Detroit Tigers MLB Draft: Previous 18th-overall selections by franchise

Detroit Tigers fans have seen the franchise take some standout players in the first round of the draft. With the MLB Draft upon us, here’s a look back at Detroit’s previous 18^th-overall pick.

Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila will have a chance to add a pair of another talented, young players to the team’s farm system on Monday night when the MLB Draft takes place at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Avila and company snagged potential ace Matt Manning with the ninth-overall pick in 2016. Due to a much-improved record last season, Detroit will be picking further down the line at 18 this year.

The Tigers have selected a player 18^th overall on four different occasions dating back to 1965.

Outfielder Murray Robinson was taken in 1968, but he never reached the Majors.

The same can be said of pitcher Cade Gaspar, who Detroit took in the 1994 draft. The Pepperdine product never made it past Lakeland in Detroit’s farm system.

Two players taken with the 18^th-overall pick by the Tigers who did reach the Majors were Glenn Wilson (1980) and Phil Clark (1986).

Glenn Wilson

Wilson played in 228 games for Detroit from 1982 to 1983, hitting .278 with a .312 on-base percentage, a .427 slugging percentage and a .739 OPS.

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He collected 99 RBI, 94 runs scored, 40 doubles, 23 home runs, seven triples and three stolen bases in 875 plate appearances.

The Tigers would later trade Wilson to the Phillies, where he played four seasons, making the All-Star team and finishing 23^rd in MVP voting in 1985.

However, that trade netted Detroit an All-Star and MVP vote-getter of their own in a pitcher by the name of Willie Hernandez.

Phil Clark

Clark meanwhile played in 23 games for the Tigers in his only season with the club. During that campaign, he logged 61 plate appearances.

The outfielder registered 22 hits, five RBI, four doubles, three runs scored, a home run and a stolen base.

Those numbers spit out to a .407 batting average, a .467 on-base percentage, a .537 slugging percentage and a 1.004 OPS.

Clark was later selected off waivers by the San Diego Padres, and would go on to appear in parts of three seasons with the National League West franchise.

He also played for the Boston Red Sox in 1196, and spent four years in the Japan’s top division.

As of now, Clark is currently serving as the hitting coach for the Detroit Tigers’ Double-A affiliate, the Erie SeaWolves.

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Some of Detroit’s best position player prospects are currently under Clark’s tutelage, including Christin Stewart, Mike Gerber, Dominic Ficociello, Grayson Greiner and Kody Eaves.