DETROIT -- After selecting three high school players with their first three picks Sunday night, the Tigers went the college route with all but one of their Day 2 selections.
Part of that is pragmatism; teams that need to go over slot value to woo high school players drafted early away from college need to make up the difference somewhere, and that¡¯s easier to do with college juniors and seniors later on. Part, too, reflected a need to replenish the Tigers¡¯ farm system and address areas where they are thin.
¡°We¡¯re excited with how the day went,¡± assistant general manager Rob Metzler said. ¡°To be able to add starting pitching prospects at the start of the day, good size, good pitch mixes that we¡¯re excited about, [then] followed it up with a couple of good infielders with approaches that fit what we¡¯re looking for, then added an outfielder and three more pitchers to finish the day. Process-wise and results, we thought it was a very positive outcome.¡±
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Here's a roundup of the Tigers¡¯ Day 2 picks:
Round 3: Josh Randall, RHP, University of San Diego
Notable skill: Randall, MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 143 Draft prospect, is a sinker-slider pitcher with a two-seamer that tops out at 98 mph and produced a heavy (pun intended) amount of ground balls in college. His slider became a good swing-and-miss pitch. With a four-seamer and some feel for a changeup, he has the potential to stick as a starter in the pros, or become a leverage reliever in the Jason Foley mold.
Fun fact: Like Tigers No. 10 prospect Troy Melton, a fourth-round pick in 2022 out of nearby San Diego State, Randall was a catcher growing up whose strong arm helped him convert to pitching. He transferred to San Diego for one season after spending two years in the bullpen at Arizona.
Quotable: ¡°He¡¯s got a power sinker-slider combination. Our guys felt like he was on the trend up as far as his development path.¡± -- Tigers amateur scouting director Mark Conner
Round 4: Michael Massey, RHP, Wake Forest
Notable skill: Massey, MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 109 Draft prospect, was a dominant reliever for the Demon Deacons in 2023, striking out 76 batters over 41 2/3 innings while holding opponents to a .161 average, before converting to a starter this season with mixed results. His main options in relief were a power fastball at 93-97 mph and an 82-85 mph slider with good movement.
Fun fact: If Massey can move through the Tigers farm system, he might have a chance to face Royals second baseman Michael Massey. No, they¡¯re not related. He joins other familiar names in the Tigers¡¯ system such as Wilmer Flores (brother of the Giants¡¯ infielder by the same name), Julio Rodriguez and Carlos Pe?a.
Quotable: ¡°Big, physical arm. He¡¯s got some real carry to his fastball, real feel for his breaking ball as well.¡± -- Conner
Round 5: Jack Penney, SS/3B, Notre Dame
Notable skill: Penney combines hard contact with bat control and plate discipline, drawing more walks (39) than strikeouts (34) in his junior season. He struggled to duplicate the power he flashed in the Cape Cod League but didn¡¯t sell out to make up for it. He¡¯s a strong left-side infield defender.
Fun fact: Penney is the first Notre Dame position player drafted by the Tigers since 1999 (Brant Ust, third round). Oh, and his middle name is Nolan, so no J.C. Penney jokes.
Quotable: ¡°Steady defender that has really good hands, good internal clock. And then on top of that, really good bat-to-ball skills, controls the strike zone. A little bit of a down year performance-wise, but we¡¯ve scouted him over past years.¡± -- Conner
Round 6: Woody Hadeen, SS, UC-Irvine
Notable skill: The switch-hitting shortstop, MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 130 Draft prospect was an on-base machine for the Anteaters this season, slashing .358/.524/.415 while drawing 62 walks against 35 strikeouts in 59 games. What he lacks in power -- just one home run in his three-year college career -- he makes up for with speed, legging out 11 doubles this season and going 28-for-33 in stolen bases for his career.
Fun fact: Hadeen was the Appalachian League All-Star Game MVP in 2022 while playing for the Princeton Whistlepigs. A year earlier, he had a four-strikeout inning pitching for the Anchorage Bucs in the Alaska Summer League.
Quotable: ¡°This is a long, loose-bodied shortstop that is a really good defender at short. He has every skill from footwork, hands, arm, to be a shortstop long term. Bat-to-ball skills, controls the strike zone, just needs a little more impact in there.¡± -- Conner
Round 7: Jackson Strong, OF, Canisius
Notable skill: A two-time all-MAAC first-team selection, the 20-year-old Strong combined power with speed in his junior season with the Golden Griffins, slashing .350/.482/.622 with nine doubles, three triples and 11 home runs in 48 games while stealing 42 bases in 46 tries. He went 11-for-40 with two doubles and six RBIs in the MLB Draft League while going 4-for-4 on steals.
Fun fact: Strong announced last month that he was transferring to the University of Kentucky. However, he told the Buffalo News that he plans to sign with the Tigers.
Quotable: ¡°Anytime you get somebody to go to the Draft League, that¡¯s an opportunity to see them in a different setting, out of their comfort zone against different competition. We scouted the Draft League pretty heavily this year.¡± -- Conner
Round 8: Ethan Sloan, LHP, Regis University (Col.)
Notable skill: Sloan was a dominant closer for the Rangers over the last two years, racking up 120 strikeouts over 75 2/3 innings, then backed that up by striking out 18 batters over 11 innings in the MLB Draft League. He generates his arsenal from a 5-foot-11 frame, with his fastball reportedly topping out at 95 mph.
Fun fact: Sloan is the first player drafted from Regis since Steven Brault went to the Orioles in the 11th round in 2013. Brault is the only player from Regis to reach the Major Leagues.
Quotable: ¡°Our group is really excited about Sloan. Very simply, three things: He¡¯s left-handed, so he picks it up and throws it with the proper hand. Two, he punches tickets, and he doesn¡¯t walk guys. And he is extremely competitive. Honestly, we got around him at a workout, and he¡¯s wired right.¡± -- Conner
Round 9: Zach Swanson, RHP, Toutle Lake HS (Wash.)
Notable skill: MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 178 Draft prospect shows a sharp, high-spin, mid-80s slider, complemented by a fastball that gets up to 95 mph and topped out at 96.5 at the MLB Draft Combine. He battled consistency issues his senior season, prompting his drop, but when he¡¯s on and attacking the strike zone, he has an impressive repertoire.
Fun fact: Swanson, an Oregon State commit, was the top-ranked player in Washington state entering the season according to Prep Baseball Report. He¡¯s also a very good basketball player, finishing his high school career as Toutle Lake¡¯s all-time leading scorer playing for his father, coach Eric Swanson.
Quotable: ¡°You¡¯ve got a physical, strong kid that has a ton of arm strength and can spin a breaking ball. Competitive, athletic. Northwest high-school pitcher, you expect their development to be a little bit further behind than some others in the country, especially being a multi-sport athlete. There¡¯s a lot of upside to him.¡± -- Conner
Round 10: R.J. Sales, RHP, UNC-Wilmington
Notable skill: Sales bounced back from Tommy John surgery to post an 11-3 record and a 3.60 ERA in 16 starts for the Seahawks, striking out 93 batters over 95 innings. He¡¯s six feet tall and 170 pounds, but he¡¯s athletic with good arm speed and a hard curveball, complemented by a mid-90s fastball. He¡¯ll need to improve his command, evidenced by his 4.5 walks-per-nine rate this past season, but that could naturally drop in his second season back from surgery.
Fun fact: Sales is the first UNC-Wilmington player drafted by the Tigers since 1993 (Corey Broome, 23rd round).
Quotable: ¡°Honestly, one thing we liked about him is he¡¯s got a good operation so he¡¯s got the opportunity to go out as a starter and see where that goes long term. And he goes out and competes and can spin a breaking ball. [It¡¯s a] nice little package that we think has upside and extra development once he gets a little further away from the procedure.¡± -- Conner