A flurry of last-minute mock drafts project the Tigers to a score of interesting high school bats.
The MLB Draft starts tomorrow, which means information is coming in fast in the form of mock drafts galore. That means more prospects and more names to keep track of.
The Detroit Tigers are consistently being linked to high-upside high schoolers, typically with great hit tools and up-the-middle defensive homes. That certainly fits Scott Harris’ MO so far with Detroit; it will be interesting to see how he handles his smallest bonus pool yet.
MLB: Jonathan Mayo
24th: Slater de Brun, HS OF
34th: Jaden Fauske, HS OF
These are two very familiar names that we’ve already covered here at BlessYouBoys. de Brun is a smaller, lefty centerfielder who draws Corbin Caroll comparisons for being under 6 feet and from the Pacific Northwest. He’s fast and has a strong hit tool, but limited room to grow probably limits his ceiling.
Fauske is almost the opposite, as far as high school outfielders go. He’s already big and physical, is a former catcher who looked good in a corner outfield spot, and has a strong, well-balanced mixture of power and hit.
MLB: Jim Callis
24th: Kayson Cunningham, HS SS
34th: Slater de Brun, HS OF
Sign me up for this. These are the two most common names connected to Detroit right now. Pundits cannot seem to decide where these two high school bats go; some have Cunningham in the early teens and de Brun as the best high schooler available at Detroit’s first pick.
This one, however, has them sliding to both of Detroit’s picks, which would seemingly be a coup. Cunningham is a lefty shortstop with a premium hit tool who might be a bit stocky to be a full-time shortstop.
ESPN: Kiley McDaniels
24th: Daniel Pierce, HS SS
34th: James Coy, HS SS
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Pierce is a new connection to the Tigers, but is very much of the same mold. The biggest difference is that Pierce hits right-handed. Otherwise, he’ll fit right in. He’s a lock for shortstop, has a strong hit tool with a patient, all-fields approach, and great speed. He’s a little light on power, but should get to enough for the rest of his game to take over.
Coy is another righty shortstop, but chances are he gets bigger and moves to third base. He struggled during his senior year, but was a first-round caliber bat before this spring. A team confident they can get him back on track could burn a pick, but they’d have to compete with the University of Mississippi. At his best, this is plus power and a disciplined approach, but it just wasn’t on display this year.
Baseball America: Carlos Collazo
24th: Kayson Cunningham, HS SS
34th: Riley Quick, Alabama RHP
This is another repeat projection from Baseball America, and it’s one that makes a lot of sense. Cunningham is great value here, and Quick has tremendous upside for a compensation-round college arm. The mammoth righty throws in the upper 90s, touching triple digits, and has a wipe-out breaking ball.
Unfortunately, he underwent Tommy John surgery before the 2024 season and while his stuff remained intact, his command certainly did not. He was a reliever in 2023 and missed 2024, so he’s short on innings for a college junior. There’s reasonable room for projection in his locations and front-line stuff on the mound, so any risk-tolerant pitching development team should be in on this arm in the 30s.