Detroit Tigers: Offense should be main focus in upcoming draft

The Detroit Tigers will have their choice at some premier talent with the fifth overall pick in the MLB Draft, which is less than two weeks away.

With the 2019 MLB Draft approaching, the Detroit Tigers should be in the market to draft one of the best hitting talents this draft has to offer. The Tigers have a good amount of talented pitching prospects developing in the minors but seem to be lacking in outstanding prospects at the plate.

Detroit has the fifth overall pick in this year’s draft, which begins on June 3rd, which means the Tigers will have their choice at some very talented hitting prospects. With the top seven players in MLB.com’s list of draft prospects all being position players, the Tigers should definitely look at offensive growth as the main priority coming into this draft.

One of the biggest targets the Detroit Tigers could have is University of California first baseman, Andrew Vaughn. In a mock draft last week, MLB.com’s Jim Callis had Vaughn falling to the Tigers at fifth overall, giving Detroit a steal in getting the number three overall prospect in the draft.

Vaughn has had a stellar career at the plate during his three seasons with the Golden Bears in Berkley. So far in his junior year, Vaughn is batting .385 with 49 RBI and also has a .991 fielding percentage at first base. In his sophomore season last year, Vaughn finished with a .402 BA and 63 RBI, leading the team in both categories.

In Bleacher Report’s latest mock draft, Joel Reuter has Vaughn going to the Miami Marlins one pick ahead of the Tigers, with Detroit then selecting OF Riley Greene from Hagerty HS in Oviedo, FL. At just 18 years old, the Florida Gators commit is ranked sixth on MLB.com’s list of top draft prospects.

Greene has been a popular choice among many mock draft experts to go to the Tigers at fifth overall. Selecting high school prospects this high in the draft could be a risky move, but scouts seem to have little to no doubt that Greene’s talents at the plate will translate to the next level, so selecting Greene could be a high risk, high reward selection by Detroit with a top-five pick.

The Detroit Tigers having the fifth overall pick does give them plenty of options. Getting Vaughn may require a bit of luck, but Greene along with other prospects such as Vanderbilt’s JJ Bleday or Arizona State’s Hunter Bishop are tremendous offensive talents that Detroit should have their choice of when going on the clock at number five overall.