ERIE, PA – After making his debut in the Detroit Tigers' minor league system, Zyhir Hope walked across the outfield toward the Erie SeaWolves' clubhouse, carrying two bats, a glove, his glasses and helmet.
Then, on Tuesday, Aug. 4, Hope started dropping clues about what makes him so special – he was the prized jewel of the Tarik Skubal trade with the Los Angels Dodgers.
When the trade happened on Saturday, the left-handed hitting outfielder instantly became the top-ranked prospect currently playing in the Tigers minor league system, according to MLB Pipeline. (Technically, he is listed behind Max Clark, who seems all but certain to finish the season with the Tigers.)
I jogged up to Hope and introduced myself on Tuesday.
“I’m sorry, I would shake
your hand but my hands are full,” he apologized.
“Can I take your picture?” I asked.
He nodded.
“Would you like me to keep walking, or stop?” he asked.
He stopped and smiled for a quick picture.
“Thank you, sir,” he said. “So nice to meet you.”
Yes, that was the first clue.
Hope is exceedingly polite. Exceedingly respectful. The kind that is engrained at a young age.
Hope was raised in a military family, a Navy brat who moved five times when he was a kid.
“My stepdad was in the Navy,” he said. “I've been all over the place. I met amazing people. Played baseball in a lot of different cities, states.”
“What rank?” I asked.
“E-9.”
My head snapped out of instant respect. That means he's a Master Chief Petty Officer, the highest enlisted rank in the Navy. I met some when I was covering the war in Iraq – they are some of the most amazing, impressive leaders you could ever find. They are, simply, the best of the best.
The stepson of one?
Well, this stepson oozed respect and politeness, finishing every sentence with a “yes, sir,” a “no, sir” or a “thank you, sir.”
Still new to this
Hope held an interview session in the batting cage next to the Erie clubhouse.
Even though he is considered one of the top 25 prospects in baseball, per MLB Pipeline, when he walked through the door and saw two local TV cameras and two reporters next to a backdrop, he looked stunned and unsure.
Oh wow. Where do I stand?
Clearly, this was all new to him.
He applied some lip balm and took a deep breath, then broke into a huge, infectious smile. He slapped his hands together.
“Thank you,” he said. “Appreciate it. Appreciate it, now I’m ready.”
He has an easy-going, easy-to-like personality. The kind that fits easily onto any team.
“What was your reaction when you heard the news?” I asked him.
“I didn't know what to feel in the moment,” he said. “You know what I'm saying? But yeah, I'm just ready for some ball. I'm excited.”
“What's this whole week been like for you?” another reporter asked.
“Everything has been smooth,” he said. “The Tigers are doing an amazing job with helping me travel and stuff, communicating everything to me, stuff like that. Everything's been good. I've been breathing. I'm breathing. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, I’m just grateful. I'm grateful.”
Think about what it’s like from his perspective.
One day he’s playing in the Dodgers' organization. Then, on late Saturday, he gets traded and spends the night packing before a flight to a new state, a new team.
“Now, you’ve been traded twice in two years,” another reporter asked. “What's that been like these last couple years?”
Yes, that’s an interesting element to this.
He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs out of high school in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft – after he didn’t really go to any big showcases or anything.
Then, he was traded to the Dodgers in a January deal for Michael Busch that cleared a bit of L.A.'s jam at first base behind Freddie Freeman.
“It's a business, man,” he said. “Wherever I am, I'm gonna keep my faith no matter what, and just continue to play ball, man.”
If you can't beat him ...
You know one person who is thrilled to have Hope on his team?
Erie manager Tony Cappuccilli.
Last year, Cappuccilli was managing the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps. He faced Hope several times while the prospect was with the Great Lakes Loons, the Dodgers' High-A affiliate in Midland.
“What was it like to manage against him?” I asked
“It was awful,” Cappuccilli said. “I hated it. I didn't like it at all. He had 75 at-bats against us last year and … it was 75 times that we really didn't enjoy that. So I'm glad he's wearing our uniform. That dude can really play. I mean he's a really good baseball player.”
(It was actually 75 plate appearances and 68 at-bats ... but Hope had three doubles, four home runs and a whopping 17 RBIs.)
“You know anybody in the Tigers system, like Max Clark or Kevin McGonigle?” I asked Hope.
“Yes, sir,” Hope said. “I played against them a lot in High-A when they were on the Whitecaps.”
Sure enough. I checked some box scores and they faced each other last season.
Think about that. That was 13 months ago – Clark and McGonigle were promoted to Double-A in early July 2025.
Now, McGonigle is an MLB All-Star and Clark entered Wednesday slashing .375/.500/.688 over his first four career MLB games.
“They are balling as always – yes, sir,” Hope said, smiling with deep respect and admiration.
A guy with serious power potential
So, why did the Tigers want Hope?
“We've been following him for a really long time,” Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Monday night ,after the MLB trade deadline. “It is a really, really impressive collection of speed and power. I mean, just watch all the highlights. His ability to put together a major-league-quality at-bat, to have the bat-to-ball skills to touch the baseball and cover every pitch in every zone, but also to access his power. At times it looks like double-plus power to the pull side, but also enough power to go oppo and use the whole field. “
Hope is listed at 5-foot-10 and weighs 193 pounds, which doesn’t sound big. But in person, his legs look like tree trunks. Clearly, that's where his power starts.
“We play in a huge park, and we need guys that have the power to consistently change the score with one swing,” Harris said. “This kid has a real chance to do that. He's not there yet. ... There's still some development there, but the ceiling is as high as any player in our organization.”
That’s such an amazing statement.
His potential is enormous.
To make it even better, the Tigers have a ton of infield prospects in their system, but many fewer in the outfield.
He’s basically exactly what this organization needed badly.
“We're a little bit stronger on the infield, a little bit stronger behind the plate than we are in the outfield,” Harris said. “To be able to add this caliber talent who can both change the score every time he steps into the batter's box, but also be an asset defensively for us, I thought that was a really big priority for us, and we were thrilled that we were able to get him into the deal.”
In his debut, Hope went 0-for-3 in a 2-0 loss to the Altoona Curve. He had a sharp line drive that was caught in center. He also walked, popped out to shortstop and hit a line drive that was caught at short.
“What’s the stat that you are happiest about this season when you look at your numbers?” I asked.
I figured, maybe he would say the 23 homers he hit in 93 games in Double-A. Or maybe his .293 batting average. Or his .899 OPS.
“To be honest with you, I don't look at stats or nothing,” he said. “I'm just playing ball.”
“So today you had some hard-hit balls,” I said. “That is what you focus on?”
“Thank you,” he smiled. “I appreciate that. Yes sir.”
Different.
This kid just seems different in all the best ways.
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Zyhir Hope didn't need a hit to show why he's the Tigers' new jewel
