Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 20 | Arm: 60 | Field: 45 | Overall: 50

Liranzo has had a mercurial trek up the Minor Leagues since signing with the Dodgers for $30,000 out of the Dominican Republic in January 2021. He was an All-Star in the Arizona Complex League, then broke out with a 24-homer season in the Single-A California League. He struggled to adjust to the High-A Midwest League at Great Lakes, then thrived after moving across the league to West Michigan upon his trade to the Tigers in the 2024 Jack Flaherty deal. An impressive Fall League stretch made him a Top 100 prospect, until he struggled at Double-A Erie last season.

There’s a lot to like about a switch-hitting catcher who converted from third base as a teenager. Liranzo has a strong frame to support power potential from both sides of the plate as well as handle the wear and tear behind the plate. That made his 2025 struggles all the more perplexing, from a career-high 31.7 percent strikeout rate -- 8 percent above 2024 -- to a career-low walk rate, though still pretty good at 11.9 percent. His swing generates loud contact when he’s right, but over his career, his struggles seem to follow a jump in his ground-ball rate. It was a professionally and personally trying 2025 season for Liranzo, who battled injuries through much of the summer and was limited to DH duties down the stretch while also dealing with the death of his longtime trainer. He remains a work in progress at catcher, and at times struggled with receiving and framing before injuries forced him to DH.

Liranzo’s up-and-down track record and relative youth at his level suggest he has a bounceback in him. So does his offseason work to trim his body frame, which led president of baseball operations Scott Harris to remark that he looks like a center fielder. The Tigers know better than many organizations that catchers often take time to develop, having seen it with Dillon Dingler. Liranzo has the skills to reward their patience with just some time for refinement and maturation.

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Run: 20 | Arm: 60 | Field: 45 | Overall: 50

Liranzo signed with the Dodgers for $30,000 out of the Dominican Republic in January 2021. After an All-Star turn in the 2022 Arizona Complex League, he delivered a bigger breakout a year later with 24 homers (second-most among catchers in the Minors) and a .962 OPS in 94 games for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. Liranzo struggled to repeat that success in the Midwest League in 2024 and was slashing just .220/.344/.356 through 74 games with High-A Great Lakes when Los Angeles traded him to Detroit, along with Trey Sweeney, for Jack Flaherty. He popped off after the deal (.315/.470/.562 in 26 games for West Michigan) and continued that momentum in the Arizona Fall League, where he won Fall Stars Game MVP.

A switch-hitter, Liranzo showed more slugging ability from the right side, where he bats from a more straight-on stance compared to his more open one on the left, entering 2025, but it’s at least plus pop from both. His exit velocities routinely eclipse triple digits and occasionally go above 110 mph as he generates strength from his big frame. That loud contact, coming mostly to the pullside, helps drive most of Liranzo’s offensive profile, but he’ll take his walks too. His High-A turnaround came when he started making more direct contact with the ball, turning ground balls and infield popups into stung line drives and flyballs. He's held those rates but hasn't quite driven the ball out of the yard as much in 2025.

Liranzo is a well-below-average runner, and while he makes for a big target behind the plate, he still faces questions over whether he’ll be athletic enough to last at catcher. He has plus arm strength at least, and even though he had first-base experience in the L.A. system, Liranzo only featured at catcher with Detroit. He is Rule 5-eligible next offseason, and despite some slips in Double-A, the bat alone should be good enough to get him closer to the Motor City.

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 30 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

Though he signed for just $30,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2021, Liranzo continues to improve each year and has become one of the best young catching prospects in baseball. He has earned league All-Star honors in each of his two seasons in the United States. In his full-season debut last year, he topped the Single-A California League in slugging (.562), OPS (.962), wRC+ (155), homers (24), extra-base hits (50) and total bases (194) as a 19-year-old. Liranzo had been inconsistent in his move to High-A Great Lakes to begin 2024 and was moved to the Tigers at the Trade Deadline in a deal that sent Jack Flaherty the other way.

A switch-hitter, Liranzo provides power from both sides and was showing more aptitude hitting from the right side even during his struggles this summer. He hits the ball hard and his pull-heavy approach allows him to get a lot of his plus raw power, which he'll tap into even further as he learns to launch the ball in the air more regularly. His approach will lead to strikeouts, though he offsets his whiffs with a healthy amount of walks.

Liranzo's receiving and blocking skills regressed during his U.S. debut in 2022 but improved last summer. He has the hands to become an average or better receiver and moves well behind the plate despite well below-average speed on the bases. He owns at least plus arm strength and will deter the running game even more as he improves his throwing accuracy.

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 30 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

Liranzo signed for just $30,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2021 but has developed into one of the Dodgers' best catching prospects two years later. He made his U.S. debut last summer and earned all-star honors in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League after homering eight times in 41 games. He has shown one of the best combinations of power and patience in the system while making the jump to full-season ball in 2023. 

A switch-hitter, Liranzo offers well-above-average raw power from both sides of the plate but provides more consistent production as a lefty. He looks to drive balls to his pull side but also is willing to take walks when pitchers try to work around him. His aggressive approach will result in strikeouts but also might produce 25-homer power, especially if he learns to launch balls in the air more regularly. 

After Liranzo's receiving and blocking ability regressed in 2022, he has made encouraging progress this summer. He still has more work to do but he has the hands to become an average defender behind the plate. He has solid arm strength though he'll have to improve his accuracy. 

Awards

AFL Rising Stars MVP

Year	Team
2024

AFL Rising Stars

Year	Team
2024

MID Player of the Week

Week	Team
08/18/2024

Futures Game Selection

Year	Team
2024

MiLB.com Organization All-Star

Year	Team
2023

Baseball America Low Class A All-Star

Year	Team
2023

MiLB Awards All-MiLB Prospect Second Team

Year	Team
2023

CAL Post-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2023

ACL Post-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2022

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Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	04/02/2026	Erie SeaWolves placed C Thayron Liranzo on the 7-day injured list.
	03/09/2026	Detroit Tigers optioned C Thayron Liranzo to Erie SeaWolves.
	03/09/2026	Erie SeaWolves activated C Thayron Liranzo.
	03/05/2026	C Thayron Liranzo assigned to Detroit Tigers Prospects.
	11/18/2025	Detroit Tigers selected the contract of C Thayron Liranzo from Erie SeaWolves.
	03/30/2025	C Thayron Liranzo assigned to Erie SeaWolves from West Michigan Whitecaps.
	03/06/2025	activated C Thayron Liranzo.
	02/10/2025	Detroit Tigers invited non-roster C Thayron Liranzo to spring training.
	11/08/2024	American League Fall Stars activated C Thayron Liranzo.
	09/25/2024	C Thayron Liranzo assigned to Scottsdale Scorpions.
	07/31/2024	West Michigan Whitecaps activated C Thayron Liranzo.
	07/30/2024	Detroit Tigers traded RHP Jack Flaherty to Los Angeles Dodgers for C Thayron Liranzo and SS Trey Sweeney.
	07/30/2024	C Thayron Liranzo assigned to West Michigan Whitecaps.
	07/15/2024	Great Lakes Loons activated C Thayron Liranzo from the temporarily inactive list.
	07/14/2024	National League Futures activated C Thayron Liranzo.
	07/13/2024	Great Lakes Loons placed C Thayron Liranzo on the temporarily inactive list.
	04/02/2024	C Thayron Liranzo assigned to Dodgers Organization from Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.
	04/02/2024	C Thayron Liranzo assigned to Great Lakes Loons.
	04/02/2024	Dodgers Organization activated C Thayron Liranzo.
	03/24/2024	C Thayron Liranzo assigned to Los Angeles Dodgers.
	03/07/2024	Los Angeles Dodgers Prospects activated C Thayron Liranzo.
	02/29/2024	C Thayron Liranzo assigned to Los Angeles Dodgers.
	10/23/2023	C Thayron Liranzo assigned to Toros del Este.
	07/14/2023	Rancho Cucamonga Quakes activated C Thayron Liranzo from the 7-day injured list.
	06/21/2023	Rancho Cucamonga Quakes placed C Thayron Liranzo on the 7-day injured list retroactive to June 20, 2023.
	04/04/2023	C Thayron Liranzo assigned to Rancho Cucamonga Quakes from ACL Dodgers.
	03/11/2023	C Thayron Liranzo assigned to Los Angeles Dodgers.
	03/11/2023	C Thayron Liranzo roster status changed by Los Angeles Dodgers.
	06/05/2022	C Thayron Liranzo assigned to ACL Dodgers.
	01/15/2021	Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent C Thayron Liranzo to a minor league contract.
	01/15/2021	C Thayron Liranzo assigned to DSL Dodgers Shoemaker.