Lael Lockhart
P | Bats/Throws: S/L | 6' 3" 225LBS | Age: 26
Draft: 2021 | Rd: 9, #282, Los Angeles Dodgers | Arkansas
MLB Pipeline Rank
TIGERS: No. 26 |
W L ERA G GS SV IP SO WHIP
2024 4 8 5.32 20 18 0 93 109 1.45
Career Minors 18 18 4.13 91 53 0 340 396 1.35
G W-L ERA IP SO WHIP
2024 20 4-8 5.32 93 109 1.45
Career Minors 91 18-18 4.13 340 396 1.35
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Standard Minor League Pitching Statistics

SeasonTmLGLWLERAGGSSVIPHRERHRBBSOWHIP
2021 2 Teams Minors 2 1 3.95 10 0 0 13.2 12 6 6 1 7 25 1.39
2021 ACL Dodgers ACL ROK 0 0 9.00 1 0 0 1.0 2 1 1 0 0 2 2.00
2021 Great Lakes Loons A+ C A+ 2 1 3.55 9 0 0 12.2 10 5 5 1 7 23 1.34
2022 2 Teams Minors 3 4 3.71 27 16 0 111.2 107 52 46 7 41 114 1.33
2022 Great Lakes Loons MID A+ 2 3 3.16 19 11 0 77.0 77 32 27 5 21 85 1.27
2022 Tulsa Drillers TEX AA 1 1 4.93 8 5 0 34.2 30 20 19 2 20 29 1.44
2023 3 Teams Minors 7 3 4.13 27 13 0 93.2 82 48 43 9 47 112 1.38
2023 Tulsa Drillers TEX AA 1 1 11.40 8 0 0 15.0 22 20 19 4 13 18 2.33
2023 Erie SeaWolves EAS AA 5 2 2.69 18 12 0 73.2 54 26 22 5 32 89 1.17
2023 2 Teams AA 6 3 4.16 26 12 0 88.2 76 46 41 9 45 107 1.36
2023 Toledo Mud Hens INT AAA 1 0 3.60 1 1 0 5.0 6 2 2 0 2 5 1.60
2024 2 Teams Minors 6 10 4.54 27 24 0 121.0 105 63 61 18 59 145 1.36
2024 Erie SeaWolves EAS AA 2 2 1.93 7 6 0 28.0 20 7 6 2 9 36 1.04
2024 Toledo Mud Hens INT AAA 4 8 5.32 20 18 0 93.0 85 56 55 16 50 109 1.45
ACL Dodgers ACL ROK 0 0 9.00 1 0 0 1.0 2 1 1 0 0 2 2.00
Toledo Mud Hens INT AAA 5 8 5.23 21 19 0 98.0 91 58 57 16 52 114 1.46
Great Lakes Loons MID A+ 4 4 3.21 28 11 0 89.2 87 37 32 6 28 108 1.28

Scouting Report

2024

Scouting grades: Fastball: 45 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 50 | Splitter: 65 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40

Lockhart pitched for three years at Houston, transferred to Arkansas for a season in 2021 and was drafted by the Dodgers in the ninth round that summer, signing for only $2,500 as a senior. He was off to a rough start as a full-time Double-A reliever in 2023, giving up 19 earned runs over his first eight appearances (15 innings), when he was traded to the Tigers for cash considerations in May. Detroit moved the southpaw back to its Erie rotation and saw him win its Minor League Most Improved Player Award after posting a 2.75 ERA with 94 strikeouts in 78 2/3 innings during his first season in the system. He’s climbed from Double-A to Triple-A in 2024 and continues to rack up K’s in bunches.

The 6-foot-3 southpaw’s heater only tops out around 91 mph and generally sits 87-89, but because so much of the rest of his profile drops toward the bottom of the zone, he can zip an occasional four-seamer past hitters. His 79-82 mph slider has been his most oft-used secondary in the pros, but because it sometimes finds the heart of the zone, it isn’t his best bat-misser. That’s easily his upper-70s splitter, a pitch that dives well thanks to killed spin. It averages a spin rate of 761 rpm, per Statcast, which would be fourth-lowest in the Majors. His mid-70s curveball also gets good depth and has gotten a called strike-whiff rate above 35 percent at Triple-A.

Because Lockhart doesn’t overthrow, his control should be fine enough to keep him in a starting role, though a good amount of that is dependent on getting chase on the split. He’s a late bloomer, one that could be a quality depth option for Detroit and a success story for its scouting and development departments.


Transactions

Team Date Transaction
05/14/2024 LHP Lael Lockhart assigned to Toledo Mud Hens from Erie SeaWolves.
02/27/2024 LHP Lael Lockhart assigned to Detroit Tigers.
09/07/2023 LHP Lael Lockhart assigned to Erie SeaWolves from Toledo Mud Hens.
09/07/2023 Erie SeaWolves activated LHP Lael Lockhart.
09/01/2023 LHP Lael Lockhart assigned to Toledo Mud Hens from Erie SeaWolves.
05/30/2023 Erie SeaWolves activated LHP Lael Lockhart.
05/26/2023 Los Angeles Dodgers traded LHP Lael Lockhart to Detroit Tigers.
05/26/2023 LHP Lael Lockhart assigned to Erie SeaWolves.
05/26/2023 Erie SeaWolves transferred LHP Lael Lockhart to the Development List.
05/25/2023 Tulsa Drillers transferred LHP Lael Lockhart to the Development List.
08/03/2022 LHP Lael Lockhart assigned to Tulsa Drillers from Great Lakes Loons.
08/20/2021 LHP Lael Lockhart assigned to Great Lakes Loons from ACL Dodgers.
08/20/2021 Great Lakes Loons activated LHP Lael Lockhart.
08/14/2021 LHP Lael Lockhart assigned to ACL Dodgers.
07/17/2021 Los Angeles Dodgers signed LHP Lael Lockhart.
02/02/2021 LHP Lael Lockhart assigned to Arkansas Razorbacks.
02/02/2021 LHP Lael Lockhart assigned to Arkansas Razorbacks.
02/28/2019 OF Lael Lockhart assigned to Houston Cougars.
02/24/2018 OF Lael Lockhart assigned to Houston Cougars.