Top Five Underrated Detroit Tigers Prospects

The Detroit Tigers have been dominating as of late, and you can attribute their exceptional play to manager Jim Leyland. Leyland has been shuffling newbies in the lineup so much it makes it hard to answer the question, "Who's Your Tiger?"

Danny Worth, Andy Oliver, and Enrique Gonazalez are just a few names that Tigers fans are just now getting acquainted with.

So, to save you the trouble of not knowing the next Tiger prospect who is called, check out this list of the top five minor league prospects that you could see come game day.

Will Rhymes

Position: 2B
Age: 27
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 155
Bats: Left
Throws:Right
College: College of William and Mary's

Will Rhymes, the second baseman for the Toledo Mud Hens, has been absolutely off the charts. He has a .302 batting average and has racked up 86 hits.

However, there's a good reason Rhymes hasn't been brought up to the bigs quite yet—he hasn't hit a homer in 285 at bats.

That being said, Rhymes is a phenomenal contact hitter, but if he hopes to play with the Tigers, he is going to have to start showing some power.

Alfredo Figaro

Position: SP/RP
Age: 26
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 175
Bats: Right
Throws:Right
College: N/A

Alfredo Figaro offers the Detroit Tigers versatility. He can be both a starter and a closer.

Currently, Figaro is with the Toledo Mud Hens, but Tigers fans should remember him as a decent pitching contributor.

Figaro has a mediocre 4.38 ERA, but he has also taken the brunt the punishment pitching 90.1 innings, the most innings of any pitcher on the Tiger's Triple-A affiliate.

Figaro also leads strikeouts (76) on the Mud Hens pitching squad as well, establishing his fastball as one of the best on the roster.

In the tight American League Central race, the Tigers will need all the help they can get, so it definitely helps to have experienced pitchers like Figaro in the minors just in case.

Jeff Larish

Position: 1B/3B
Age: 27
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 200
Bats: Left
Throws:Right
College: Arizona State

Tigers fans should recognize Jeff Larish from his exceptional contribution to the organization last season. In 2009, he had a .242 batting average with six home runs and 23 RBIs.

Now, Larish is showing his batting expertise in the minors with the Toledo Mud Hens. He has a .259 batting average and has accumulated 14 homers and 48 RBIs.

If Brandon Inge needs to take a breather, like last season because of his bum knees, then the Tigers can always call on Larish to provide some quality at bats and first-rate fielding.

Jeff Frazier

Position: 1B
Age: 28
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 195
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
College: Rutgers

Jeff Frazier has been an absolute beast in the batters box for the Toledo Mud Hens. He leads the team in home runs (16), RBIs (52), and hits (93). In addition, Frazier also has a satisfactory .274 batting average.

Frazier only has one problem—the Tigers already have an All-Star first baseman in Miguel Cabrera. But who knows, the way the Tigers have been shaking up the lineup with rookies and no-names, Frazier could get to play in Detroit.

Thad Weber

Position: SP
Age: 26
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 200
Bats: Right
Throws:Right
College: Nebraska

Erie Seawolves' pitcher Thad Weber might be able to follow in the footsteps of his former teammate Andy Oliver, who was recently called up to play with the Tigers.

Weber threw an 88-pitch no-hitter in August, picking up 10 strikeouts against the Cleveland Indians' Double-A Affiliate, the Akron Aeros.

Weber has a 4.05 ERA with 70 strikeouts with the Seawolves. Pitchers remain a hot commodity for the Tigers, especially going down the stretch of the AL Central race.