled his way to a walk that loaded the bases as the lineup turned over to Clark again.
Clark put together a solid AB, battling into a full count and lifted a routine fly ball to right center field. Briceño tagged and scored to make it 4-1 Tigers. That ended Baumann’s outing temporarily after throwing more pitches than the Braves would like in an inning. Hard-throwing RHP Rolddy Muñoz took over. McGonigle saw 97-98 mph, lifting a fly ball to left field for the final out of the inning.
RHP Jaden Hamm, the Tigers’ minor league Pitcher of the Year in 2024 took over on the mound. He walked Adam Zebrowski, the first hitter he faced, and looked a little out of sync, sitting 93 mph with his riding fourseamer. Hamm mixed in some breaking balls and changeups to get McCabe to fly out to left field. Compton saw a good curveball and a fading changeup to fall behind 0-2 and eventually lifted a shallow flyout on a fastball. Hamm settled in and got in sync as the inning progressed. Nick Montgomery saw 95 mph before a diet of breaking balls and then a slider tied him up for a swinging strike three to strand Zebrowski.
The six-foot-eight Baumann returned to the mound in the top of the fifth to get some more work in. Liranzo greeted him by roasting a double into the right field corner to start the inning. Lee fought off a few early fastballs, but then worked his way back into the count and drew a walk as Baumann was struggling to find the zone. Briceño was up next and Baumann quickly fell behind 2-0 and then uncorked a wild fastball that advanced the runners 90 feet. Briceño took a 3-0 fastball down the middle, and then fouled off another 97 mph heater over the middle. Baumann missed arm side again, and Briceño walked to load the bases with no outs.
Brett Callahan swung at several pitchable balls but managed only a foul. In a full-count situation, he hit a high popup to left field that didn't reach far enough to bring Liranzo home from third base. This concluded Brett’s game time, with Roberto Campos stepping up next. However, Luis Vargas replaced him and struck out Campos with a 95-mph fastball directly down the center of the plate.
Rainer appeared quite unimpressed during his initial professional public game. He let a couple of relatively close pitches go by as strikes before hitting a strong single into the left-center field, driving in two runs and making the score 6-1 in favor of the Tigers. This performance was particularly noteworthy given that these were his debut public at-bats following his draft from high school. Vargas, a rather reliable reliever prospect, played at High-A level last season.
Franierber Montilla swung at strike three and ended the top of the fifth inning.
Hamm’s velocity was down to 91-92 mph in his second inning of work. Even so, he got a quick ground out to Briceño at first that he handled himself. A pop out, also to Briceño in foul territory, made it two outs. Rodriguez saw 94 mph and then a steady diet of breaking balls and flew out to Clark in center to end the fifth inning.
The right-handed pitcher Elison Joseph stepped up for the Braves in the sixth inning. Ben Malgeri replaced Max Clark and swung at a 97 mph fastball, striking out after starting with an impressive 3-0 lead. The third baseman, Carson Rucker, came into the game replacing McGonigle following a labrum injury that sidelined him during much of his debut professional season. Despite taking an early 3-1 advantage, Rucker missed a 96 mph fastball outside and ended up popping out on yet another fast pitch for the second out of the frame. Liranzo faced numerous curveballs and sliders before fanning, sending the game to the bottom part of the sixth inning. The score remained 6-1 in favor of the Tigers.
Big lefty Micah Ashman took over from Hamm in the bottom of the sixth. The six-foot-seven southpaw was the Tigers 11th rounder last summer out of Utah. Ashman quickly got a ground ball from John Gil. The teenaged Braves prospect came up lame trying to beat the throw from Jim Jarvis at shortstop with what looked like a hamstring strain.
Ashman looked somewhat interesting late last summer with Lakeland and showed some good breaking balls to go with 92-93 mph fastballs in this one. Waddell dumped an opposite field single in front of new Tigers’ left fielder Nomar Fana to open the frame. Zebrowski worked a full count, but Ashman challenged him with a fastball and got him to fly out to Campos is right field. David McCabe took a fastball down the middle for strike three, though Liranzo dropped it and had to complete the tag. Solid outing for Ashman. On to the seventh.
Teenager Didier Fuentes, a right-handed pitcher for the Braves known for his powerful rising fastball ranging between 93 and 97 mph, stepped onto the field in the seventh inning. Hao-Yu Lee has continued to have difficulty handling quality fastballs, and Fuentes capitalized on this weakness by peppering him with swift pitches, causing Lee to consistently miss timing. Next came first baseman Jake Holton, who had been instrumental during last season’s stint with the Double-A Erie SeaWolves until an unfortunate injury sidelined him from the playoffs. In place of Briceño, Holton faced off against Fuentes but got hit near the left ear protector. Despite this impact, he managed to remain standing and appeared unharmed at first glance. To ensure safety, Briceño returned to play solely as a runner for Holton, allowing medical staff to check for potential concussions.
Nomar Fana had his initial at-bat of the game following that. The Tigers acquired the two-way batting outfielder as an international free agent in 2020. So far, Fana hasn't made significant contributions but managed a respectable performance with Lakeland during the previous summer when he was 21 years old. Both Nomar Fana and Campos swung and missed, leading into the start of the seventh inning.
Right-handed pitcher Joseph Montalvo stepped in for the Tigers during that inning. Catching prospect Enrique Jiménez, just 20 years old, replaced Liranzo behind home plate for the Tigers in that same frame. Montalvo’s fastball clocked in at 94-95 mph, and he demonstrated decent slider pitches; however, his changeup lacked movement despite being thrown firmly. He began his stint with a popup out against Will Verdung to Briceño. Later, Nick Montgomery hit a single into right field, setting the stage for 18-year-old Eric Hartman.
Hartman fielded a ground ball hit to Briceño, who then threw a strike towards second base. Although Montalvo reached first base, they were unable to complete the double play even though Jarvis made an accurate throw to first. When a wild pitch allowed Jimenez to advance, Hartman moved up to second base. In a 2-2 count, Montalvo narrowly missed getting ahead after swinging at another fastball. Then, Workinger smacked a line drive towards third base; however, Rucker failed to handle the sharp hop cleanly, enabling Hartman to cross home plate. The inning concluded when Rodriguez grounded out to Max Anderson stationed at second base.
On to the eighth. 6-2 Tigers.
Jim Jarvis grounded out to start the inning, but Max Anderson came up with a single. Malgeri and Rucker both had trouble with Fuentes riding heater and struck out swinging to strand Anderson.
Next up, we had an opportunity to see the powerful right-handed pitcher Troy Melton. Many consider him the Tigers' top secondary pitching prospect after Hamm, and he'll be taking on Triple-A this year. Definitely keep an eye on him; if his control improves slightly, he might contribute significantly to the Tigers later this summer. During his appearance, Melton was firing pitches at 97-99 mph and demonstrated effective sliders. His changeup came in a bit firmer than ideal around the high-80s range, yet considering his fastball speed, it wasn’t drastically off-target. In one of his innings, Melton induced a groundout to Rucker at third base for the initial out before striking out Waddell swinging on a tight inside slider. Zebrowski managed to extend the plate appearance to reach a full-count battle but appeared overwhelmed and swung erratically when faced with a blazing 97-mph pitch below the strike zone.
As Fuentes continued pitching from the mound, Enrique Jimenez hit a ground ball to end the top of the ninth inning. Lee once again struggled with the fastballs, swinging too late and striking out powerlessly. His ongoing difficulty in making solid contact with high-speed pitches will be an important aspect to monitor as he enters his 22-year-old season. Briceño extended the at-bat to a full count, managing to foul off several challenging fastballs before ultimately swinging strikes out on the third strike.
Really impressive outing from the 19-year-old Didier Fuentes. The secondary pitches are still crude, but that is a good, firm fastball he’s rocking already.
Right-hander Tyler Owens, set to be one of the top relief options at Triple-A this year, took over to close this one out for the Tigers. Acquired from the Texas Rangers Last summer, for Carson Kelly, Owens was a crucial part of Gabe Alvarez’s Eastern League championship-winning Erie SeaWolves bullpen. Before being sent back to minor league camp following an impressive performance during spring training, he showcased his capabilities. This season, he appears to be among the top choices for the Tigers should they require additional relief support.
Owens started the inning by walking Cal Conley after missing his initial 97 mph fastball high. Will Verduong then hit a line drive down the right-field line that bounced off the fence, scoring Conley from first and making the score 6-3 in favor of the Tigers. Following this, Mac Gusetti swung at a slider but only managed to pop out to the outfield for the first out of the frame as Campos kept Verdung anchored at second base. Despite attempting control, Owens struggled further when he threw a wild pitch inside, advancing Verdung to third. In the next play, Hartman sent a deep fly ball towards left field; however, Nomar Fana sprinted over and slid elegantly to snag the ball for the second out. The game concluded with Workinger hitting another long fly ball caught by the right fielder, securing the Tigers' win with a final tally of 6-3.
In general, you can't go wrong with an entertaining exhibition match. The Detroit Tigers' top prospects performed well during their at-bats. They also displayed impressive pitching velocities. Both Melton and Miller seemed sharp, whereas Hamm and Owens appeared slightly below par in comparison.
Bryce Rainer has to get another mentioned for two good ABs and solid opposite field contact including a two-run line drive single to begin his pro career in earnest.
The Braves showed some good young arms. No one impressed more than Didier Fuentes, who struck out seven Tigers in three overpowering innings of work. The teenager has a bright future. JR Ritchie also looked solid and remains one of the Braves best pitching prospects.
You can check the box score right here.
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