When MLB Pipeline released its list of top 100 prospects live on MLB Network Thursday night, it was marking a 20-year milestone.
Back in 2004, the lists contained only 50 players, not 100. And it wasn’t released on MLB Network, because there was no MLB Network.
But as we take this walk down memory lane, you’ll probably remember a lot of names on these lists, even if the hype surrounding the prospects wasn’t quite as great as it is today.
The rankings are far from perfect, as you’ll see below, but they get an awful lot right. Not every one of the top prospects can become a Hall-of-Famer, but a healthy percentage will have long, productive careers.
Here’s a look at the last 20 years of rankings and how the Tigers have fared.
2004
The first ever MLB Pipeline rankings contained no Tigers. This was probably not a good sign, given that the Tigers went 43-119 in 2003. The future looked as bleak as the present. If you had told fans that the Tigers would be in the World Series in a couple of years, they probably wouldn’t have believed you.
The No. 1 overall prospect this year was a good one: Twins catcher Joe Mauer, who was about to embark on a Hall-of-Fame-type career.
Detroit Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson dives for a fly ball from Seattle Mariners’ Adrian Beltre in the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, May 31, 2008, in Seattle. Granderson made the catch. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)AP
2005
The No. 1 player on the list is Tampa Bay Rays prospect Delmon Young. Not a Tiger, but he would eventually become a Tiger! This was Young’s first of three seasons as baseball’s No. 1 overall prospect. Young went on a to respectable 10-season career in the big leagues, punctuated by some off-the-field issues, but he never became the otherworldly player that many predicted.
The Tigers finally made the list this year, sneaking it at No. 50. (It wouldn’t expand to 100 until a few years later). Outfielder Curtis Granderson was coming off a sterling season at Class AA Erie and even earned a late call-up to Detroit. It was the first of 16 seasons in the big leagues.
2006
Marlins outfielder Jeremy Hermida earned second place behind Young this year. He played parts of eight seasons and had one really good year (right before the Marlins traded teammate Miguel Cabrera).
Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander landed at No. 5 on the list. He was the Tigers’ top pick after that miserable 2003 season. He went on to a decent career.
The Tigers landed a second prospect on the list for the first time. Right-hander Joel Zumaya was ranked 28th. Although he came up as a starter, he had an impressive rookie debut out of the pen in 2006, posting a 1.97 ERA in 83 1/3 innings for the pennant-winning Tigers. He never reached those heights again and injuries cut short his career.
2007
Royals prospect Alex Gordon was No. 2 after Young this year. The Tigers had a couple of entrants, both of whom would soon be traded to the Marlins for a certain slugger: Outfielder Cameron Maybin (6th) and left-handed pitcher Andrew Miller (19th).
Detroit Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello throws a pitch during the Tigers’ 6-3 loss against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park in Detroit on Tuesday, August 20. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com) Mike Mulholland | MLive.comMike Mulholland | MLive.com
2008
This year finally brought a new No. 1: Reds outfielder Jay Bruce. Maybin, now with the Marlins, was No. 3.
Right-handed pitcher Rick Porcello, drafted by the Tigers with the No. 27 overall pick in 2007, landed at No. 14 on the list. He would become a regular in the Tigers’ rotation by 2009.
2009
Rays left-hander David Price — who would one day be a Tiger — landed on the list at No. 1. He was the first overall pick of the 2007 draft after his career at Vanderbilt University.
Porcello moved up to No. 4.
Maybin came in at No. 5, making him a top-10 selection for a third consecutive year.
2010
Braves outfielder Jason Heyward was the new No. 1 overall this year. He would go on to finish just behind catcher Buster Posey in Rookie of the Year balloting.
The Tigers had two new representatives towards the bottom of the list: Outfielder Austin Jackson (38th) and right-handed pitcher Jacob Turner (42nd).
Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout (27) bats during a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, July 5, 2022, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)AP
2011
Angels outfield wunderkid Mike Trout was ranked No. 1 this year.
Turner, the Tigers’ lone prospect, came in at No. 15.
Three starting pitchers who the Tigers would one day sign to one-year contracts were in the rankings this year: Julio Teheran (10th), Michael Pineda (13th) and Matt Moore (27th).
2012
Moore moved up to No. 1 in this year’s ranking, continuing a strong string of elite prospects by the Tampa Bay Rays. Moore’s career fizzled after a short stint with the Tigers in 2019, but he took a detour to Japan and then remade himself as a successful reliever.
Moore beat out some big names to take the top spot this year: Bryce Harper (No. 2), Trout (No. 3) and Manny Machado (No. 6) were also in the top 10.
This was Jacob Turner’s final year in the rankings (15th). He was traded to the Marlins as part of the Anibal Sanchez deal later this season.
Tigers’ third baseman Nick Castellanos (51st) and left-handed pitcher Drew Smyly (82nd) debuted this year.
Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Bruce Rondon during a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Wednesday, July 19, 2017. The Royals defeated the Tigers 4-3. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)AP
2013
Jurickson Profar was one of the free agents who might have been a fit for the Tigers this winter. He’s still unsigned. He was the No. 1 prospect this year as a shortstop with the Texas Rangers. He’s since reinvented himself as an outfielder/utility man.
Castellanos moved up to No. 21, while right-handed reliever Bruce Rondon debuted at No. 92.
2014
Twins center fielder Byron Buxton began what would be a three-year reign near the top of the rankings.
Castellanos moved up to No. 15 and would become an everyday player for the Tigers later this year.
Soon-to-be-traded left-hander Robbie Ray cracked the rankings at No. 97.
2015
Buxton was once again No. 1, but check out the guys behind him: Kris Bryant, Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor. This was a good year.
After Castellanos’ graduation, the Tigers entered a bit of a prospect drought. The only one to make the list this year was outfielder Steven Moya, who was No. 100.
Michael Fulmer throws a bullpen session at the Detroit Tigers facility in Lakeland, Fla., on February 20, 2021. (Photo courtesy Detroit Tigers)Allison Farrand
2016
Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager bumped Buxton out of the top spot. (Buxton came in at No. 2 after making his MLB debut the previous season). Buxton remains one of the game’s most electric players, but injuries have plagued him throughout his career.
The Tigers’ lone entrant was right-hander Michael Fulmer (No. 53), acquired a few months earlier from the New York Mets.
2017
Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi was No. 1 this year.
Recently drafted Tigers right-hander Matt Manning debuted at No. 74 in what would be the first of five consecutive seasons ranked in the MLB Pipeline top 100.
2018
As Angels two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani took over the top spot, the Tigers could boast of four pitchers in the top 100.
Right-hander Franklin Perez, acquired the previous summer in the Justin Verlander trade, led the way at No. 39. Perez has battled injuries and his baseball career is hanging by a thread.
Manning (55th), Alex Faedo (59th) and Burrows (77th) were also on the list.
FILE – In this June 25, 2018, file photo, Detroit Tigers first overall pick Casey Mize, center, stands with Tigers scout Justin Henry, left, and Scott Pleis, director of amateur scouting, during a news conference where he was introduced to the media, in Detroit. Mize was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft. He’s one of two pitchers headlining Detroit’s rebuilding process. The Tigers held their first workout for pitchers and catchers Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020 and while only the most optimistic Detroit fan would predict a great season in 2020, there are finally some signs of promise. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)AP
2019
Another good choice at the top, as Blue Jays third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. makes no. 1 this year.
The Tigers’ No. 1 overall pick from 2018 — Casey Mize — also debuts at No. 17.
Manning (52nd) holds steady, while Perez (78th) starts to sink.
2020
The Rays have yet another No. 1 with shortstop Wander Franco beginning his two-year reign atop the rankings.
The Tigers are loaded, bolstered by the emergence of left-hander Tarik Skubal (46th).
Mize (7th), Manning (24th) and outfielder Riley Greene (31st) are also on the list.
2021
Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman takes second place behind Franco this year, although Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson is not far behind at No. 3.
The Tigers have five players in the top 25, with Mize (11th), Greene (21st), Skubal (24th) and Manning (25th) joining Torkelson.
Texas Tech infielder Jace Jung (2) during an NCAA baseball game against Grand Canyon on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, in Phoenix, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)AP
2022
Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez takes the top spot this year, while the Tigers have massive turnover in the prospect ranks.
All five players listed above have “graduated,” while right-handed pitcher Jackson Jobe (38th), infielder Jace Jung (71st) and right-handed pitcher Wilmer Flores (100th) make their list debuts.
2023
Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson is the consensus No. 1, while Jobe (63rd), Jung (83rd) and Flores (95th) maintain their standing for the Tigers.