As he tries move to third, Tigers' Jace Jung No. 2 among 2B prospects by MLB Pipeline

Jace Jung might have a new position when baseball returns in the spring. The Detroit Tigers prospect, however, is getting attention from national analysts for his work at his old position.

Jung, selected by the Tigers at No. 12 overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, is baseball's second-ranked second-base prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

Jung, 23, slots in behind Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Termarr Johnson in the rankings, unveiled Monday. That ranking appears to be tied mostly to his bat, with MLB Pipeline's Sam Dykstra grouping him with the New York Mets' Ronny Mauricio (No. 6 on this list) in the top second-base prospects with the most power.

"Jung led all Minor League second basemen with 28 homers at High-A and Double-A in his first full season," Dykstra writes, "and has the strength and lift in his swing to remain one of the most powerful hitters at the position, should he stay there."

That last part is the key. The Tigers moved Jung to third base for the Arizona Fall League, perhaps as a way to eventually get Jung and Colt Keith's bats into the lineup, eventually. His work in Arizona seemed to please Tigers front-office assistant Alan Trammell and Javier Colina, his manager with the AFL's Salt River Rafters.

Between Single-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie last season, Jung played 128 games and hit .265 with a .376 OBP .502 slugging percentage, .878 OPS and the aforementioned 28 homers. He added 27 doubles, and 82 RBIs.

Jung is No. 4 among The Detroit News' top 50 Tigers prospects for 2024, and was No. 81 overall in Baseball America's top 100 prospects, revealed last week.