Detroit Tigers: A postseason review of the 2018 draft class

Round 24: Zach Malis, 3B

Malis showed a lot of positional versatility down in the GCL, but his .202 average and 22 strikeouts in 89 at-bats could spell the end of his career.

Round 23: Jordan Verdon, 3B

Verdon also showed a lot of positional versatility, but he hit a slightly better .250 with strong plate discipline, and made it all the way to a two-game cameo at Lakeland. Expect to see him in Connecticut or West Michigan to begin 2019.

Round 22: Maddux Conger, P

Conger only appeared in eight games in the GCL, but he was effective – posting a 1.93 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP with a tidy 39/8 K/BB ratio in 28 innings of work. Expect to see him reach the full-season leagues in 2019.

Round 21: John Valente, 3B

A four-year stud at St. John’s, Valente absolutely raked across three levels for the Tigers. He hit .344 in rookie ball, .333 at West Michigan and .571 (4-for-7) with High-A Lakeland. Valente was far older than most of the competition he faced, so he will need to prove he can keep the solid production up when he reaches the higher levels.

Round 20: Kelvin Smith, SS

Smith signed with the Tigers as a 20th rounder out of High School, but managed to hit just .202 in the GCL. He did blast two home runs and steal nine bases, so the Tigers will likely maintain patience with the young infielder.

Round 19: Angel Reyes, RHP

Reyes posted a 2.84 ERA between rookie ball and Connecticut, but he walked 17 batters in 25.1 innings, a major cause for concern.

Round 18: Ethan DeCaster, RHP

DeCaster we touched on in a separate post, but the right-handed reliever has serious big league potential after posting an 0.84 ERA and a 39/6 K/BB ratio across four levels.

Round 17: Avery Tuck, OF

Tuck struck out 55 times in 109 at-bats in the GCL, a good sign that his professional career could be coming to a close.

Round 16: Dayton Dugas, CF

Dugas spent most of his first season in short-season, slashing just .230/.275/.361 with three home runs and two seals. He’ll need to show more consistent on base skills if he wants to stick around. 51 strikeouts in 137 at-bats is very concerning.

Round 15: Nick Ames, 1B

Ames was a known slugger at UNLV when Detroit snagged him, and he proceeded to hit nine home runs in just 48 games between rookie ball and short-season. His high strikeout totals may prevent him from advancing too far, but if he can keep that in check he could be a nice piece.

Round 14: Luke Sherley, SS

Sherley showed off some nice defensive skills last season, split between A/A-. However, his .201 average and one home run won’t hold up even if his defense remains elite.

Round 13: Chris Proctor, C

Proctor managed to slash just .115/.189/.167 in 33 games, spent mostly with West Michigan. He has a long way to go if he wants to stick around.

Round 12: Reece Hampton, CF

Hampton also got his own post, showing off nice speed and defensive skills in center field after getting drafted. His .242 batting average isn’t ideal, but he has great patience at the plate which helped him advance to A-Ball, where he will likely begin 2019.

Round 11: Kacey Murphy, SP

A left-hander from Arkansas, Murphy went 1-2 with a 5.21 ERA and 1.37 WHIP between short-season and rookie ball. He’ll likely get a fairly long leash though, and should begin next season in Connecticut.