Who is Grayson Long? A quick look at pitcher acquired by Tigers in Justin Upton deal

DETROIT -- General manager Al Avila said the Detroit Tigers see him as a future Major League starter.

Others are more cautious but generally optimistic in their evaluation.

There's no argument, however, that newly acquired pitcher Grayson Long is in the midst of sterling sophomore full season in professional baseball.

The Tigers received Long and a player to be named later in exchanged for outfielder Justin Upton in a surprising move just before the second unofficial trade deadline.

Long, 23, was ranked as the eighth-best prospect in the Angels system by Baseball America and the ninth-best prospect by MLB Pipeline.