Detroit Tigers: Number one pick is still TBD

The Detroit Tigers have the number one pick in the MLB draft pick. With the draft pick weeks away GM Al Avila says their decision is “to be determined”

The Detroit Tigers have yet to decide whom they’re going to take in the MLB draft in two weeks. The Tigers have the first overall pick and Auburn pitcher Casey Mize is generally considered to be the top pick.

MLive is reported earlier today that the GM Al Avila stated that Mize is a premier pitcher but the Tigers have yet to determine who they’re taking.  On face value that seems silly. Mize is a premier pitcher and considered to be the best prospect in the draft. However, the Tigers have a pitcher heavy prospect system and lack depth in their positional players.

With that in the mind, the Tigers could surprise a lot of people and not draft Mize. They did something similar last season when they’ve surprised people with their first-round draft pick last year.

A couple months ago Eric Langenhagen, of FanGraphs, asked if a 5-foot-8 second baseman could be drafted first overall? Langenhagen even went as far as saying that OSU second baseman Nick Madrigal was the best player he had seen play this spring.  Matt Bush was the first overall draft pick in 2004, although that didn’t work out very well.

The last three years a position player has been the first overall pick in the MLB Draft. With the Detroit Tigers lacking depth in many of the positions we could see a fourth straight year going. A month ago FanGraphs still had Nick Madrigal as the second best prospect going into the draft.

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The Tigers don’t have a solidified second baseman yet. Both Dixon Machado and Niko Goodrum showed flashes of playing well before tapering off. Pete Kozma had a brilliant debut in the big leagues, but then none of those players have made a case for being the everyday second baseman.

The Tigers may say that they have yet to determine whom they’re going to pick, but come June 5th we could see them drafting a 5-foot-8 second baseman.