How Detroit Tigers Top 30 Prospect’s Development Went Off-Track This Season
This was supposed to be a leap year of sorts for Detroit Tigers right-handed pitching prospect Troy Melton.
After an encouraging 2023 with two minor-league affiliates, his first full professional season, the Tigers promoted him to Double-A Erie to start the season. The No. 12 prospect per MLB Pipeline was seen as a potential 2025 call-up for a franchise in need of some more home-grown starting pitching.
Well, that progress hasn’t quite materialized.
Recently, Baseball America profiled one prospect from each Major League system that might be better off putting 2024 behind them and moving on to 2025. The site selected Melton, a former college pitcher who has the right kind of profile for success in the big leagues.
But his season with Erie represents a step back. He’s on the injured list right now, but he is 7-8 with a 5.10 ERA in 23 starts. His ERA is up more than two points from a year ago when he was at lower-tiered affiliates.
He does have a career-high 119 strikeouts and only 30 walks, so the strikeout-to-walk ratio that made him an enticing selection is back. But he’s struggled with location this year and batters are hitting .273, more than 40 points above last season and his final season in college.
But the home run rate may be his biggest regression, per Baseball America. The site pointed to the fact that he allowed just five home runs in 92 innings in 2023. With Erie that has ballooned to 19 home runs allowed.
For Melton to continue his progress, that has to change.
The Tigers selected Melton in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of San Diego State. With the Aztecs, the Anaheim, Calif., product was named the Mountain West Co-Pitcher of the Year and a First-Team All-Mountain West Selection.
That season he went 5-2 record with a 2.07 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 65.1 innings. He led the Mountain West in ERA and fewest hits allowed (57) while sitting in second in opposing batting average (.235) and fewest walks allowed (15).
The Tigers were hoping with his college polish that Melton might be able to make it through the system quickly. After he pitched five innings in Class-A Lakeland to end 2022, he spent a full season with Lakeland and High-A West Michigan and excelled.
He went 3-1 with a 2.74 ERA in 23 games (22 starts) as he struck out 94 and walked 24 in 92 innings. Just as he did with the Aztecs, he had a fine opponent batting average of .233.
MATT POSTINS