Detroit Tigers Pitching Prospect Pushing for Promotion With Excellent Production

The Detroit Tigers have done a wonderful job getting the most out of their pitchers that they have had the opportunity to develop.

Their Major League roster is full of homegrown players, with eight of the 13 active players on the pitching staff all being drafted or signed as international free agents by the Tigers. 

A few others, such as Reese Olson and Sawyer Gibson-Long, may not have been selected by Detroit, but have been developed in their minor league system as well.

A lot of the focus right now is on Jackson Jobe, who has legitimate star potential as a future ace alongside Tarik Skubal atop the rotation.

Casey Mize is experiencing a nice breakout after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2018 MLB draft but failing to live up to expectations beforehand.

There are a few other top pitching prospects people are keeping a close eye on in the minor leagues with Jaden Hamm and Troy Melton. Don’t forget about Ty Madden, who made his Big League debut in 2024 but is currently on the injured list.

All of them are top 12 prospets in the Tigers’ system and could be used as building blocks in a trade to cement their status as legitimate World Series contenders.

Tigers Pitching Prospect RJ Petit Is Making a Name for Himself

However, a little further down their prospect list is a pitcher who has garnered the attention of Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis and Sam Dykstra of MLB.com.

In a recent piece, they highlighted the hottest pitching prospect for every team in the league, and for Detroit, they selected reliever RJ Petit, who is pushing for a promotion with his incredible production on the mound.

“Pitching out of the Double-A Erie bullpen, Petit hasn’t allowed a run since April 25, a stretch of seven appearances. He has fanned 16 and scattered three hits and two walks over that stretch of 12 1/3 innings,” they wrote.

A 14th round pick in the 2021 MLB draft out of Charleston Southern University, he has acclimated himself well to the professional ranks despite not being the most highly-touted prospect.

With some imposing size, Petit doesn’t blow away hitters as a flamethrower. Instead, he has a unique breaking pitch that he continually puts hitters away with and has him on track for a promotion in the near future, where he would join another fast-rising prospect.

“The 6-foot-8 right-hander has typically thrived off his 83-85 mph gyro slider, and that’s been no different in 2025 with a whiff rate of 49 percent in tracked pitches, per Synergy. At 25 years old, he should be pushing for Triple-A Toledo sometime soon,” they added.

Overall this season, Petit has thrown 23.1 innings with a 1.93 ERA and 28 strikeouts. He is yet to allow a home run and has surrendered only 13 hits with seven walks.