Jace Jung has become the clearest example of the risk in the Tigers’ long-running habit of treating top prospects like untouchables.
Detroit has under president of baseball operations Scott Harris made a point of holding onto its best young talent. That approach has produced some players the organization can build around for years, but it has also come with misses. Jung now sits near the center of that problem.
The Tigers took the Texas Tech infielder with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft, just before Harris officially took over the baseball operations department. At the time, Jung looked like a potential answer in the infield, maybe even the team’s third baseman of the future after Detroit had cycled through so many options there. That vision never really came to life.
Jung never dominated at any stop in the minors, even if he flashed power along the way. And when he reached the majors, that promise did not carry over.
Over his last three seasons, he has hit .193/.319/.230 with no home runs and six runs batted in. He appeared in only six games for the Tigers in 2026, and at this point it is fair to call him a bust.
That outcome matters because it underscores the downside of refusing to move prospects when their value is still meaningful. The Tigers may have been able to trade Jung a couple of years ago and land a solid big leaguer in return. Instead, they held on.
With Detroit coming off a frustrating 76-86 season, the organization needs to rethink that instinct. If the Tigers get off to a strong start in the first half of 2027, they should be willing to deal from their top tier if the right offer comes along. Not every prospect needs to be treated the same, and not every young player should be kept simply because he carries a high ceiling on paper.
There is nothing wrong with being selective. The Tigers can still be careful with players they truly believe in, like Zyhir Hope.
But they also have to be honest about what they are seeing. If a prospect has not shown enough in the minors, then Detroit needs to be open to using that player as trade currency.
Harris has not traded a top-15 prospect in his four full years running baseball operations, and the Tigers’ current roster makeup already suggests more young players are going to run into traffic jams on the way up. That creates a surplus, but only if the front office is willing to move some of it.
Jung is the warning sign. After this season, Harris has to take it seriously and be more willing to part with prospects when the moment calls for it.
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