Black MiLB Players #12: 3B/OF Justyn-Henry Malloy, Detroit Tigers

Third baseman Justyn-Henry Malloy has quietly developed into one of the best Black position player prospects in all of professional baseball

Background + Path to Professional Baseball

Justyn-Henry Malloy is a 23-year-old third baseman and outfielder from Northern New Jersey in the Detroit Tigers organization. He stood out as one of New Jersey’s best amateur prospects at a young age, representing the United States in different international tournaments for its U15 team. He attended Vanderbilt University for two years, playing in 26 games as a part-time player. He transferred to Georgia Tech for his junior year, slashing .308/.436/.558 in 56 games with 17 doubles, 11 home runs, and more walks than strikeouts.

Malloy was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 6th round of the 2021 MLB Draft, signing for a little under $300,000 dollars. His professional career started with Atlanta’s Low-A affiliate, going .271/.388/.434 in 37 games with five doubles and five home runs.

For the 2022 MiLB season, Malloy would play 133 games across High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. The third baseman/outfielder went .289/.408/.454 in 591 total plate appearances with 28 doubles, 17 home runs, and 97 walks. In December 2022, the Braves traded Malloy and a relief pitcher to the Detroit Tigers for 1x All-Star relief pitcher Joe Jiménez.

Malloy has played 26 games with Detroit’s Triple-A affiliate during the 2023 season, hitting .344/.474/.527 in 116 plate appearances.

Player Profile

Justyn-Henry Malloy is 6’1’’ and weighs 210 pounds. He has the prototypical build for a third baseman, having the strength/mobility needed to move laterally and make all the required throws.

Hitting

Malloy bats right-handed. He stands in the batter’s box with a slightly open stance with a crouch and his hands held chest high, rocking the bat back and forth as he waits for the pitch. He rotates well, showing an ability to utilize his lower body and core strength to drive the ball. Despite the noise in his setup, Malloy quickly gets his hands into optimal position as he brings the bat to the ball.

His ability to make contact is slightly above average based on his swinging strike percentages when compared to his peers in the various realms of MiLB. The third baseman’s strikeout percentages have settled into the low-to-mid-20s up to this point of his professional career.

Malloy’s approach is oriented around hitting line drives and fly balls to his pull side and up the middle. Due to his strength and natural loft in his swing, he accrues extra-base hits at a high rate. High BABIPs and an ISO that has hovered between .160-.180 are other indicators of frequent hard contact.

The carrying tool in Malloy’s offensive profile is his on-base skills, which are elite. His MiLB career walk rates have hovered between 14-21% and his walk-to-strikeout ratios have sat between 0.64 and 1.40. His career on-base percentage in 854 MiLB plate appearances is .413%. His approach at the plate is extremely sound and he displays a keen eye by comfortably taking borderline pitches that other hitters would swing at.

Fielding

Malloy is an average third baseman who has worked hard to stay at the position as a professional. He has more than enough arm strength and the required agility to play at the position. With more reps and professional coaching, his internal clock has improved along with his throwing accuracy.

Baserunning

Malloy is not a base stealer by any means but he isn’t a completely incompetent baserunner either. He has sound baseball instincts and is a decent runner despite his size.

Conclusion

With many of Detroit’s position player prospects struggling to establish themselves in the majors in recent years, Justyn-Henry Malloy was a shrewd addition by a front office that is looking for any viable young talent it can get. Currently, in possession of a 1.001 OPS with Detroit’s Triple-A affiliate, the intriguing third baseman has all the tools to be the centerpiece of the Tigers during the 2020s.