DETROIT -- The Tigers, like most Major League teams, will say they always draft the best player available on their board. Still, two Drafts into the era of president of baseball operations Scott Harris, assistant general manager Rob Metzler and amateur scouting director Mark Conner, it¡¯s hard not to notice that the best player on the board is often coming out of high school.

A year after the Tigers drafted one of the top high-school prospects (Max Clark) at third overall and one of the top high-school infielders (Kevin McGonigle) later, they selected Bryce Rainer, ranked as one of the top high schoolers available, with the 11th overall pick. They used their remaining two picks on Day 1 on high school pitchers, right-hander Owen Hall at 49th overall and left-hander Ethan Schiefelbein with their competitive balance pick at 72nd.

That¡¯s three of the top 36 high school players in MLB Pipeline¡¯s pre-Draft rankings.

The Tigers weren¡¯t the only team to select three high-school players on Day 1. They weren¡¯t even the highest-picking team to do it. The Pirates, who took the first high-school player with infielder Konnor Griffin at ninth overall, drafted a prep pitcher and another high-school infielder after that.

Still, given last year¡¯s first round, the Tigers¡¯ approach stands out.

¡°No, I think very much it¡¯s how the Draft board shook out,¡± Metzler said. ¡°I think we were prepared for different players, high school position players, high school pitchers, college position players, college pitchers. We had all in good positions on the board, and the way the night played out, we ended up with three high-school players.¡±

Before joining the Tigers, Conner served in a similar role in San Diego, where he helped build the Padres¡¯ deep farm system with Draft picks that trended toward high school players early. Among his most successful prospects were MacKenzie Gore (the third overall selection in 2017), Ryan Weathers (seventh overall pick in 2018), CJ Abrams (sixth overall selection in 2019), Robert Hassell (eighth overall pick in 2020) and Jackson Merrill (27th overall in 2021). All came out of high school, as did 2021 second-round pick and current Nationals top prospect James Wood, recently promoted to the Majors in Washington.

One advantage to drafting high school players is getting them into the farm system at a younger age. They might take longer to advance up the organizational ladder, having a larger adjustment to the pro game, but they also have potentially more room to grow and less wear and tear than college players. There¡¯s also more opportunity to build habits in the system rather than having to potentially change habits from college.

Even if high school players take longer to reach the Majors, they can still arrive at a younger age. All-Star Riley Greene, Detroit¡¯s first-round pick in 2019 under GM Al Avila and scouting director Scott Pleis, made his MLB debut with Detroit two years ago, yet is still just 23.

Hall, MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 74 Draft prospect, is a power pitcher whose fastball sat at 91-94 at Edmond (OK) North High School but topped out at 97-98. He complements it with a low-80s slider and mid-70s curveball, and has the makings of a changeup, a four-pitch mix that stands out at the prep level.

¡°His arm strength but arm life, ability to spin the ball and use a changeup were very advanced for his class,¡± Metzler said. ¡°We felt like he was in a really good position to develop as a starting pitcher because of all the things he could do with the ball along with the power, the body type, athleticism, arm action, delivery. All those ingredients, we thought, summed up a really good starting pitching prospect.¡±

Schiefelbein, ranked 94th by MLB Pipeline, has a similar four-pitch mix from the left side with a little less velocity but better secondary feel.

¡°Probably the first attribute that sticks out is his ability to spin the ball,¡± Metzler said. ¡°But I think there¡¯s really good starting pitching projection there as well. Again, good athlete, good delivery, good strike thrower, and we saw power to the fastball as well this spring.¡±

While Hall was Vanderbilt¡¯s top pitching recruit, having committed almost three years ago, Schiefelbein has similarly been committed to UCLA, close to his hometown of Corona, Calif. With NIL entering college sports, that changes the outlook for some recruits to top programs, though the Tigers said it hasn¡¯t changed their scouting.

¡°Every player is unique,¡± Metzler said. ¡°Our staff does a tremendous job getting to know these players over time, with Mark leading the group. Those that are ready to take the opportunity within the professional game, I think we get to understand that really well. And I think those who are up for that challenge, we have three we¡¯re confident in today, I think they see that challenge. It lines up with what we¡¯re trying to accomplish as well.¡±