Detroit Tigers Draft Profile: Brady Singer (RHP, Florida)

The Detroit Tigers have the first pick in this years draft. Here at Motor City Bengals, we are previewing the candidates to go No. 1 overall and help reshape Detroit’s organization.

Much to the chagrin of Detroit Tigers fans everywhere, the candidates most likely to go No. 1 overall are right-handed pitchers. The last time the Tigers drafted No. 1 overall they took right-hander Matt Anderson, and that didn’t go all that well.

Despite that, the Tigers have frequently used their first round pick on right-handers, often with little success. While many of them have been busts, including Jonathon Crawford, Ryan Perry and Jacob Turner, the Tigers have continued to stockpile right-handers with their first round pick. The team will hope that one of their last three first rounders, Alex Faedo, Beau Burrows or Matt Manning, can become the next Justin Verlander – or at least Rick Porcello.

So while the Tigers remain thin on position players in their farm system, it is looking more and more likely that the team will grab a pitcher at 1-1 in June. Auburn right-hander Casey Mize is the odds on favorite, and was profiled last week. However, the preseason favorite was teammates with Alex Faedo at Florida. While Brady Singer’s stock has fallen slightly this year, he is still a dark horse candidate to be taken first overall in June.

Singing Singer’s Praises

Singer has been a prospect so long that some prospect hounds might think he’s already washed up. Highly touted out of high school, Singer was drafted in the second round of the 2015 draft by the Blue Jays. He opted to go to his hometown University of Florida instead. A rough freshman year out of the bullpen was followed by an outstanding performance in the Cape Cod League.

He was moved to the rotation his sophomore year and responded with a 3.21 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 126 innings. That placed him squarely in the conversation as the 1-1 overall pick in 2018. Although his stock has fallen, it has not been because of his performance on the mound. So far in 2018, Singer is 10-1 with a 2.25 ERA and a 92/18 K/BB ratio in 88 innings.

A big part of his drop in the rankings has been the rise of Mize and high school left-hander Matthew Liberatore, both of whom have passed Singer on most rankings.

Still, Singer has a ton of appeal as the number one pick. His fastball sits in the 95-96 mile per hour range, although some scouts are concerned it is too ‘flat’. He has a plus slider and has worked hard to improve his change-up, which was a knock on him prior to 2018. However, recent reports indicate his change has improved, a sign that he could become a true three-plus pitch pitcher.

Next: Draft Profile: Casey Mize

The Detroit Tigers have plenty of options to use with the first overall pick. Mize and Singer remain two of the most likely candidates. While Tigers fans may be sick of right-handed pitching prospects, either Mize or Singer would bolster an already elite pitching farm system.

The Tigers should have no problem crafting an elite rotation in a couple of years with their current farm. Adding Singer would be a nice bonus.