Here’s a look at the players Detroit picked in rounds 4-10 of the 2025 MLB Draft

The second day of drafting saw Detroit focus on college arms with projection and room to grow

LHP Caleb Leys, Maine

Leys enters pro ball after a campaign that earned him conference pitcher of the year honors in the America East Conference. He missed 2024 with Tommy John surgery but returned in peak form, tossing 67 innings and striking out 74 hitters across 14 starts. Having struggled mightily with walks in the past, he cut the rate of free passes issued per nine innings in half, down to 3.63.

Leys throws three pitches — a fastball that reached 96 mph at times but lives in the low 90s, a slider that he uses as his out pitch in the low 80s and a changeup that lives in the same velocity band. Pipeline named Leys the best prospect in the state of Maine this year, though they didn’t rank him in the top 250 players of this class.

Brian Recca reported that he averages 7.2 feet of extension, making the whole arsenal play up, and the somewhat lesser-known scouting service Prospects Worldwide rated his athleticism on the mound as his best attribute. They offered up Joey Wentz as his MLB comparison.

All sources suggest that the changeup is substantially less impressive than his other pitches, leading me to believe that the Tigers may intend to ‘pen him in pro ball. A similar profile at a lower position in the draft may read as organizational depth starter to soak up innings, but with a fourth-round investment, Detroit is saying they envision a role for him in the bigs.

RHP Ryan Hall, North Gwinnett HS (GA)

Hall was a late bloomer who excelled at both baseball and football during his senior year of high school, but his future lies on the mound. His fastball velocity grew a few ticks over the last calendar year, and he reportedly showed much better on the showcase circuit as a senior than the previous year. Backing up the fastball are a curveball and changeup that lie in a similar velocity band, though the curve will dip into the high 70s.

Hall was one of 20 players identified by Baseball America on draft day as sleepers who could be drafted earlier than expected. “Teams that prioritize athleticism might covet Hall, who has a multi-sport background and is now beginning to add more velocity. He’s not the only player like this on the list, but he’s a great example of an ascending talent who is just beginning to focus on his craft full-time,” they wrote.

Don’t expect to see Hall play pro ball until next season. Instead. He’ll spend his time after signing with the club in pitching labs, refining his mechanics and pitch shapes, and throwing bullpens to gather data. That’s how the Tigers have handled all their teenage pitchers of late and it’s the best way to prepare them for competitive baseball.

LHP Grayson Grinsell, Oregon

Grinsell is everything you think of when I tell you the Tigers drafted a crafty lefty. The underpowered southpaw has a plus changeup and a decent breaking ball, but he’ll always walk a tightrope because his fastball just doesn’t impress. MLB Pipeline highlights his big extension as the main reason his fastball succeeds despite averaging a shade under 89 mph, but this type of velocity rarely plays. He’ll need to ramp it up to succeed professionally.

The good news is that the strike-throwing, command portion of his game is strong, usually allowing his pitches to punch above their weight. He also stayed healthy and durable over two seasons in Oregon’s starting rotation, giving hope for a backend starter projection down the line. For now, the plan seems to be to put Grinsell in a professional conditioning program, try to level up the fastball to cross 90 mph, and work from there towards a swingman/spot starter type of role.

OF/RHP Cale Wetwiska, Northern Oklahoma College – Enid

Wetwiska is a JuCo standout from Northern Oklahoma; the righty started out as a reliever before stretching out into a starter during his second year while playing a full-time outfield. Wetwiska’s sophomore year at JuCo showed promise both on the mound and at the plate, as he struck out 10.2 K/9, hit .348, and had a 1.095 OPS. Wetwiska was so far off the radar, MLB’s Draft Tracker doesn’t know which position he was announced at, but for now, our money’s on him sticking in the outfield.

His initial scouting report out of high school in 2023 was certainly geared towards hitting. His Prep Baseball Report profile shows him maxing out at 101.6 mph in exit velocity and 75.4 mph in swing speed, already above major league average as a high school senior. On the pitching side, Prep Baseball had him topping out at 91.8 mph, not nearly as impressive.

Of course, both of these data points are almost 2 years old by now, and there’s very little data to work off of from Northern Oklahoma. There is video from Cale’s bullpens on his X page, but even that’s from 2024. For now, it’s wait-and-see mode until he starts off in the minors and we get some clarity on his position, let alone his prospects.

OF Nick Dumensil, California Baptist

The first bargain of the Tigers’ draft, according to consensus boards, Dumesnil was originally ranked as a fringe first-round player coming into the year before an underwhelming season drove him down the board. A further draft day plunge has him landing in Detroit in the eighth round, beneath where his talent suggests he should have been drafted despite his lack of progress in 2025.

Dumesnil slashed .360/.442/.598 during his final season at Cal Baptist — by no means a bad performance, but a step back from the highs of his 1.142 OPS sophomore season. The only area where Dumesnil showed improvement was his ability to take a walk, as his free pass percentage jumped to over ten percent this year.

Plus wheels benefit Dumesnil in the field, where he has played in center but may be destined to be an above-average left fielder. The upside here is that, as a power/speed guy, he’ll bring back some of the dynamism of his sophomore season into pro ball. Pipeline cited his struggles with spin as a major obstacle to reaching that goal.

LHP Trevor Heishman, St. John Bosco HS (CA)

Heishman is a prep lefty who reaches as much as 93 mph on the mound with a short slider to back it up, and standing tall at 6-foot-4, the hope is to add velocity to both pitches. The fastball has a good shape and Perfect Game reported that he gets whiffs with it. He struggles with command at this point in his career, which is to be expected of a non-premium pitcher of this size.

Committed to play ball at Memphis, there’s little chance the Tigers would have drafted Heishman here unless there was a measure of confidence that he could be bought out of that commitment, and they should have plenty of cash to make it happen.

C Edian Espinal, UCF

A product of one of the most famous baseball JUCOs in the country, Chipola College, Espnal sustained his performance against the toughest competition of his life in 2025. Playing at the D1 level and catching full time for the first time, he hit .335/.434/.470. “I think he, no doubt, has a chance to play professionally,” Chipola coach Jeff Johnson said . “The situation for him is just what position is it going to be.” Until this year, Espinal was an infielder, but a move behind the plate proved to be fruitful. He was announced as a backstop in the draft. Espinal looks to drive the ball to all fields, but he’s undersized and has limited power output.