Detroit Tigers: Recapping Every 2016 Draftee’s First Professional Season

Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila entered the 2016 draft armed with a protected lottery pick. Avila didn’t disappoint with the pick, taking a premium talent in high school starter Matt Manning.

Detroit Tigers fans are witnessing a change in philosophy.

Gone are the days of signing free agents to gaudy contracts. Also gone are the days of the Tigers trading away the team’s top minor league talent for Major League upgrades.

Al Avila has already exhibited a willingness to hang on to young players such as Michael Fulmer, Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd.

That paid dividends last season as the trio of rookie hurlers nearly propelled Detroit back to the playoffs.

With a young core that now includes the aforementioned trio, Nick Castellanos, Bruce Rondon, JaCoby Jones and James McCann, the Tigers’ future is bright.

Detroit’s roster will soon be strengthened by the arrival of a new wave of prospects. Joe Jimenez seems likely to debut at some point next year.

Additionally, promising prospects like Christin Stewart, Beau Burrows, Mike Gerber, Tyler Alexander and Derek Hill could all debut in the Majors in the next handful of years.

While those players represent the best prospects in the system following multiple years of additions, the 2016 draft class could deliver some prominent talent to Detroit’s Major League roster.

Here’s a look at how each 2016 Detroit Tigers draftee fared in their first professional season.