Breaking down Detroit’s MLB draft picks from rounds 11-20

A quick breakdown of all of Detroit’s 2025 MLB draft picks from round 11-20

Round 11, Pick 339: RHP River Hamilton (Sam Barlow High School, Oregon)

There weren’t a ton of reaches from Detroit in this draft, but high school lefty River Hamilton is the rare exception to that rule. Perfect Game ranks the LSU commit No. 8 among right-handed high school arms and No. 39 overall in the 2025 class.

Hamilton is 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds with a long, projectable frame and good deception in his delivery. The mechanics need to be cleaned up a bit, but such is the case with nearly every high school pitching prospect.

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Ranked No. 99 among this draft’s prospects by MLB.com , Hamilton was a potential Day 1 pick. Detroit should have a deal worked out with him based on where they drafted Hamilton. The second 10 rounds are where most of the saved slot money goes, and Hamilton figures to command the bulk of Detroit’s excess funds.

His arsenal consists of a mid-90s fastball with good carry, a tight slider with plus potential and a fairly developed changeup for a high schooler. He’s also shown a curve with good spin, but the slider seems to be the favored pitch. Elbow discomfort has been an issue but not bad enough to worry about.

If signability isn’t an issue, Scott Harris’ approach on Day 1 makes a lot more sense, and Detroit potentially snags a top-10 right-hander in the draft in the 11th round. Development and health are key here.

Round 12, Pick 369: RHP Cash Kuiper (Murray State College)

Cash Kupier is another right-hander that could get some of that extra slot money from Detroit. The Murray State College had a strong sophomore season at the junior college level and is committed to playing for Nebraska next year, when he’ll be draft-eligible again.

Similar to Hamilton, Kuiper is a pick that boils down to Detroit trusting its evaluations are better than everyone else who passed on the price tag. Kuiper started 15 games for Murray State College this season, working a 4.92 ERA and striking out 90 over 75 innings. The command is there with a 10% walk rate.

There’s not a ton of film out there on Kuiper, but some recent bullpen work shows him up to 94-95 mph with the fastball, with some run. He also has a breaking ball that acts more slider-ish than curve or sweeper. It’s hard to tell on any offspeed with the variation in fastball speed.

Round 13, Pick 399: SS Jack Goodman (Northeastern)

Finally, Detroit gets another infielder. Jack Goodman has the glove to stick at shortstop and his bat is developing nicely with flashes of power coming more often with each season. He slashed .335/.406/.547 at Northeastern last year with 10 home runs and 51 RBIs.

The knock on the Pepperdine transfer was always an aggressive approach at the plate, but his walk rate has climbed from 4.7% as a freshman to 11.1% his junior year. As a result, his BABIP has climbed from .243 to .392 in the same period. He has a high leg kick, which could be tweaked.

Goodman is a 6.5-second 60-yard runner, which translates to 20 stolen bases last season. Detroit could use some speed in the organization, and it’s a tool that helps Goodman stand out.

It’s a similar pick to John Peck in the seventh round a year ago, which makes sense because he played at Pepperdine with Goodman. Jim Jarvis is another comp, in terms of organizational fit. Think utility infielder that gets plenty of play in the low minors before moving to Double-A.

Round 14, Pick 429: 1B Beau Ankeney (Loyola Marymount University)

Beau Ankeney is the only corner infielder selected by Detroit in this year’s draft. A two-year designated hitter at Grand Canyon, Ankeney exploded at the plate as a junior with Loyola Marymount. He finished the year with a 1.164 OPS, 82 hits, 22 home runs and 69 RBIs.

At 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, he certainly profiles as a first baseman/designated hitter, and the power uptick helped raise his draft stock. Ankeney gets his legs into the swing with a pronounced load and upper-cut swing. His ability to take the ball to all fields as a right-hander should help him move up the minors quickly, similar to Max Anderson in Erie.

He’s a fastball masher who needs to get better with breaking balls, and the first base projection might be a bit shaky. If he can transition to the outfield before assuming a full-time DH role, Ankeney’s worth every bit of the 14th-round selection.

Round 15, Pick 459: RHP Charlie Christensen (Univ. of Central Arkansas)

Back to the pitchers. Detroit picked Central Arkansas right-hander Charlie Christensen in the 15th round. A Florida State commit, Christensen might require a bit of cash to woo him away from an elite Power Five pledge. Still, he’s facing his final year of eligibility, so negotiations shouldn’t be too tough.

Christensen had an elevated ERA of 5.85 through 80 innings this season, but his low arm slot makes for an interesting developmental prospect. His fastball is up to 95 mph and sits 91-93 mph. He also has a high-80s cutter, low-80s slider and mid-90s changeup, giving him a legitimate four-pitch mix.

Round 16, Pick 489: RHP Joe Ruzicka (Belmont University)

Joe Ruzicka started 43 games for Belmont over three seasons to the tune of a 4.39 ERA. His best season came as a junior with a 3.56 ERA and 70 strikeouts over 81 innings. He avoids barrels with a 15.6% line drive rate, and his batting average against is approaching .200, which is elite.

Adding some more swing and miss will help him stay a starting pitching prospect, but he should give plenty of innings in the low minors. His fastball is up to 92 mph, and he has an 86-87 mph cutter with spin above 2500 rpm. His slider is north of 2,600 rpm in the low 80s, giving him a similar profile to Christensen without the funky arm slot.

Ruzicka also has the stamina to go deep in games, throwing to complete game shutouts in college. Picking up the strikeouts is a must, but he’s done well to lower his walk rate (15.6% to 12.8%) to make up for it. This should be a relatively easy signing given Detroit’s capital.

Round 17, Pick 519: RHP Joey Wimpelberg (College of Central Florida)

Joey Wimpelberg is an interesting selection. His fastball ran up to 92 mph coming out of high school, earning him a spot at the University of Central Florida. Wimpelberg made one appearance as a true freshman, burning his redshirt. The coaching changes at UCF led to several roster moves, and Wimpelberg wound up at a top JUCO in the College of Central Florida.

He only made two starts last season, going 5.2 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts. He committed to Ohio State for next year, but JUCO players are draft-eligible after a second year. There’s some leverage on his side because he’ll be draft-eligible again next year, but this is another signable arm.

Wimpelberg also has a slider with good break and a fall-off-the-table changeup. He should be a fun one to watch climb through the organization and develop.

Round 18, Pick 549: LHP Ethan Rogers (Lone Jack High School, Missouri)

Ethan Rogers is the only left-hander Detroit selected after Round 6, but he’s a strong prep arm addition should the Tigers be able to sign him away from a Wichita State commitment. A legitimate four-pitch mix with two plus-potential breaking balls from the left side is the stuff scouts drool over, and if Rogers were an inch or two taller than 6-foot-1, he’d probably be a higher-ranked prospect.

Late-round high school picks are always questionable when it comes to signability, and the Tigers have let similar guys slip through the cracks in years past.

Round 19, Pick 579: SS Meridian Leffew (Gaston Christian School, North Carolina)

Meridian Leffew is the third shortstop picked by Detroit in this draft and the second high school shortstop. A Central Florida commit — there’s a pattern here — Leffew was the top-ranked 2026 prospect from North Carolina, but he reclassified as a senior ahead of the spring. Perfect Game still had him at No. 11 in North Carolina and No. 293 overall.

There’s an obvious high ceiling here, but as stated before, signability for these late-round high school picks is always subject to what happens with the other draftees. At 6-foot-2 and 187 pounds, Leffew has the kind of projectable frame to make the move from short to third at some point. Arm strength isn’t an issue, and he has good speed based on a 6.75-second 60-yard time.

Round 20, Pick 609: OF Kameron Douglas (Alabama State Univ.)

Kameron Douglas was a two-way talent in college, but Detroit is drafting him as an outfielder. There are a lot of physical tools here. He’s 6-foot-5, 210 pounds with serious pop (17 homers) and arm strength; he ran his fastball into the mid-90s. Douglas had a 1.058 OPS with a decent walk rate (11.7%) and dropping strikeout rate (21.3%).

This is a solid pick to stock the farm with high upside to close out an interesting draft for Detroit.