Colt Keith

A bat-first infielder without a natural position, Keith is a career .303 hitter in the minors and established himself as one of the best offensive-minded prospects in the game while splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A. He slashed .306/.380/.552 with 27 home runs and a 21.0 K% in 126 games across the top two levels of the minors but never got the call to the majors in his age-21 season. Generally a pull hitter who has steadily cut his groundball rate (below 35% at Double-A and Triple-A), Keith logged an excellent 34 percent hard-hit rate in the minors and should be able to produce enough at the plate to make up for his shaky defense. He saw 35 starts at second base and 20 starts at third base while at Triple-A, but he played more total games at third base when factoring in his Double-A usage, so he should enter the year eligible at third base with a chance to add second-base eligibility in season. The fact he didn't get the call last season led to some uncertainty about whether he would open 2024 on the big-league roster, but the six-year extension he signed with Detroit in January means he'll likely be in the big leagues Opening Day.

Despite being a bat-first prospect unlikely to provide positive defensive value, Keith is the Tigers' best prospect due to his impact potential at the plate. The lefty-hitting infielder slashed .301/.370/.544 with nine home runs, a 19.4 K%, 10.2 BB%, 78.2 Contact% and 30.4 Hard% in 48 games at High-A before missing the final three months of the minor-league season with a shoulder injury that did not require surgery. Keith made it back for the Arizona Fall League, slashing .344/.463/.541 with three home runs and a 16:16 K:BB in 80 plate appearances. He has been playing third base and second base at recent stops, and there isn't enough talent in this organization to prevent Keith from getting steady playing time, even as a subpar defender. His upside is a plus hitter with plus power who hits second or third in the order. Keith is on track to reach the majors in 2024.