Detroit Tigers: Breaking down fifth-round pick Adam Wolf

The Detroit Tigers drafted an All-American and ultra-versatile southpaw in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Amateur Draft.

While fifth-round draftees have just a 32 percent chance of reaching the majors; the Detroit Tigers drafted a good pitcher this year. With the 135th overall pick in the MLB Amateur Draft, the Tigers selected left-hander Adam Wolf from Louisville.

Wolf has a large frame; standing at 6-6, weighing 220 pounds. He looks down at most batters, and makes his 88-91 mph fastball seem quicker than it already is. With his frame, he could eventually hit 93-95, with work.

Wolf throws three off-speed pitches; a curve, changeup, and cutter. His cutter is interesting, and resembles a slider at times.

In his collegiate years, Wolf absolutely dominated the ACC. He has a career 14-2 record with a 2.41 ERA in 55 appearances. Opposing batters hit just .215 against him.

Wolf’s first two seasons were in relief for Louisville coach Dan McDonnell. His junior year, he joined a young Louisville rotation, including a phenomenal name for the 2020 draft in freshman Bobby Miller.

The converted starter went 8-2 in 16 starts, posting a 2.63 ERA in 102.2 innings. Wolf struck out 109, while only walking 29. He held opposing batters to just a .213 average. The 109 strikeouts were the ninth-highest in school history. He also gave up less than three runs in 13 of 16 starts.

Arguably his best outing was on April 6th, when he shut out then-fourth ranked NC State in seven innings.

The numbers were good enough for Wolf to received third-team All-American honors from Baseball America.

While it’s no doubt the Tigers will try him as a starter, if he signs; his future may be out of the bullpen. He has better numbers in-relief, and could be a decent big-league long-man if he makes it to the majors. He’ll perform well through single-A and high-A, but will need to adapt for double-A.

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If he adapts well, he could be at Comerica Park in time.

Then again, he may opt for another year of NCAA baseball to help his draft stock, like fellow former Louisville Cardinal and Tigers prospect, Kyle Funkhouser.