Detroit Tigers Rising Star Prospect Wins MVP Award at Arizona Fall League
The Detroit Tigers called up a ton of their youngsters to the Majors late in the season after the front office became sellers ahead of the trade deadline.
That decision sparked a magical run into the playoffs for the first time since 2014 where they beat the Houston Astros to end their American League record of seven consecutive ALCS appearances before coming one win short of playing for a World Series berth.
Because of that, the future looks bright for the Tigers with so many young players on this roster.
But when it comes to an organizational standpoint, there is always a concern about the strength of any farm system when multiple prospects get called up at once.
Fortunately, that's not the case in Detroit.
They still have tons of elite talent in their pipeline who project to be franchise cornerstones whenever they reach the MLB.
The Tigers sent a few of those players to the Arizona Fall League that just finished up, and while the majority of attention was on their sixth-ranked prospect, Thayron Liranzo, it was another one who stole the show.
Josue Briceno was just named MVP of the AFL after he became the first player to ever hit for the Triple Crown during this event when he had a .433 batting average, 10 home runs and 27 RBI.
The Triple Crown King 👑👑👑
— MLB's Arizona Fall League (@MLBazFallLeague) November 15, 2024
Josue Briceño is the first ever hitter in the Arizona Fall League to achieve the Triple Crown. Catch him in action tonight at Scottsdale Stadium in the AFL Semifinals! pic.twitter.com/ggSDSKsTwx
Briceno was beyond impressive throughout the entirety of the Arizona Fall League, and with his MVP award, he joined elite company alongside Robert Acuna Jr. Nolan Arenado, Kris Bryant, Gleyber Torres and Royce Lewis.
He also became the second player in Detroit's history to be named Most Valuable Player, joining Chris Shelton in 2004.
This is huge for Briceno and the Tigers.
Ranked ninth in their pipeline, he isn't unheralded by any means, but the 20-year-old was not mentioned in the same breath as Jackson Jobe, Max Clark, Kevin McGonigle or Liranzo.
That should change now.
The key for Briceno will be staying healthy going forward.
He's only played in 139 games during his three seasons in the minors, having spent time on the 60-day injured list this past campaign that limited him to just 40 contests at the Single-A level.
When he's been on the field, though, there is no denying his talent.
In addition to putting up these gaudy numbers in the AFL, Briceno has a career slash line of .283/.367/.439 with 13 total homers, 49 extra-base hits and 76 RBI across his 506 at-bats.
Listed as a catcher and first baseman, the majority of his work in the field has come from behind the plate with 56 games there and 37 at first, but there is a chance the Tigers move him permanently to first base after their acquisition of Liranzo.
There's no doubt he is now someone who should be monitored next season to see how he continues to progress in his minor league career.
If he uses this momentum and begins next year hot, he could be a rapid climber through the pipeline until he's knocking on the door to join his other previous top prospects in the Majors at some point.
