Josue Briceno Homers Again, Gets on Base Five Times on Tuesday
Detroit Tigers catching prospect Josue Briceno is fresh off being named Midwest League Player of the Week, and it looks like he wants to go back-to-back. The 20-year-old got on base in all five plate appearances on Tuesday for High-A West Michigan, going 4-for-4, including a walk, a double, and a home run. It was the left-handed hitter's second four-hit game in the last four contests, and since May 9 -- a stretch of 11 games -- the Tigers' fourth-ranked prospect is 14-for-32 (.438) with three doubles, eight home runs, 17 RBI, 13 runs scored, and boasts a .591 OBP thanks to an incredible 27.3 percent walk rate (12:4 BB:K) during that stretch. Fellow catching prospect Thayron Liranzo has heated up at Double-A recently, however, Briceno has made more starts at first base (15) than at catcher (13) in 2025, so there could be multiple paths to a promotion (and to the majors) for the 6-foot-4 slugger. He's a player to monitor in dynasty fantasy leagues, but as far as this year is concerned, a promotion to Double-A feels imminent.
Josue Briceno Earns Midwest League Player of the Week
Detroit Tigers catching prospect Josue Briceno earned Midwest League Player of the Week honors for his performance last week for High-A West Michigan. The Tigers' fourth-ranked prospect went 6-for-16 (.375) with all six of his hits going for extra bases, including one double and five home runs in five games. The 20-year-old also drove in 12 runs, scored eight times, stole a base, and logged a 6:4 BB:K. Now with 12 home runs on the year, he has a four-home-run cushion as the Midwest League leader in home runs and also leads the league with a .996 OPS. The 6-foot-4 slugger should be on his way to Double-A at some point this season, likely sooner rather than later. Catcher Dillon Dingler is playing well in the majors, and the team also has fifth-ranked prospect catcher Thayron Liranzo already at Double-A, so they are deep at the position, and it will be interesting to see how they juggle the talent as each gets closer to the majors.
Detroit Tigers catching prospect Josue Briceno went 4-for-4 with a double, three home runs, a stolen base, and five RBI. This was his first four-hit game of the season. Over the last week, Briceno has enjoyed a productive surge at the plate. In his last seven games, the 20-year-old backstop has held a .444/.583/1.389 slash line with two doubles and five home runs. Through 34 games at High-A this season, Briceno has posted a .268/.383/.610 line with 11 total home runs. Briceno is on track to enjoy a career season from a power perspective. Last summer, the No. 81-ranked prospect in the sport spent his time at Low-A and posted a .278/.381/.377 line. If Briceno continues to hit for high power, he could be in the mix to reach Double-A during the second half of the season.
Detroit Tigers catching prospect Josue Briceno smacked his eighth home run of the season -- a three-run shot -- in a 1-for-2 day at the plate for High-A West Michigan on Tuesday, walking once and scoring twice in the contest. The 20-year-old's eight home runs are tied for the most in the Midwest League, and while the .250 batting average leaves a bit to be desired, a 16.3 percent walk rate has helped produce a strong .369 OBP. The Tigers' fourth-ranked prospect is coming off an injury-shortened 2024 season that saw him head to the Arizona Fall League (AFL) to get some extra work, only to see him win AFL MVP honors after recording the first AFL triple crown campaign as he led the circuit in batting average (.433), on-base percentage (.509), and HR (10), while also leading in hits (39), RBI (27), and OPS (1.376). The 6-foot-4 slugger is a couple of years away from the big leagues, but should get a chance to test his mettle at Double-A later this year.
Josue Briceno Wins AFL MVP After Triple-Crown Campaign
Detroit Tigers catching prospect Josue Briceno took home the Arizona Fall League's Joe Black MVP Award after he led the circuit in all three Triple Crown categories: batting average (.433), on-base percentage (.509), and HR (10). But it wasn't just those stats, the 20-year-old also led in hits (39), RBI (27), and OPS (1.376). The Venezuelan missed more than three months with a PCL sprain in his right knee which forced the backstop to work as a first baseman and designated hitter in the AFL. It's unclear which level of the minors he will start at next season after playing at Single-A in his limited action in 2024, but this type of performance could propel him to the bigs sooner than expected, although that is still likely a couple of years away.
A day after hitting his AFL-leading ninth home run, Detroit Tigers first base/catching prospect Josue Briceno stayed hot, going 5-for-5 with a pair of doubles, four RBI, and three runs scored for the Scottsdale Scorpions. You might be looking at the eventual Arizona Fall League MVP as the 20-year-old now leads the circuit -- by a wide margin in some cases -- in hits (36), home runs (9), RBI (26), AVG (.439), SLG (.866), and OPS (1.371). Winning AFL MVP honors could put him in some pretty good company, including the likes of Nolan Arenado (2011), Kris Bryant (2013), Ronald Acuna Jr. (2017), Royce Lewis (2019), and Heston Kjerstad (2022). He's just 20 years old and likely a couple of years away from the majors, but his AFL performance could put him on the fast track.
Detroit Tigers first base/catching prospect Josue Briceno continued his torrid stretch on Monday for the Scottsdale Scorpions, going 2-for-3 with a walk and his ninth home run in 22 games in the Arizona Fall League (AFL). The nine home runs lead all AFL players (second-most is six), but the 20-year-old also leads the circuit in hits (31), batting average (.403), and RBI (22) as well. Briceno missed a lot of time during the regular season due to a PCL sprain, playing in just 40 games for Single-A Lakeland, so he's getting additional reps in the AFL and making the most of it. The 6-foot-4 left-handed hitter ranks ninth among Tigers prospects and has an ETA of 2027 per MLB.com, but with a performance like this, he could certainly move up quickly and make his MLB debut a bit sooner than anticipated. If he wasn't already, he should now be on dynasty managers' radar.
Josue Briceno
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Tigers
