Tigers aim to stick with what works: Draft strong, bloom from within 

DETROIT -- The Tigers enter Sunday’s MLB Draft picking outside the top 20 for the first time since 2015. Such is the cost of success. Detroit’s late-season run to a Wild Card spot last year means they’ll be picking 24th overall. Yet if there’s any evidence needed for the continued importance of the Draft in Detroit’s long-term plans, a look at the current Major League roster should do it.

Two-thirds of their primary lineup against right-handers is homegrown, including five Draft picks, three of them outside of the first round. Reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal was a ninth-round pick. Detroit’s next-best starter this season, Casey Mize, went first overall in the same 2018 Draft as Skubal. Closer Will Vest was the Tigers’ 12th-round Draft pick in '17.

In the farm system, top prospect Kevin McGonigle -- newly promoted to Double-A Erie along with Max Clark and Josue Briceño -- was the 37th overall pick in the 2023 Draft. His promotion puts him on a path to potentially knock on Detroit’s doorstep for his Major League debut at some point next season.

Detroit’s road to contention has been paved by player development. That doesn’t change now that the Tigers own the best record in the Majors.

McGonigle was an example of the Tigers’ creativity in adding talent beyond their Draft position. By signing No. 3 overall pick Clark and second-round pick Max Anderson under slot, the Tigers had extra Draft pool money available to sign McGonigle away from a college commitment to Auburn. Two years later, the trio has formed the foundation of what looks like an incredible Draft class that includes No. 7 prospect Jaden Hamm, last year’s Midwest League Pitcher of the Year, along with sweet-swinging West Michigan infielder Johnny Peck and pitcher Andrew Sears.

That 2023 Draft was the first under president of baseball operations Scott Harris, assistant GM Rob Metzler and amateur scouting director Mark Conner, and it set the tone for the Tigers’ Draft strategy. Detroit looks for hitters with athleticism early, is not afraid to take high school players over similarly valued college talent and will look for opportunities to pry prep stars away from top college programs later in the Draft.

• Day 1 picks: 24, 34, 62, 98
• Bonus pool allotment: $10,990,800, 17th highest in MLB
• Last year’s top pick: Bryce Rainer, SS, pick 11. Though Rainer was rated by some as the best high school player available, earning comparisons by some to Corey Seager for his big frame at shortstop and strong left-handed swing, the Tigers were overjoyed when Rainer fell out of the top 10. He didn’t make his pro debut until this spring, but he made an immediate impression in the Tigers’ Spring Breakout win over the Braves, then proved to be a quick learner at Single-A Lakeland. He hit .288/.383/.448 with five homers and 22 RBIs in 35 games before dislocating his shoulder diving back into first base in a game on June 3, an injury that required season-ending surgery.
• Breakout 2024 pick: Micah Ashman, RP, pick 326. The Tigers took a flyer on a 6-foot-7 lefty reliever from the University of Utah in the 11th round and have so far been pleased with the results. After a handful of games for Single-A Lakeland last summer, Ashman has dominated this season at High-A West Michigan, entering this week with a 1.01 ERA in 25 games with just 16 hits and seven walks allowed over 35 2/3 innings.

It's not surprising, then, that mock Drafts have linked the Tigers most often to prep stars with their top pick. MLB Pipeline projects the Tigers to take Johnson (Texas) High School shortstop Kayson Cunningham, calling him the best hitter on the high school showcase circuit last summer. Others potentially in the mix include Summit (Oregon) High School outfielder Slater de Brun, Wesleyan Christian Academy (N.C.) third baseman Josh Hammond and IMG Academy 2B/OF Sean Gamble.