Lucas Elissalt Is a Crafty Curveballer Who Is Opening Eyes in the Tigers System

Lucas Elissalt is an under-the-radar prospect in one of the game’s top farm systems. A 21-year-old right-hander whom the Detroit Tigers tabbed in the 13th round of the 2024 draft out of Chipola College, Elissalt is coming off of a first full professional season in which he put up a 2.51 ERA and 3.23 FIP over 89 2/3 innings split between Low-A Lakeland and High-A West Michigan. Moreover, his 26.9% strikeout rate was the highest among Detroit farmhands who tossed 80 or more frames.

Elissalt’s fastball wouldn’t be described as high octane. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound hurler’s heater sat 90-93 mph last year, occasionally ticking up to 94 (but also down to 89). Adding good weight to his lanky frame — “maybe 15 or 20 pounds” — could contribute to increased velocity, arguably the key to his developing into a major league starter.

Regardless of any velo gains that might be forthcoming, the ABS system could work in his favor. Elissalt’s 9.4% walk rate wasn’t exactly Maddux-esque, but command nonetheless profiles as one of his strengths going forward. At a time when some organizations are reassessing their views of power versus pitchability, the young righty may be ascending the minor league ladder at an opportune moment. What Elissalt lacks in gas, he makes up for with guile.

The best pitch in his arsenal is a big-bending curveball that grades out as plus and elicits a healthy dose of whiffs. Along with that and a cut-ride four-seamer, he throws a gyro slider and a kick-change. He used to throw a cutter, but swapped that out for the gyro in order to get more movement separation from his fastball.

His lack of giddy-up contributed not only to his lasting until the 386th pick in his draft year, but also to Elissalt spending the first of his two collegiate seasons at Coastal Alabama Junior College. I learned as much when I talked to him at West Michigan’s LMCU Ballpark late last season.

“I’ve never been a big velocity guy — I’ve never been able to just blow stuff by people — so from a young age, I’ve always had to use my pitches to get after hitters,” Elissalt explained. “The high school I went to is in Southwest Miami, so I faced some pretty good competition, but I only played a little bit of travel ball. Because I didn’t have the big velocity, I didn’t get as many looks as some other guys when I was younger.”

Elissalt had an opportunity to go from Chipola, where he spent his sophomore season, to the University of Southern Mississippi, but instead chose to become a Tiger. As he put it, “If your dream is already there — mine was to play professional baseball — why not go after it?”

Draft day was pins and needles for his entire family. The youngster was at home waiting for a call, and so too was his older brother, Frank Elissalt, who ended up going to the New York Mets in the 19th round (he was later swapped to St. Louis as part of last summer’s Ryan Helsley trade). Neither sibling knew what to expect in terms of round or team.

“I had no idea until about 15 minutes before I got picked,” Elissalt told me. “I had talked to eight or 10 teams, and was lucky that the Tigers were one of them. They reached out to my agent and let him know, ‘Hey, we have an offer lined up for this round; if you want to take it, here is what it is.’ My agent called me, let me know the offer, and asked if I want to take it. It was a little over slot, and I said, ‘Definitely.’”

Elissalt wasn’t assigned to an affiliate after inking his contract. Instead, he reported to the Tigers’ Lakeland facility, where he “did a lot of pitching lab stuff,” focusing mainly on his mechanics. That was also where he began learning a kick-change.

As one would expect, Elissant has gained a ton of knowledge since coming to the Tigers organization. He gave sequencing as an example — “you need to know how to attack the hitter, not be out there blind just throwing to the catcher” — and while he didn’t specifically cite pitching metrics, he has certainly received an education there as well.

“My fastball comes out at a 12:50 tilt, and I usually get around 17 inches of vertical and six or seven horizontal,” Elissalt explained. “The gyro has been around zero to one vertical, and anywhere from four to five horizontal. The reason I stopped throwing the cutter is that it was too similar to my fastball at times. It would be around 12 vertical and one arm-side horizontal, so instead of having a bad cutter just to say I have a cutter, now I have a slider that can get me whiffs and weak contact.

“My curveball is anywhere from -16 to -18 vertical, and 13 horizontal,” he continued. “It’s a bigger, slurvier pitch, but it works perfectly with the rest of my arsenal. My curveball is 79-80 [mph] on average, so there is good separation from my fastball. But I do need to gain more velocity on my fastball. That’s something I’ll continue to work toward.”

Elissant unquestionably remains light on velocity, but again, pitchability paired with command is his bread and butter. Having grown up without big heat, he has long embraced craftiness and finesse.

“I fell in love with the idea of pitching,” Elissalt said. “I view baseball as both an art and a science. You can’t see baseball as just an art, or just a science, because that really takes the color out of the game. Everybody is an individual, everybody is different. You probably won’t find a guy who throws exactly like me. Similar to me, yes, but not exactly like me.”

When our 2026 Tigers list comes out — expect that shortly after Prospect Week — Eric Longenhagen and Brendan Gawlowski will likely have Elissant toward the top of their 40 FV tier, with the potential to be a 40+. Longenhagen has some concerns about the extent to which Elissant can jump his velocity, as he is “more a graceful sort of athlete than an explosive one.” Without notable gains, “we’re talking about a no. 4/5 starter.”