Briceño signed with the Tigers for $800,000 in January 2022 and showed promising signs the next year with a .954 OPS over 44 games in the Florida Complex League. His 2024 regular season was limited by a PCL sprain in his right knee, but he responded to an aggressive send to the Arizona Fall League by winning Triple Crown and MVP honors with a .433 average, 10 homers and 27 RBIs in 25 games. He kept up the momentum at High-A West Michigan in 2025 (.296/.422/.602 with 15 homers in 55 games) but played closer to average after an in-season promotion to Double-A Erie. His 20 total homers were tied for the most by a catcher aged 20 or younger.
Briceño used the time off in ’24 to become more athletic in his lower half, and that increased athleticism fueled his production from the AFL onward. He has big-time strength from the left side of the box and punishes balls on contact to all fields, and he isn’t one to produce wormburners with a 31 percent ground-ball rate in 2025, 19th-lowest among 607 Minor Leaguers with at least 400 plate appearances. That said, he swings over low curveballs and changeups often, and his chase rate moved up a bit from High-A to Double-A, thwarting his overall hit tool closer to the average range.
The 6-foot-4 slugger won’t be beating out many ground balls anyway with his below-average speed, and while he’s made some gains defensively behind the plate, he’s still plenty rough around the edges with his movements back there. Briceño’s above-average arm strength is his best defensive asset, though he still picks up plenty of shifts at first base. There’s enough bat to be a middle-of-the-order thumper, and that’s what he could be in Detroit before he turns 23.
An $800,000 sign in January 2022, Briceño burst onto the scene with a .325/.404/.550 line in 44 games in the Florida Complex League in 2023. He caught the attention of Detroit's Major League staff the following spring and got off to a solid start with Single-A Lakeland in 2024 before a PCL sprain in his right knee caused him to miss more than three months. The left-handed slugger made up for the lost at-bats in the Arizona Fall League and won the circuit’s Triple Crown with a .433 average, 10 homers and 27 RBIs, while also leading it with an .867 slugging percentage, 1.376 OPS, 17 extra-base hits and 78 total bases.
Briceño’s injury was both poorly timed and may have oddly benefitted him in the long run. Playing in the Florida State League at just 19, he posted consistently high exit velocities, thanks to his size and strength, while pounding pitches inside the zone. His full-season numbers could have been quite the sight. On the other hand, Tigers officials note that he used the time off from the injury to get more athletic, specifically in his lower half, and that allowed him to take off in the AFL. His power, combined with his barrel control, could lead to strong offensive numbers as he continues to climb the ladder.
His defense remains an open question. Briceño was considered below average behind the dish before the injury, and to protect the knee, the Tigers kept him out of the squat with time at first base in Lakeland and Arizona. He’s still rough around the edges at the cold corner, where many believe he’ll eventually land full-time. But Briceño’s offensive gains have caught the attention of scouts across the industry and make him a must-follow in 2025.
Born in Miguel Cabrera’s hometown of Maracay, Venezuela, Briceno signed with the Tigers for an $800,000 bonus as part of their 2022 international class. After mixed results in the Dominican Summer League that year, Briceno’s offensive potential emerged in the Florida Complex League last summer with impressive power, including 13 doubles and seven home runs in 169 at-bats. A late-August move to Single-A Lakeland showed the teenager capable of handling more advanced pitching, including a 109.1 mph double off a 96 mph fastball and several other triple-digit exit velos.
Briceno has a big frame and a big swing designed to extend his arms and pummel balls into the air, but he shows good patience, plate judgment and contact for a teenage power hitter, with walk and strikeout rates in the low-to-mid-teens. He was more of a line-drive hitter upon his arrival into A-ball, with his hardest hits featuring low-teen launch angles. He shows good plate discipline for his age and a large strike zone. He’s capable of hitting around the field, but most of his power goes to the pull side. His defense behind the plate was mixed and led to platoon time at first base down the stretch.
An offensively capable left-handed-hitting catcher would be a massive find for the Tigers on the international market, which is why there’s a lot to like about Briceno’s potential out of a small sample size. His body will be worth watching as he settles into full-season ball, but whatever position he plays, his offense will determine how far he goes. Briceno got off to a solid start in the Florida State League before a PCL sprain in his right knee sidelined him for much of the summer.
