Melvin Mercedes

While Mercedes did make his major league debut last year, it was short-lived, as he made just one two-inning appearance for the Tigers. The rest of his season was spent with Triple-A Toledo, where he worked solely out of the bullpen. The 24-year-old righty has been brought along slowly through Detroit’s system with just 85.1 innings of work at the higher levels of the minors. His overall numbers in the minors haven’t been pretty, but Detroit remains intrigued by Mercedes’ potential. His No. 1 pitch is a fastball with sinking action that sits around 92-94 mph with the ability to hit the high-90s on occasion. He also works in a plus-slider and improving changeup. While Mercedes could likely use some additional time in the minors to refine his approach on the mound, he’s expected to get a long look this spring. Even if he doesn’t nab an Opening Day roster spot, Mercedes will likely be one of Detroit’s top in-season options for a promotion.