Go-ahead homer earns Tigers prospect Liranzo Fall Stars Game MVP honors

MESA, Ariz. -- Thayron Liranzo only got one at-bat during the 2024 Fall Stars Game, which made him an unlikely MVP candidate. But when you torpedo a go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth 437 feet at 112 mph off the bat, that’s as good a case as any.

Especially with an emphatic bat flip as the cherry on top.

“It depends on the situation,” said a laughing Liranzo of his one-handed bat toss, via interpreter Annalee Ramirez. “In this particular one, I said, ‘It’s over. It’s done.’”

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Liranzo’s flip was the exclamation point that broke a deadlock, pushing the American League ahead for a 6-5 win over their National League counterparts at Sloan Park on Saturday night. The Tigers’ No. 6 prospect became the first player in franchise history, and just the third native of the Dominican Republic (Victor Robles, Gary Sánchez), to nab the honor since it was first handed out in 2010.

For the fifth consecutive Fall Stars Game, the MVP Award was bestowed upon a player who went deep. Ahead in the count during his at-bat with Phillies No. 21 prospect Griff McGarry, the 21-year-old was hunting a fastball, which led to him being a tick out in front of a slider on a 2-0 count in the lower third of the zone that he swung through. Four pitches later – after working the count full – Liranzo didn’t miss when McGarry came back to the same spot.

The right fielder barely moved. The pitcher dropped his head. Liranzo hit “every side of this baseball,” MLB Network’s Ruben Amaro Jr. exclaimed.

That Liranzo was in the dugout of the smiling side of the scoreboard after nine innings dates back to earlier this summer.

When the switch-hitting catcher arrived at the 2024 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game having just turned 21 years old, he did so representing the Dodgers. He took in the sights, sounds and pageantry of being among his peers who were regarded as the future of the sport. He didn’t start, drawing a walk as a reserve, but his selection was a testament to his upside.

Then 17 days later, Liranzo became the headliner of the return in a deal that sent right-hander Jack Flaherty from Detroit to Los Angeles.

Liranzo, who had scuffled to the tune of a .220 average and .700 OPS in 74 games with High-A Great Lakes before the deal, flipped a switch upon arriving with West Michigan, where he slashed .315/.470/.562 with 20 RBIs and more walks (26) than strikeouts (20) in 26 games. Sought out by Tigers brass at the Deadline, he quickly drew rave reviews.

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“We added a switch-hitting catcher who has an advanced approach and hits the ball really, really hard,” Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said in August. “And [he] has a chance to project into a front-line catcher for us moving forward.”

Liranzo immediately slotted in as Detroit’s top-ranked catching prospect per MLB Pipeline, leapfrogging Josue Briceño (DET No. 9), who has joined him in the Fall League. The two have developed a rapport playing for Scottsdale, while Briceño has emerged (1.262 OPS) as a legitimate league MVP candidate. But while the 20-year-old paces the circuit with eight homers, Liranzo now holds his own form of bragging rights.

“I can hold this one over his head all the time,” Liranzo said, laughing. “I hit it when it mattered and I’m just really grateful to have had the opportunity to do so.”

Liranzo’s Fall League foray has been nothing to downplay in its own right. Slashing .326/.463/.581 with eight of his 14 hits going for extra bases, he has again showcased advanced plate discipline with 11 walks in 14 games.

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His full-season ball debut in 2023 put him on the map. But it’s been his second year that has established him as a prospect with considerable helium when it comes to Top 100 overall prospect potential.

Liranzo may have been the third catcher to enter the game for the AL side, but he was also the player teammates stayed around to cheer as he accepted MVP honors. Adorned with jewelry of his own logo, in a topsy-turvy year that has featured changes he couldn’t have foreseen, Liranzo remains steadfast with a simple message:

“You’re going to get the same Thayron Liranzo wherever I go.”