Detroit Tigers’ Top 2 Prospects Hit a Cold Spell in the Arizona Fall League

The Detroit Tigers are set on their farm system to produce the future stars who will lead this franchise into the future. With homegrown talents such as Riley Greene and Kevin McGonigle making strides as the faces of the future, there are a handful of prospects within the organization looming around the corner to help.

When the Tigers traded Tarik Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers, they received three prospects, with Zyhir Hope as the trade's main focus. Since Max Clark made his MLB debut, Hope has become Detroit's top prospect with plenty to prove to live up to the hype.

Just behind Hope on the organizational rankings is former first-round pick Bryce Rainer, who finally had a chance to play a full season in professional baseball after suffering an injury in 2025. To get extra work, both Hope and Rainer were assigned to participate in the Arizona Fall League as members of the Scottsdale Scorpions.

The Arizona Fall League has given top prospects a stage to prove themselves, as McGonigle did before making the Opening Day roster for 2026. However, if these two keep playing as they have, the duo might not make it to the show on day one of 2027.

Hope through the first six games of the Fall League season was hitting .286 with a .873 OPS, with five walks, eight strikeouts and five runs batted in. In the seventh game, Hope went yard. However, since those first few games, Hope has gone cold.

As of Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, Hope is hitting .227 with one home run, seven RBIs, nine walks, 14 strikeouts and has a .295 SLG, having not gotten an extra-base hit other than his home run. For a prospect known to have solid power, Hope needs to do more in the power department to please Tigers fans.

As for Rainer, who ended 2026's minor-league regular season hitting .271, 18 home runs, 67 RBIs with an .863 OPS, his Fall League hasn't gotten off on the right foot. As of Oct. 25, 2026, Rainer is hitting .148 with two doubles, two walks, 11 strikeouts and three RBIs.

Rainer's biggest flaw in his game at this stage of his career is his swing-and-miss. With West Michigan, Rainer struck out 151 times in 362 at-bats, and if one thing is certain, the Tigers can't afford another middle infielder with strikeout issues.

Still young, 21, Rainer can easily improve and turn his fall around by focusing on contact hitting rather than extra-base power. For Hope, improving his batting average and collecting a double or two could refuel his confidence at the plate, leading to breakout success.