As pitchers and catchers report to Summer Camp, Tigers weigh when to play prospects

One could picture general manager Al Avila in overalls and a hat, figuratively tending to the Tigers’ future in their farm system.

It’s been years in the making, but the prize is the promising pitching crop that includes top prospects Casey Mize, Matt Manning, Alex Faedo and Tarik Skubal. After spending last season with the Double-A Erie SeaWolves, the green tomatoes started to ripen, which has the Tigers hopeful for a bountiful harvest in the near future.

Now comes the quandary for Avila: How many of those should he harvest and how many should he let ripen a little more before he plucks them off the vine?

It’s one of the biggest questions heading into the start of the Tigers’ Summer Camp, with pitchers and catchers showing up at Comerica Park this week and the first full-squad workouts beginning Monday.

The Tigers already have a rotation that could include Matthew Boyd, Michael Fulmer, Spencer Turnbull, Jordan Zimmermann and Ivan Nova for the truncated 60-game season, which kicks off July 23-24.

Could it include one or two of the young pitchers? Three?

Only time will tell. 

“There are some young guys we planned to bring up and get exposure this season. That possibility still remains the same as we move forward,” Avila told reporters last week. “But now with just 60 games, it might be more difficult to get them that experience.”

All four likely would have been pitching this season at Triple-A Toledo if not for the COVID-19 pandemic — and with the minor leagues announcing this week that they were canceling their seasons, the Tigers have put them in their 60-man player pool. That includes 30 players who will play in Detroit; the remaining 30 will be at satellite training for intrasquad games in Toledo, in case the Tigers need reinforcements.

Pitching always is a premium and even if Tigers fans don’t get to see the future stars this season, they know the time is drawing nigh for them to be regulars at Comerica Park.

More: Tigers sign four undrafted free-agent college players

It’s not a knock on veterans such as Boyd and Zimmermann, who will be counted on significantly this year — but the excitement over the young pitching core has been building for a couple of years, especially after an exciting season with the SeaWolves last summer.

Mize, 23, led the group with a 6-3 record at Erie in 15 appearances. He registered 76 strikeouts and allowed 30 hits in 78.2 innings. He had some shoulder issues that limited him, but he could be the most likely to jump into an opening if the Tigers had one in the rotation.

Manning, 22, was 11-5 at Erie in 24 appearances with 148 strikeouts and 93 hits in 133.2 innings. Skubal, 23, split time between Single-A Lakeland and Erie and totaled 179 strikeouts in 122.2 innings. Faedo, 24, was a first-round pick in the 2017 draft; he posted 134 strikeouts in 115.1 innings.

Time will tell, but with only 60 games and a shortened season, the opportunities simply may not be available for them in the majors — but having them on standby on the taxi squad doesn’t hurt either.

“You’d obviously like to see (the Tigers) get them up,” Tigers pitching coach Rick Anderson said recently. “That’s the big wave that we’re looking at here in the future and you’d like to be part of it. Unfortunately, this game is, ‘What have you done for us lately?’

“Our job is to keep getting these guys improving and moving forward with what we have. Hopefully, that will be enough to keep us around and helping when these young guys come in.”

Fulmer, who missed all of last season because of Tommy John surgery — after having knee surgery the previous offseason — would be a welcome addition to the rotation. He’s worked his way back and although there are no concerns about the right knee, the Tigers won’t rush him back because of the concerns with his elbow.

For Fulmer, what initially looked to be a midseason return before the pandemic could be an August debut if all continues to go well.

However it turns out, Avila could have some tough decisions to make about harvesting early or being patient and avoiding spoiling the future crops.

The future seeds for change are there for the Tigers.

The Tigers are just hoping they can be nourishing sooner or later.

Rod.Beard@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @detnewsRodBeard