Detroit Tigers: Best draft picks by Round in team history

The Detroit Tigers have the first overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. However, many of the best players in team history weren’t picked in the first round.

The Detroit Tigers have a storied franchise history. The draft has been a big part of their success, with multiple Hall of Famers, All-Stars, Cy Young Winners, and MVP’s all joining the Tigers via the draft.

June 4-6 the Tigers will select forty more players, with the hopes that some of them will become successful big leaguers in the Motor City. While the focus will be on the first pick (number one overall) teams have often found their greatest treasures later on in the draft.

The same can be said of the Detroit Tigers. A few of the greatest players in franchise history were taken outside of the first round. Below is a round-by-round look at the best players the Tigers have selected, from a Hall of Famer in the second round to a Hall of Famer taken (and traded) in the 22nd.

Amazingly, out of 50 rounds the Detroit Tigers only have three rounds where no one that they selected ever made it to the major leagues. Here’s a look at how the Tigers have done, round-by-round:

Note – most of the players taken in the last rounds were high school or junior college kids who didn’t sign. Only one player on this slide actually signed with the Tigers and made the big leagues.

Round 50 – Eddie Gaillard

The Detroit Tigers grabbed right-hander Eddie Gaillard in the last round in 1992, and liked him so much they grabbed him again in 1993 in the 13th round. He didn’t pan out however, giving Detroit 20.1 innings of 5.31 ball before joining the Rays for a handful of years.

Round 49 – David Newhan

In what will become a theme, particularly in the later rounds, Newhan was drafted by the Tigers out of high school but chose to go to college, eventually getting drafted in the 17th round by the Oakland A’s. He hit 23 home runs in 413 big league games with five different teams.

Round 48 – Dusty Ryan

Dusty Ryan officially holds the record for the latest drafted player to sign with Detroit and make the big league roster. The 1,405th pick in 2003, Ryan made his big league debut in 2008 and hit .257 in 70 at-bats with the Tigers. His 0.1 bWAR is higher than the entire rest of Detroit’s 2003 draft class. Let that sink in.

Round 47 – Bobby Hughes

Hughes was taken in 1991 by the Tigers and by the Brewers in the second round in 1992. He hit 12 home runs in 319 at-bats with the Brewers from 1998-1999.

Round 45/46 – No one

The vast majority of the players drafted in these rounds were high schoolers who didn’t sign, or seniors from local universities like Michigan or Michigan State. No one worth even giving a shout out to.

Round 44 – Jeremy Giambi

Giambi wisely chose to attend Cal-State Fullerton instead of sign with the Tigers out of high school, who took him in the 44th round. Giambi went in the sixth round to the Royals in 1996 and hit .263 with 52 home runs in his six-year career.

Round 43 – Robert Fick

Robert Fick was originally drafted by the Oakland A’s in the 45th round out of high school. He decided to go to Cal-State Northridge and the Tigers took him in the 43rd round in 1995. He went back to school for his senior year and the Tigers took him again in 1996, this time in the fifth round. Fick hit .268 with a 4.9 bWAR during his career in the Motor City.

Round 42 – Kevin Chapman

The Tigers drafted Chapman out of high school, the first of three times the left-hander was picked. He spent four years in the bullpen for the Astros from 2013-2016.

Round 41 – DJ Lemahieu

Our first All-Star here in round 41. Detroit actually picked three players in round 41 who went on to have big league success – although none of them signed with the Tigers.

Round 30 – Don Heinkel

Four players picked in the 30th have reached the big leagues, none since 1991 selection Kevin Morgan, who had one at-bat.

1982 selection Don Heinkel posted a 3.96 ERA in 36.1 innings with the Tigers in 1988, thus earning the crown as their greatest 30th round selection.

Round 29 – Bobby Moore

Moore is the only big leaguer to come from Detroit’s 29th round selections, and he didn’t even sign. Additionally, Detroit’s current farm system does not have any 29th round picks who are still playing.

Round 28 – Dave Roberts

The Tigers managed to draft and sign outfielder Dave Roberts in the 28th round of the 1994 draft. They traded him in 1998 to the Indians for Geronimo Berroa however, so he never actually donned the Old English D. Roberts went on to have a productive career as a base stealing threat, swiping one of the most iconic bags in history during the 2004 Red Sox – Yankees ALCS.

The 28th round had two other players; Ivan Cruz (1989) and Guido Knudson (2011) who signed and reached the big leagues. Only Knudson (18.00 ERA in five innings) pitched for the Tigers.

Round 27 – Will Rhymes

Detroit’s most successful 27th round pick is without a doubt left-hander Matt Thornton. Thornton didn’t sign however, so the honor goes to infielder Will Rhymes.

Rhymes battled for five years in the minors before making his debut in 2010. He hit .304 with 12 doubles in 191 at-bats. The second baseman was semi-productive in 2011, hitting .235 as an up-and-down utility man. He signed as a free agent with the Rays and played one more season in the show.

Two left-handers; George Cappuzzello (1972) and Joe Mantiply (2013) round out Detroit’s signed 27th rounders who made the bigs.

Round 26 – Max St. Pierre

The Tigers have had two players drafted in the 26th round post a -0.1 bWAR. One is reliever Jeff Ferrell, who was with the Tigers for nine games in 2015 and 11 games last year before signing with the Orioles this offseason.

The other is catcher Max St. Pierre, who was drafted by the Tigers in 1997. He spent 13 years in the minor leagues before making his big league debut at age 30 in 2010. He went 2-for-9 in his brief cameo, but after over a decade in the minor leagues, it had to feel pretty great to get a major league knock.

The Tigers drafted Colin Kaline, Al Kaline‘s grandson, in the 26th round in 2011. He hit .197 in 234 minor league at-bats before calling it quits.

Round 25 – Barry Lyons

Barry Lyons is the only 25th round pick to reach the big leagues in Tigers history. He didn’t even sign with Detroit, opting to return to Delta State and getting picked in the 15th round one year later.

Perhaps 2017’s Dylan Stock or 2016’s John Hayes can buck the trend, although neither has looked too hot to start the year out.

Round 24 – Matt Beech

Just like Round 25, the 24th round only produced one big leaguer in Tigers draft history. That was Matt Beech, who didn’t even sign with the Tigers.

Additionally, not a single recent 24th round pick is even still in the Tigers system. That includes 2017 24th round pick Jordan Knutson, who apparently never suited up. Perhaps better luck will come Detroit’s way in 2018.

Round 23 – Kip Young

Kip Young was taken in Detroit’s legendary 1976 draft (more on that later). He made his big league debut in 1978 and went 8-9 with a 3.86 ERA and seven complete games between 1978-1979.

Five other 23rd rounders made the big leagues, including right-hander Carl Willis (1983) and catcher Javier Cardona (1994).

Round 22 – John Smoltz

The two 22nd round picks that have made the big leagues have a combined 69.4 bWAR. Right-hander John Smoltz is responsible for 69.1 of that, although 0 of it was with the Tigers. Smoltz was famously traded in August of 1987 to the Atlanta Braves for Doyle Alexander. Alexander went 8-0 down the stretch for the Tigers, while Smoltz developed into a first ballot Hall of Famer. Bummer.

No one the Tigers picked in the 22nd round ever played a big league game for Detroit. Perhaps third baseman and 2017 selection Colby Bortles, brother of NFL quarterback Blake Bortles, will be the first. He is currently hitting .245 with Single-A West Michigan.

Round 21 – Fred Holdsworth

Right-hander Fred Holdsworth appeared in 15 games (9 starts) for the Tigers from 1972-1974. He had a 5.97 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. He left Detroit and found more success as a reliever from 1976-1980, pitching to a 3.68 ERA with three different teams.

Perhaps Joe Navilhon, a 2016 pick out of USC, can challenge Holdworth for the top spot. He has a 2.08 ERA at High-A Lakeland this season.

Round 20 – Casey Fien

Three 20th round picks by Detroit have made the big leagues. Casey Fien was the most successful, carving out an eight year big league career. However, he only threw 14 innings in the Motor City. Brian Maxcy threw 55.2 innings for the Tigers from 1995-1996, but had an ugly 7.28 ERA in that time. With 2008 selection Ryan Lollis never suiting up for the Tigers, I guess Fien wins by default.

Round 19 – John Doherty

Catcher Chris Hoiles is far and away the most successful player the Tigers have ever selected in the 19th round. The Tigers traded him before he ever made his big league debut however, in a deal for veteran Fred Lynn.

Next up is right-hander John Doherty, who went 32-31 with a 4.87 ERA for the Tigers from 1992-1995. Nothing special, but not bad for a 19th round pick.

Round 18 – Bob Strampe

The Tigers have had six players they picked in the 18th round make the big leagues. Only one of them, 1968 selection Bob Strampe, played for the Tigers. He threw 4.2 big league innings, giving up six runs and walking seven.

2014 pick Will Maddox is a career .312 hitter in the minors and has hit .293/.325/.347 at Double-A. The second baseman has a chance of squeaking into the major leagues in a year or two, which would probably make him their best Round 18 pick of all-time.

Round 17 – Vern Ruhle

Right-hander Vern Ruhle had a pair of solid seasons with the Tigers in 1975 and 1976, making a combined 63 starts with a 3.97 ERA and a 97 ERA+. He is far and away the best 17th round pick, with only Chad Smith (8.31 ERA, not the drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Rich Rowland (-0.4 bWAR) making the big leagues.

Round 16 – Dave Lemanczyk

The Detroit Tigers have had a surprising nine players drafted in the 16th round make the big leagues. The  best of the bunch, Mark Hendrickson, didn’t sign – he remained at Washington State to pursue baseball and basketball.

The next best was right-hander Dave Lemanczyk, who went 8-14 with a 4.58 ERA for the Tigers from 1973-1976.

A handful of forgettable pitchers, including Thad Weber, Scott Aldred and Jordan Tata fill up the rest of the rather uninspiring 16th round crew.

Round 15 – Mike Gerber

The Tigers have seen ten players who they drafted in the 15th round make the major leagues. Their COMBINED bWAR is -1.9.

So yeah, I’m taking the rookie with two career at-bats over the likes of Chris Wakeland, Ike Blessitt, Justin Lehr and Daryle Ward.

If Gerber can develop into an above-average fourth outfielder, which seems to be his ceiling, he will easily eclipse anyone else on this list.

2016 fifteenth round pick John Schreiber has turned a lot of heads in the minor leagues, and could be up with the big club this season after a strong start at Double-A Erie.

Round 14 – Casper Wells

Keith Foulke is far and away the best big leaguer the Tigers drafted in the 14th round, but he didn’t sign. Outfielder Casper Wells was taken in 2005, and made his big league debut with the team in 2010. He floated around to five different teams across four seasons, accruing 25 home runs in 276 games. He was traded by the Tigers to the Mariners in the infamous Doug Fister deal, which worked out quite well for Detroit.

Justin Verlander’s brother, Ben Verlander, was taken in the 14th round in 2013. Otherwise, it has not been a very notable round in Tigers history.

Round 13 – Devon Travis

(Honorable Mention: Charlie Puleo)

The 13th round has only produced two players with a career bWAR over 0.1. Unfortunately, the Tigers haven’t reaped the benefits from either of those players. Devon Travis is the most notable, having posted a 5.3 bWAR to date. He’s struggling tremendously in 2018, but at one point looked like a surefire All-Star caliber 2B for the Blue Jays. The Tigers dealt him to Toronto for Anthony Gose, in a trade that looked real bad at the time but hasn’t really helped either squad that much recently.

Charlie Puleo was taken by the Tigers in 1973, but he didn’t sign. He weirdly didn’t get drafted again, although he made his way to the big leagues in 1981 and pitched for eight seasons.

Round 12 – Bobby Higginson

(Honorable Mention: Matt Joyce)

The Tigers have only had six 12th round picks make the big leagues, although two of them turned out to be very solid outfielders. One of them is Bobby Higginson, who was one of the team’s best players in the 1990’s. Higginson played for the Tigers for 11 years, racking up 187 home runs and a 113 OPS+.

The other was Matt Joyce, who only played one year in Detroit but has had a great career thus far, putting up a career-high 25 home runs just last year with the Oakland A’s.

Lefty Kyle Ryan is the only other 12th rounder to have a positive bWAR. The recent selections haven’t shown much promise, so that may remain the case for a few years.

Round 11 – Joel Zumaya

(Honorable Mention: Bubba Trammell)

Round 11 belongs to the iconic flame-thrower Joel Zumaya, who was destined to become an elite reliever if not for a myriad of injuries. He was a key piece of Detroit’s 2006 team, throwing 83.1 innings of 1.94 ball with 97 strikeouts.

Outfielder Bubba Trammell deserves some love here as well. He hit .261 with 82 home runs in his seven-year big league career, although only 44 games were spent with the Tigers.

Stud Yankees reliever Chad Green was taken by the Tigers in the 11th round of the 2013 draft, and then unfortunately dealt to the Yankees in exchange for Justin Wilson.

Round 10 – Mark Fidrych

(Honorable Mention: Frank Catalanotto)

The tenth round gave us one of the most memorable players in Tigers (and baseball) history. Mark ‘The Bird’ Fidrych was taken in the tenth round of the 1974 draft. In 1976, he captured America’s attention with an incredible 19-9 record, 2.34 ERA and 24 complete games. He finished second in Cy Young voting and was voted the Rookie of the Year.

Beyond his numbers were his eccentricities: talking to the ball, manicuring the mound with his hands, etc. He became an icon. Unfortunately, injuries absolutely crushed him as he only managed 162 big league innings after his magical rookie year. He was out of the game for good in 1980, at just 25 years old.

Other notable tenth round picks for the Tigers include utility player Frank Catalanotto, outfielder Leon Roberts and knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, who chose to attend Tennessee and was selected in the first round a few years later.

In the minors, right-hander Paul Voelker (2014) is an under-the-radar prospect for fans to keep an eye on.

Round 9 – Phil Mankowski

The Tigers should skip round nine this year. Only seven players drafted by Detroit in the ninth round have ever made the show, and only one of them, Phil Mankowski, had a bWAR over 0.0. In fact, Detroit hasn’t had a ninth round pick even make the big leagues since 1997 selection Bud Smith, who was drafted again by the Cardinals in 1998. Yikes.

Round 8 – Andy Dirks

It was very hard not to award this to Tigers legend Don Kelly, who was taken in the eighth round in 2001, but Dirks did have a better career. Dirks hit .276 with 24 home runs across 971 at-bats in his career. Kelly will go down in history as one of the most beloved utility infielders in team history.  A handful of semi-useful relievers, including Luke French, Zac Reininger and Artie Lewicki, round out the eighth round for the Tigers.

Detroit’s No. 27 overall prospect Jake Robson was an eighth rounder in 2016 and could challenge Dirks for the top spot if he gets a chance in the show.

Round 7 – Rick Peters

So technically the Tigers selected Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith in the seventh round in 1976, but he opted to return to Cal Poly and ended up going to the Padres the next year. For players who actually played for the Tigers, outfielder Rick Peters (1977) is the only one who found much big league success. The last few drafts haven’t produced anyone who looks likely to challenge Peters’ spot as the greatest round seven pick in Tigers history, unfortunately.

Round 6 – Brian Moehler

The Tigers selected Moehler in the sixth round of the 1993 draft. He went 48-52 for the Tigers from 1996-2002, and finished his career with a 4.81 ERA and 84 wins. Other sixth round picks include Clete Thomas, Tyler Collins and 2016 pick Bryan Garcia, who is Detroit’s No. 16 ranked prospect.

Round 5 – Lou Whitaker

(Honorable Mention: Jack Morris)

The fifth-round was extremely kind to the Tigers in the mid-1970’s, with the Tigers grabbing second baseman Lou Whitaker in 1975 and Hall of Fame starter Jack Morris in 1976.

Whitaker went on to become one of the greatest players in Tigers history, and arguably one of the biggest Hall of Fame snubs of all-time. Alongside Alan Trammell, Whitaker spent 19 years in the Motor City. He racked up 2,369 hits, 244 home runs, 143 steals, five All-Star games, three Gold Glove awards, four Silver Slugger awards and the 1978 Rookie of the Year award.

His lack of support on the Hall of Fame ballot has been disappointing, particularly after seeing Trammell and Morris finally get their due. Someday Whitaker may join Trammell and Morris and become the second two-bagger, after Charlie Gehringer, to get inducted.

Morris pitched for the Tigers from 1977-1990, winning 198 games and tossing a staggering 154 complete games. His Hall of Fame case was a tricky one, as his numbers don’t hold up to more modern standards, although he was widely appreciated by his contemporaries.

Other Fifth Round Picks

It’s pretty remarkable that a Hall of Famer is Detroit’s second greatest fifth round pick – although the list drops off pretty rapidly after that.

Alex Avila, Ryan Raburn, and Robert Fick are the only other players with a career bWAR over 1.0. Current Tigers reliever Buck Farmer (-1.6) is a fifth round pick as well, although he has some work to do to improve his place on this list.

Among recent selections, catcher Sam McMillan (2017) and outfielder Cam Gibson (2015) stand out as potential contributors down the line. Gibson, the son of Tigers legend Kirk Gibson, is an under-the-radar prospect in Detroit’s system who is worth keeping an eye on.

Round 4 – Dan Petry

(Honorable Mentions: Jason Thompson, Mike Henneman)

This was one of the few that was tough to decide, as Petry, Henneman and Thompson all had relatively similar production in the Motor City. Petry ended up winning out, thanks mostly to his longevity and his important role on Detroit’s 1984 World Series winning team.

Petry was drafted in 1976, the same draft that produced Hall of Famers Alan Trammell and Jack Morris. He pitched for the Tigers from 1979-1987 and again from 1990-1991. He finished his Tigers career with a 119-93 record, 3.84 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, a 17.5 bWAR, an All-Star appearance and two top ten finishes in the Cy Young voting.

1984 was perhaps his best season, as he went 18-8 with a 3.24 ERA and seven complete games.

Other Fourth Round Picks

Petry narrowly edged out Jason Thompson, who was selected a year prior in 1975. Thompson’s career 25 bWAR is higher than Petry’s, but only 11.9 of it was in a Tigers uniform. The slugging first baseman hit 98 home runs in five seasons in the Motor City, including 31 in 1977.

Mike Henneman is one of the greatest relievers in Tigers history, with a 3.05 ERA and 154 saves in a Tigers uniform. He played from 1987-1995 in Detroit, and was an All-Star in 1989. Cody Ross and Andres Torres are the only other fourth rounders with a career WAR over 2.0.

The Tigers prospect with the best chance to make this list is Kyle Funkhouser, who was a fourth round pick in 2016. He’s climbed up the prospect rankings and has a great chance to become a solid rotation arm in the next year or two.

Round 3 – Curtis Granderson

The Detroit Tigers have really only had one successful third round pick. That would be center fielder Curtis Granderson. After being drafted in 2002, Granderson played in a handful of games in 2004/2005 before winning a starting job in 2006. Granderson hit .260 with 19 home runs and eight steals that season. He became a mainstay atop Detroit’s lineup until getting traded in 2009 in a deal that netted the Tigers Max Scherzer and Phil Coke, among others.

Granderson has 322 home runs and 151 steals in his illustrious career, which is still going as he is now a corner outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Other Third Round Picks

Detroit did select right-hander Andy Messersmith in the third round of the 1965 draft, but he opted to return to Cal. He was drafted in the first round the next year by the Angels and went on to have a very successful big league career.

Elsewhere, Detroit has not seen much success in the third round. Jack Hannahan‘s 6.5 bWAR is the next highest, with Nook Logan, Jeff Robinson and Brennan Boesch following suit.

Lately, the round has produced catcher Joey Morgan (2017) right-hander Drew Smith (2015) and catcher Grayson Greiner (2014) who just recently got recalled to the Tigers. To put this round into perspective, if Greiner can produce a bWAR higher than 1.2 this season, he would become the fifth most successful third round pick in Tigers history.

Round 2 – Alan Trammell

(Honorable Mention: Brandon Inge)

Alan Trammell is arguably the greatest player the Tigers ever drafted. He is certainly their greatest second round pick, with a 70.7 bWAR that is nearly four times greater than second place, which goes to Brandon Inge.

Trammell finally got his due in December when it was announced that he, along with former fifth-round pick Jack Morris, is being enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Trammell spent his entire 20 year career in the Motor City, racking up 2,365 hits, 185 home runs, 236 steals, six All-Star Games, four Gold Gloves, three Silver Slugger Awards and the 1984 World Series MVP. His place is cemented among the all-time greats in Tigers history.

Other Second Round Picks

Inge was Detroit’s second round pick in 1998, and although his catching career was short-lived he did develop into a very solid third baseman, one of the best in team history. He was an integral part of the 2006 Tigers squad, and is firmly entrenched as the team’s second best second round pick.

Drew Smyly, James McCann and Milt Cuyler are a few other notable names, although the second round has produced more busts than anything.

Danny Worth, Andy Oliver, and the recently interviewed Shane Loux all were second round busts.

It’s too early to tell, but Detroit’s last few second round picks haven’t fared so well either. Tyler Alexander and Spencer Turnbull are pitching prospects who have scuffled in the minor leagues, and Kevin Ziomek never made it past High-A after going in the second round in 2013.

Let’s hope that 2017 second rounder, Rey Rivera, can fare a little better.

Round 1 – Justin Verlander

(Honorable Mentions: Lance Parrish, Kirk Gibson, Travis Fryman)

It goes without saying, but Detroit has found the majority of their draft success in the first round. None more so than future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander, who was taken second overall in 2004. Verlander made his big league debut in 2005 and took the league by storm in 2006, going 17-9 with a 3.63 ERA and winning the Rookie of the Year award.

Verlander went on to become one of the greatest Tigers pitchers of all-time, right up until his trade in July of 2017 to the Houston Astros in exchange for Franklin Perez, Daz Cameron and Jake Rogers.

Verlander’s 59.4 bWAR is the highest among Detroit Tigers first round picks by a considerable margin. However, the Tigers have had four first round picks (Verlander, Lance Parrish, Kirk Gibson, and Travis Fryman) produce a career bWAR over 30 – far and away the most of any round.

Other First Round Picks

In addition, Rick Porcello, Nicholas Castellanos, Tony Clark, Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin have all gone on to have successful big league careers.

The Tigers are not without their first round blunders – with 18 (!) first round picks who have a career bWAR under 0.5. Notable ones include third overall pick Eric Munson, right-hander Jacob Turner, shortstop Scott Moore, sixth overall pick Seth Greisinger and 1965 13th overall pick Gene Lamont.

Many of Detroit’s current top prospects (Alex Faedo, Matt Manning, Beau Burrows) were first round picks. While it’s too early to tell, any of them could someday find their way onto the list of greatest first round picks in Tigers history.

Next: Analyzing the last 10 Tigers drafts

The Detroit Tigers have acquired many of their talented players via the MLB Draft. This June, they’ll have another opportunity to add to their storied history. While the focus will be on the players taken in the first few rounds, there’s always the possibility of finding the next John Smoltz down in Round 22. Let’s hope the Tigers don’t trade him this time.