Every year, a handful of players ranked outside the top 10 in their respective farm systems take meaningful steps forward to improve their stock and vault up prospect rankings. Part of the fun is trying to identify those breakouts before it happens. So today, we’re identifying Tigers prospects who have the potential to make a jump in 2026.
To qualify, a player must rank outside the organization’s preseason Top 10 prospects. All scouting reports are from Baseball America’s 2026 Prospect handbook, which you can purchase here.
You can find Top 30 prospect rankings for all teams here and all breakout candidates here.
Breakout Prospects
Kelvis Salcedo, RHP
BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme
Adjusted Grade: 35
Track Record: A low-cost signing in 2023 out of Venezuela, Salcedo hasn’t needed much time to establish himself as one of the Tigers’ best pitching prospects. He impressed in the Dominican Summer League in 2024, combined on a seven-inning no-hitter in the Florida Complex League in June 2025 and pitched Low-A Lakeland to a Florida State League title later in the summer.
Scouting Report: Salcedo has some of the best stuff in the Tigers’ organization, with a 93-98 mph shot put of a sinker and two excellent secondaries. His 86-88 mph two-plane slider and 84-86 mph split changeup both grade as future above-average pitches. Salcedo throws his fastball and slider consistently in the zone and frustrates aggressive hitters with split changeups below the zone for chases, generating miss rates above 50% in the lower minors. Salcedo is already thick in the middle with tree trunk-esque legs. His delivery is a bit unorthodox, which leads to concerns that he won’t be able to maintain both his present stuff and average control long-term in a starting role. He is a bit stiff, but he repeats his delivery consistently and throws strikes.
The Future: There are worries about Salcedo’s ability to keep doing what he’s doing year after year, but he’s shown he can generate weak contact and throw strikes. If he holds up, he could be a midrotation starter, with a solid fallback option as a high-leverage reliever.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Split: 55 | Control: 50
Jack Penney, 2B
BA Grade/Risk: 45/Average
Adjusted Grade: 35
Track Record: Penney was a modestly productive infielder at Notre Dame, getting on base and showing some power, but he also was a career .261 hitter who never hit .300 in any of three seasons. But he hit better than that with a wood bat in the Cape Cod League, which caught scouts’ eyes. Penney missed a month in 2025 with a left shoulder separation, but returned with no further issues and had a solid season at High-A West Michigan.
Scouting Report: The Tigers believed Penney was a better hitter than he showed at Notre Dame, and so far they have been rewarded. Penney’s 91 mph average exit velocity is above-average, although he hasn’t pulled the ball in the air enough for that to turn into much productive power. He also has above-average contact skills and solid plate discipline. He draws enough walks to post excellent on-base percentages. Penney is a fringe-average defender at second who is stretched at shortstop. With an average arm, he’s also playable at third.
The Future: Penney projects as a bat-first utility infielder who could be an everyday second baseman if he keeps improving. While his surface-level stats have never been flashy, his well-rounded offensive profile gives him a shot to become a useful lefthanded-hitting infielder who can play multiple positions.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 45 | Run: 50 | Field: 45 | Arm: 50
BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme
Adjusted Grade: 30
Track Record: A $387,500 signee in January 2025 out of the Dominican Republic, De Los Santos was considered one of the better defenders in the Tigers’ international class. That proved true in his first stint in the Dominican Summer League, and he showed an advanced hitting approach as well. De Los Santos missed nearly a month at the start of the season with a quad injury, but he was the DSL Tigers 1’s best hitter from the day he returned.
Scouting Report: De Los Santos shows plenty of promise as a hitter. He coils at the plate, crowding the pitcher from a closed setup. He sets up with his front foot grounded in the box by just the tips of his toes before he goes into a toe tap, keeping all of his weight back until he explodes into his swing. It’s a tad unconventional, but he has good barrel control and the rotational speed to generate solid power for his age. De Los Santos has a whippy bat with quick hands that also are apparent in the field. Defensively, he has to become more consistent, but he has athletic footwork and an above-average arm up the middle.
The Future: De Los Santos has all the foundational tools to be a well-rounded middle infielder. His bat and arm give him a number of potential landing spots, but nothing he’s shown so far rules out him sticking at shortstop for the long-term.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 45 | Run: 50 | Field: 50 | Arm: 55