Tigers Top Slugging Prospect Has Huge Week at Class-A Lakeland

Detroit Tigers shortstop Franyerber Montilla had a huge week for Class-A Lakeland, which earned him recognition on two fronts.

First, he was named the Florida State League’s player of the week for June 16-22, one of three players in the organization who earned an award last week.

He also made Baseball America’s Hot Sheet, which listed the Top 20 prospects of the previous week.

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The 20-year-old from Venezuela had an enormous week. For the week he slashed .556/.579/1.056 with six runs, three doubles, two home runs, eight RBI, one walk and two strikeouts. He also stole six bases on six attempts.

The week raised the season numbers for the No. 9 prospect in the organization per Baseball America. Through 53 games this season he’s slashed .265/.363/.382 with four home runs and 26 RBI. From a power perspective, he is closing in on career highs for a single season.

He also has 10 doubles, a triple and 22 stolen bases.

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This is Montilla’s fourth year of professional baseball. After he was signed, he spent 2022 and 2023 in the Dominican Summer League. In 2024, the Tigers brought him stateside to the Florida Complex League and to Lakeland. But he struggled with a combined slash of .226/.374/.362 with six home runs and 30 RBI.

The switch-hitting shortstop is on a tear, as Baseball America noted.

“After a moribund month of May, Montilla has been piping hot in June,” per the site. “Three weeks in, he’s slashed .292/.370/.446, the bulk of which was provided by his outburst this past week.”

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Montilla still has a way to go before he can be Major League ready. He also has talent in front of him. Ahead of him on the Top 30 prospect list are two shortstops the organization is high on — Kevin McGonigle and Bryce Rainer.

McGonigle is at High-A West Michigan while Rainer is out for the season due to injury but was Montilla’s teammate in Lakeland.

Also, a pair of Tigers prospects in the Florida Complex League earned recognition as player and pitcher of the week for their action from June 16-22.

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Jude Warwick was named the player of the week while Kelvis Salcedo was named the pitcher of the week.

Warwick, a 12th round-pick a year ago out of Downers Grove North, Downers Grove, Ill., has slashed .295/.415/.453 with three home runs and 13 RBI in 31 games. Salcedo, a 19-year-old pitcher from Venezuela, is 3-0 with a 2.39 ERA this season. In his only game last week he claimed his second straight win, giving up no runs or hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out seven.  

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