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Detroit Tigers Minor League Notes

Tigers draft Zeile, nephew of former big leaguer.
The Tigers' fifth-round pick in the 2014 Draft has familiar name to baseball fans.
Todd Zeile started out as a catcher before transitioning into the infield for the bulk of his 16-year Major League career. His nephew Shane -- who Detroit selected with 160th overall pick on Friday -- took the opposite path at UCLA, shuffling around the infield for his first couple years before settling in behind the plate this spring as a junior. The resulting season sent his prospect standing upward, up to 184th on MLB.com's Top 200 list.

Though Shane Zeile had a torn labrum last fall, it happened in his non-throwing shoulder. His throwing arm was fine, and he made a quick transition to catching this season, much like Alex Avila did at Alabama his junior season. More importantly, Zeile broke out at the plate, batting .324 with nine doubles, three triples, two homers, 28 RBIs and 21 walks. He threw out better than 40 percent (18-of-43) of would-be basestealers, tied for the best mark in the Pac-12 Conference.

That work was good enough to land Zeile with Tigers third-round pick Grayson Greiner on the semifinalists list for college baseball's Johnny Bench Award for best catcher. Zeile has the athleticism to make scouts believe he can stick behind the plate. The right-handed hitter expected to hit more for line drives than home runs, but the Tigers will gladly take that from a catcher.
Tigers official site
 
Tigers catch Gamecocks' Greiner in Round 3.
The Tigers have had the kind of success with SEC receivers that would make an NFL general manager happy. In Detroit's case, though, catchers from the Southeastern Conference have helped turn what was once an organizational wasteland into a position of depth, one South Carolina's Grayson Greiner could help greatly after Detroit took him with their third-round pick of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft on Friday.

"Never thought I'd see the day where I'm a Tiger," Greiner tweeted Friday afternoon, playing on South Carolina's in-state rival Clemson. "So blessed to have so many friends and family to watch my dream come true."

At 6 feet, 5 inches, he's at the tall end for a catcher -- Joe Mauer and Matt Wieters are listed at the same height -- but Greiner is considered a defense-first backstop. The Tigers drafted him to stick behind the plate, where his strong, accurate arm and .995 fielding percentage helped him earn SEC All-Defensive honors.

He has the body frame for a right-handed power bat, and he hit grand slams in two late-inning comeback rallies for the Gamecocks, but how his hitting evolves will prove secondary to his work behind the plate. He hit .311 (66-for-212) in his junior season with 13 doubles, eight homers, 50 RBIs, a .389 on-base percentage and .486 slugging.

Greiner ranked 96th on MLB.com's list of Top 200 Draft prospects. In a draft that boasted some talented young catchers whose futures might lie at different positions, Greiner was one of the higher-ranked true catchers.

The Draft concludes on Saturday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 beginning on MLB.com at 1 p.m. ET.
Tigers official site
 
Round 4: Tigers return to Vandy for Ravenelle.
Adam Ravenelle had ulnar transposition surgery in 2012
Vanderbilt University has contributed quite a bit to the Tigers farm system lately, producing prospects from Triple-A Toledo left-hander Drew VerHagen to Double-A Erie first baseman Aaron Westlake to Class A hurler Kevin Ziomek to now-Rays catching prospect Curt Casali. Adam Ravenelle didn't have quite the collegiate career of the other two, thanks in no small part to surgery, but his talent wooed the Tigers to take a shot on him with their fourth-round pick.

The right-hander had elbow problems that led to ulnar transposition surgery in 2012, greatly limiting his work his first two college seasons. He came back this spring and took well to the bullpen, though not as a closer, with a mid-90s sinking fastball, a promising breaking ball and the makings of good efficiency. Ravenelle allowed just five earned runs on 17 hits over 34 1/3 innings with 32 strikeouts this season, though he has been hampered by 14 walks. Just four of his hits allowed have gone for extra bases, all doubles.

"Rav has come a long way since he stepped on campus," Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said in a statement on Ravenelle's online player page. "He has always had very good athleticism and a clean, strong arm. He is now putting all of it together and becoming very skilled. There is a tremendous amount of consistency in his life ... his disposition, his investment level, his academics and now his performance."

The performance vaulted Ravenelle to the 152nd spot on MLB.com's Top 200 Draft prospects list.

The Tigers could face a similar decision with Ravenelle that they will with second-rounder Spencer Turnbull this Draft and did with Corey Knebel last year. Though Ravenelle has found his success in a relief role, he has the stuff to potentially try a shift to starting pitching.

The Draft concludes on Saturday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 beginning on MLB.com at 1 p.m. ET.
Tigers official site
 
Sixth-round pick Kivett could fit in multiple spots.
Ross Kivett -- taken in the sixth round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft by the Tigers on Friday -- won Big 12 Player of the Year honors as a second baseman in 2013, but he opted not to sign with his hometown Cleveland Indians last summer so that he could make one more run at a College World Series. His Wildcats fell well short this spring in a disappointing season, but Kivett jumped from a 10th-rounder to a sixth, and he still was drafted in the Midwest.

Kivett was a preseason All-American at second base, but shifted to center field during the season as well as getting some starts at designated hitter. He batted .333 (70-for-210) with 13 doubles, four homers, 33 RBIs, 35 walks and 21 stolen bases. The versatility could carry over to the pros if the Tigers look for some utility in their positional ranks; Detroit listed him as a center fielder upon his selection.

He's an athletic player with more of a quick bat than a power bat, producing line drives in the gaps. Though the batting average took a drop, the speed and the talent remained. Tigers vice president of amateur scouting lives in Kansas and knows the state's talent, so he had a chance to check Kivett this spring.

Kivett ranked 359th on Baseball America's Top 500 Draft prospects list.
Tigers official site
 
Tigers stack infield ranks with Pankake.
Tigers third-round pick Grayson Greiner's roommate at South Carolina is about to be his teammate in the pros as well. Unlike Greiner, however, Joey Pankake is a player without a set position. The Tigers listed him as a third baseman -- his role with the Gamecocks this season after spending his first two years at shortstop -- upon selecting him with a seventh-round pick on Friday, but scouting reports considered the outfield as his potential destination.

It's the bat that's the bigger draw than the position with Pankake, who ranked 124th on MLB.com's Top 200 Draft prospects list. He batted .303 (67-for-221) this season with 11 doubles, five home runs and 31 RBIs. The home run total dropped from 11 in his sophomore season, but his plate discipline improved, with 30 walks to 21 strikeouts. MLB.com ranked him at 50 for hitting and power on the 20-80 scouting scale.

Pankake actually made the SEC All-Defensive team at the hot corner, though he also made 10 errors. His strong arm affords him some patience to stick in the infield, though it could also play as a defensive strength in a corner outfield spot.

Pankake could have some room to grow in the Tigers' organization at third. The team is set in Detroit with young Nick Castellanos, but doesn't boast a ton of two-way talent in the ranks below.
Tigers official site
 
Lewicki rebound worth Round 8 chance.
Artie Lewicki lost his 2013 season to Tommy John surgery, but bounced back with a vengeance for the University of Virginia. The Tigers, who had shown a willingness to consider pitchers with surgically repaired elbows with higher-round picks, were willing to take a chance on Lewicki in the eighth round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft on Friday.

The numbers have been impressive, including a 6-1 record, 1.72 ERA and a .163 batting average allowed, holding opponents to 30 hits over 52 1/3 innings with 10 walks and 46 RBIs. The actual pitching included a fastball that topped out at 95 mph, supposedly as hard as he threw pre-surgery. His 6-foot-3 frame suggests he should be able to maintain his velocity once he starts out in the pro ranks.

"I was always determined during surgery," Lewicki told the Daily Progress of Charlottesville, Va., last month. "It's a long road. It's easy to get down on yourself, but it's good to be in an atmosphere like this and have your players and coaches around and they can just keep you motivated to get back. Two years ago, I was really determined to get back to where I am now. I'm glad everything's working out."

After opening the season as a midweek starter, Lewicki serves as a second starter on a Virginia team that will host Maryland this weekend in the NCAA Super Regionals.
Tigers official site
 
Tigers go for bullpen arm in 9th round with Laxer.
Josh Laxer has fanned 37 over 30 2/3 innings this season.
Though Detroit has some decisions to make whether some early-round pitching selections fit best as starters or relievers, ninth-rounder Josh Laxer doesn't seem to have that conflict. After struggling for first two seasons as a starting pitcher at the University of Mississippi, he found his calling as a closer. His fastball, which hits the mid-90s, might not ticket him for the ninth inning, but it plays well in short, high-energy bursts.

Laxer allowed five earned runs on 27 hits over 30 2/3 innings this spring, walking nine and striking out 37. His five saves led an Ole Miss team that used a closer-by-committee system.

Laxer complements his fastball with a breaking ball, giving him a two-pitch arsenal. It's not enough to start, but it can work out of the bullpen. He'll have a chance at more work this weekend, when the Rebels take part in the NCAA Super Regionals against Louisiana-Lafayette.

Laxer will try to follow in the footsteps of Corey Knebel, who went from University of Texas closer to the Tigers' bullpen within a year. Laxer's ascension isn't expected to be nearly that fast, and it could take time for him to hone the command to work in a late-inning role in pro ball. Still, the tools for a reliever are there.
Tigers official site
 
Tigers end arm-heavy stretch with hard-throwing Voelker.
Hard throwers are pretty much the norm in Tigers Drafts. Usually, however, they come with big body frames. When 5-foot-10 Paul Voelker was available in the 10th round with a solid mid-90s fastball, however, Detroit officials felt he was worth a shot to close out the second day of the First-Year Player Draft on Friday.

Voelker went from a reliever at Dallas Baptist last year into a starting role this spring, posting a 9-4 record and 3.48 ERA in 17 games while striking out 79 batters over 93 innings. His 42 walks, nine wild pitches and nine hit batters suggested some wildness, but he was able to pitch deep into games for a converted reliever.

Voelker's big impression came last summer, when he ranked as the fourth-best prospect in the Northwoods League according to Baseball America. He went into this Draft ranked as the 300th best prospect overall on Baseball America's Top 500.

Voelker's fastball reportedly tops out at 97 mph, while usually sitting in the mid-90s. He also throws a slower slider and a hard changeup, enough to at least consider him for a potential starting role.
Tigers official site
 
With their 11th round selection, the Tigers select righthanded pitcher A.J. Ladwig from Wichita State University.
 
With their 12th round selection, the Tigers select shortstop Garrett Mattlage from Texas State University.
 
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