The DTS Blog has been on the internet for two years, and we have published two prospect rankings along the way. In the 2010 ranking, Casey Crosby was listed as our number one prospect, and in 2011, Jacob Turner was named the leader.

Over the past two years, nine players we have given a top ten ranking to, have made it to the big leagues with Detroit. Eight players remain from last year’s top ten; as two top prospects were dealt away to the Mariners in the late-July, Doug Fister deal.

Our 2011 list included (from 10-1): Jose Ortega, Chance Ruffin, Avisail Garcia, Francisco Martinez, Drew Smyly, Casey Crosby, Daniel Fields, Nick Castellanos, Andy Oliver, Jacob Turner.

This season we are upping the ante! Instead of just a top ten list, we have decided to give you our opinion on the top 25 players in the Detroit organization. You can find that very list, right after the jump.

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Please note that any player that made the list last year has their movement over the past year after their ranking and name. All others who have nothing are new to the top ten this season.

Also before reading, you may want to read our previous big prospect articles. They can be found on the left side of this page, under the orange heading “Prospect Rankings”…

25. Dixon Machado, SS
19 years old – Baseball America’s best Tigers defensive infield, best infield arm

Machado spent his first two professional seasons in the Venezuelan and Rookie League, but got his first bite at Single-A in 2011. Known mostly for his leather, Machado hit just .235 last year, but stole 25 bases in 124 games.

24. Austin Wood, LHP
25 years old

The Texas Longhorn product ranks higher on many other lists, but at age 25, I’m not sure Wood has what it takes to make a name for himself in the big leagues. He appeared in 50 games in 2011 with Double-A Erie, finishing 5-5 with a 3.16 ERA and slightly under one strikeout per inning of work.

23. Matt Hoffman, RHP
23 years old

I’ve seen Hoffman rank as high as 14 in some lists around the internet, but personally I do not believe his career 4.15 ERA and and 1.414 WHIP are worthy of that. He took on a full-time bullpen role in 2011, and was added to the 40-man roster this off-season, all meaning he may get a shot in the bigs this year.

22. Jason King, 3B
22 years old

Detroit’s 2011 fourth-round selection out of Kansas State spent his first 53 professional games with the Connecticut Tigers. King hit .251 with six home runs and 31 RBIs in 195 at-bats in the Rookie-League.

21. Jay Voss, LHP
24 years old

After joining the organization before the 2010 season in exchange for Nate Robertson, Voss has spent time as a starter and reliever. In 2011, with Single-A Lakeland and Double-A Erie, Voss finished 12-7 with a 3.56 ERA and 2.98 K/BB ratio.

20. Brandon Loy, SS
21 years old

Drafted last season, Loy has quickly become one of the top defensive infielders in the Tigers organization. Offensively, Loy can hit to all fields, but with minimal power and no great speed to write home about. His bat won’t separate him from the pack, but his glove may boost him to the big leagues one day.

19. Brian Flynn, LHP
21 years old

The 2011 7th round selection out of Wichita State, really made a name for himself early in his pro career. Just 13 starts last season for Flynn at Single-A West Michigan, but he was outstanding. He finished at a 7-2 clip, with a 3.46 ERA and allowed just three long balls in 280 batters faced.

18. Eugenio Suarez, SS
20 years old

It seems Suarez is a staple just inside the top 20 on most all prospects listings for 2012, and for good reason. Suarez, a native of Venezuela, can do a little bit of everything at the dish, and can field with the best of them for his age. In 70 career games, he is hitting .266 with 18 2B, 5 3B, 7 HR, 11 SB and a .802 OPS.

17. Hernan Perez, 2B
20 years old

Perez already has three years of minor league service and he isn’t even old enough to legally have a drink. He is yet another infielder known for his glove more than his bat, as he has never hit above .258 in a season (2011). He did swipe 23 bases last season, to go along with 42 RBIs, 23 doubles and eight homers in 503 at-bats.

16. Aaron Westlake, 1B
23 years old

Drafted for solely his power, Westlake struggled in his first 32 professional games, while he raked at Vanderbilt University during his collegiate career. The slugger hit just three home runs and drove in 19 runners during 2011, but is expected to return to his mashing ways in the coming season. With some tweaking, he could be at Triple-A Toledo in no time.

15. Daniel Fields, OF (Down 11 slots)
21 years old

Two years ago, Fields was a top five prospect on nearly every Tigers list published on the Internet. His inconsistency at the plate has led to a .229 batting average, just 16 home runs and 12 stolen bases in two seasons. The results haven’t been there, but his tools are still strong enough to make him a dangerous outfielder in the future.

14. Alex Burgos, LHP
21 years old – Baseball America’s Tigers #8 prospect

On every list I’ve skimmed over this off-season, Burgos has been a top 15 prospect, and to nobody’s surprise. In his breakout 2011 season, the left-hander went just 6-5, but posted an ERA of 2.19 and .189 average against. Left-handed batters had an even harder time against Burgos, as they hit just .152 off of him.

13. Tyler Gibson, OF
18 years old – Baseball America’s Tigers best athlete

After hitting .443 during his high school senior season in Macon, Georgia, Gibson had a slow start to his professional career in a small sample-size of games. After just four games and 14 at-bats, Gibson hit .143 with the GCL Tigers and racked up nine strikeouts. He is in the middle of a switch to an outfield position, after competing at shortstop during his prep career. The silver lining to his struggles seems to be that he hit .333 against left-handed pitchers.

12. Danry Vasquez, OF (2011 Honarable Mention)
18 years old

As a 17-year-old in the Gulf Coast League, Vasquez held his own. The corner outfield prospect hit .272 with 30 RBIs, eight doubles and three stolen bases. At his current lanky size of 6’3″, 163lbs, Vasquez seems to be a plus contact hitter, but has the ability to mature into some decent power and plus speed. Being just 18 years of age and having so many raw unestablished talents, Danry is still far off on his road to the Major Leagues – don’t expect him until at least the backend of 2014.

11. James McCann, C
21 years old - Baseball America’s Tigers #9 prospect, best defensive catcher

After spending most of his college time at Arkansas as a defensive-minded catcher, the Tigers selected McCann with their top pick in the 2011 draft (2nd round). He spent five games at the GCL level, where he hit .357 with an OPS of 1.080, then switched to Single-A West Michigan, where he hit just .059 in nine games. Everybody knows this kid can play defense behind the plate, but the development as a hitter will likely determine the outcome of his professional career.

10. Brenny Paulino, RHP
18 years old – Baseball America’s Tigers #6 prospect

Still a teenager, Paulino already has 25 professional starts under his belt. MLB.com calls him “the epitome of projectable”, as he may have the highest ceiling of any player in the organization. EDIT MORE HERE

9. Bruce Rondon, RHP
21 years old – Baseball America’s Tigers best fastball

It is no wonder why Baseball America named Rondon‘s fastball the best in the Tigers organization, as it has touched triple digits on many occasions. Over the past two seasons, he has spent time in the Gulf Coast League and Single-A West Michigan and Lakeland, where he has posted a lights-out ERA of 1.43, 11.45 K/9 ratio and only allowed two home runs in 307 batters faced. His weak point is his inconsistency, which is made obvious with a 7.6 BB/9 in 2011.

8. Avisail Garcia, OF (Even)
20 years old – Baseball America’s Tigers #10 prospect, best defensive outfielder, best outfield arm

By looking at Baseball America you would never know Garcia has the makings of a potential 20-20 hitter in the big leagues. While his defensive skills are outstanding, his bat and speed may make him an exciting player in years to come. With Single-A Lakeland in 2011, Garcia hit 11 home runs and stole 14 bases. His 6’4″, 230lbs, frame is extremely projectile and could cause problems for opposing teams by the time he reaches the bigs.

7. Tyler Collins, OF
21 years old

Came out of the gates with guns blazing in his first professional season of 2011. Collins hit .313 with eight homers, 32 RBIs, six stolen bags and an OPS of .902 in 43 games, while spending time in the GCL and with the Connecticut Tigers. Collins was also named to the short-season All-Star team, and once a New York-Penn League player of the week. In the off-season he played in Australia, where he hit .298 in 43 games, and was named to the All-Star team.

6. Rob Brantly, C (2011 Honarable Mention)
22 years old – Baseball America’s Tigers #7 prospect

One of the few bat-first position players in the Detroit system, and Brantly has the potential to be a solid backup that can hit for average in the big leagues. During split time with Single-A West Michigan and Lakeland in 2011, Brantly hit .274 with ten home runs, 62 RBIs and a .724 OPS. He was named to the Midwest League’s mid-season and post-season All-Star team, while also being named an Organizational All-Star by MiLB.com.

 5. Andy Oliver, LHP (Down 3 slots)
24 years old – Baseball America’s Tigers #5 prospect

The power left-hander out of Oklahoma State made it to the big leagues within his first season of pro ball, but has yet found his groove at that level. Oliver has made seven Major League starts, all of which have ended in losses and resulted in a 7.11 ERA. With Triple-A Toledo in 2011, Oliver made a full season’s worth of starts, finishing 8-12 with a .272 opponent average. His mid-90s fastball is what got him to the bigs, but his secondary pitches are what need consistency to make him an everyday MLB starter.

4. Casey Crosby, LHP (Up 1 slot)
23 years old – Baseball America’s Tigers #4 prospect, best curveball

Some speculate the 2007 5th round selection’s big league career will consist of being an effective left-handed reliever, but if he can stay healthy, Crosby can make himself known as a starter. After a successful 2009 season, his 2010 season was hindered by Tommy John surgery which left question marks for his future. With Double-A Erie in 2011, Crosby stayed healthy and pitched 25 starts and 131.2 innings of work (career high). His x-factor will be the amount of innings he can throw each season, as his elbow issues may never go away.

3. Drew Smyly, LHP (Up 3 slots)
22 years old – Baseball America’s Tigers #3 prospect

Starting the 2011 season in the shadow of Andy Oliver and Casey Crosby, Smyly became the face of the left-handed starters in the Detroit organization. He finished the season 11-6 with the organization’s lowest ERA of 2.07 and 130 strikeouts, which ranked third in the system. Those numbers, including his two home runs allowed all year, won him the organizations top pitcher honor. He has also been described as the classic control lefty, who has four usable pitches.

2. Nick Castellanos, 3B (Up 1 slot)
19 years old – Baseball America’s Tigers #2 prospect, best hitter for average, best hitter for power

Detroit’s top selection in the 2010 draft (44th), Castellanos had a slow start to 2011, but never hit under .300 in any month after April. In 135 games, the shortstop-made-third-baseman hit .312 with seven home runs, 36 doubles and 76 RBIs, which led the organization. Already being listed as the system’s best hitter for average and power is an easy call, but Castellanos still has plenty of room to mature as a more dynamic hitter. He is expected to start 2012 at Single-A Lakeland, and could even move up to Double-A Erie throughout the length of the season.

1. Jacob Turner, RHP (Even)
20 years old – Baseball America’s Tigers #1 prospect, best changeup

His second straight selection as our #1 Tigers prospect, and third straight season within the top two. Turner has been at the top of every single list I have come across on the web this off-season, and frankly, I would be shocked if he wasn’t. He made his Major League debut in his second pro season and has a big frame of 6’5″, all of which matches the typical Detroit starting pitcher. In two seasons of minor league ball at Single and Double-A, Turner has posted a 10-10 record with a 3.36 ERA and opponent average of .238. He has the chance, and is possibly the front-runner, to make the big league rotation out of Spring Training as the fifth starter to begin 2012.

Just missed the cut: Luis Marte, RHP… Adelin Santa, IF… Steven Moya, OF… Bryan Holaday, C… Kevin Eichhorn, LHP… Michael Torrealba, RHP… Dean Green, 1B… Duane Below, LHP… Tyler Stohr, RHP… Brandon Douglas, 2B.