DETROIT – Each year, MLB organizations select a fixed number (usually around seven) of prospects to the AFL (Arizona Fall League). There are six fall league teams, and each team is affiliated with five organizations. The Tigers’ AFL affiliate is the Scottsdale Scorpions.
There are several different reasons a team may send a prospect to the AFL -- extra reps after missing time because of injury, trying a new pitch, making a swing change or position change, facing a higher level of competition for younger players, or showcasing trade value before the start of the the next season.
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In short, the goal is usually to get these players some extra development.
Dariel Fregio, RHP
Fregio signed a minor league contract with the Tigers in May 2025.
He started in the FCL (Florida Complex League) where he would make four appearances. Shortly after, he was promoted to Low-A Lakeland in June where he would make four more appearances. He was then promoted one last time to High-A West Michigan shortly after in July, where he would pitch most of his innings during the 2025 season.
Fregio has pitched 27.2 innings in 19 games for West Michigan and posted a 2.28 ERA with 29 strikeouts so far in 2025. He has been used mostly in closing roles for the Whitecaps.
He is 25 years old, and is listed at 6’2”, 208 pounds.
His arsenal features a fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup.
Carlos Lequerica, RHP
The Tigers signed Lequerica to a minor league contract in 2023. He spent his 2023 season with the Tigers’ FCL team, spent 2024 in Lakeland, and 2025 in West Michigan.
He has posted a 2.35 ERA and struck out 42 in 53.2 innings with West Michigan so far in 2025. He has been mostly used in setup and closing roles for the Whitecaps.
Lequerica is 25 years old, and listed at 6”1”, 198 pounds.
His arsenal features a fastball, slider, changeup, and cutter.
Jake Miller, LHP
Miller was drafted by the Tigers in 2022 in the 8th round, 237th overall, out of Valparaiso college.
He made just four appearances as a starting pitcher with Double-A Erie before he was placed on the 60-day IL due to an undisclosed injury. He began a rehab assignment with Lakeland before it was announced that the Tigers would be sending him to the fall league for the second time.
He is 24 years old and listed at 6’2”, 185 pounds.
Miller’s arsenal features a fastball, a firm/tight slider and a sweeping slider, a changeup, and a cutter.
Kenny Serwa, RHP
The Tigers signed knuckleballer Kenny Serwa to a minor league contract in Jan 2025. He began his season in West Michigan’s starting rotation and was promoted to Erie after posting a 2.75 ERA and striking out 34 in 36 innings for the Whitecaps. So far in Erie, he has posted a 3.95 ERA and struck out 50 in 82 innings.
He is 28 years old and listed at 6’3”, 205 pounds.
Serwa’s arsenal features two different variations of a knuckleball (one of them he throws in the upper 80s, the other 5-10 mph slower), a four-seam fastball, a sinker, and a curveball.
Max Anderson, IF
Anderson was drafted by the Tigers in the second round of the 2023 draft, 45th overall. He was drafted out of the University of Nebraska. He is currently the No. 9 prospect in the Tigers organization.
At the time of the draft, scouts had his tools listed as: 50 (average) hit, 50 in-game power, 45 (fringe) run, 45 defense, 40 (below average) arm strength.
He is 23 years old and listed at 6’0”, 215 pounds.
Anderson started the 2025 season in Erie and put up impressive numbers -- a .306 batting average with 14 home runs and 25 doubles. He was promoted to Toledo, where he has continued to perform, putting up a .264 average with 4 home runs and 4 doubles in 26 games. Between Erie and Toledo, he has played 86 games at second base, and 19 games at third base.
Kevin McGonigle, IF
The Tigers drafted McGonigle 37th overall in the first round of the 2023 draft. He was drafted out of Monsignor Bonner High School in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. He is currently the No. 1 prospect in the Tigers organization, and the No. 2 overall prospect in all of Major League Baseball -- second only to Pirates’ Konnor Griffin.
At the time of the draft, scouts had his tools listed as: 65 (well above average) hit, 55 (strong average) in-game power, 55 run, 50 defense, 50 arm strength.
He is currently 21 years old and listed at 5’10”, 187 pounds.
McGonigle started the 2025 season in West Michigan. He was placed on the injured list in April and returned in May where he rehabbed in High-A Lakeland for just under two weeks before returning to West Michigan.
He was promoted to Erie in July and has put up an exceptional performance since: .254 average with 12 home runs and 10 doubles in just 46 games. His 14.9% walk rate and 11.6% strikeout rate so far in 2025 speaks to his elite swing decisions.
Between West Michigan and Erie, he has started 68 games at shortstop, but long-term could move to a different infield position.
Jack Penney, IF
Penney was drafted by the Tigers in the fifth round, 147th overall, of the 2024 draft. He was drafted out of Notre Dame.
At the time of the draft, scouts had his tools listed at: 45 hit, 45 in-game power, 40 (below average) run, 50 defense, 50 arm strength.
He is listed at 6’0”, 215 pounds.
Penney has spent the majority of his 2025 season in West Michigan and has been on the injured list a couple times. He has played 44 games at second base, and 24 at shortstop. He is hitting .262 with 5 home runs and 11 doubles so far in 2025.