Detroit Tigers: Checking in with Tigers draft picks in Omaha

The Detroit Tigers selected a hefty amount of college players in this month’s MLB Draft, and a few of them are currently competing for a national championship in Omaha in the 2019 College World Series.

As the Detroit Tigers continue plugging along through a rebuild, it’s nice to see that some future Tigers prospects are playing a big role in helping their schools compete for a national championship during the College World Series. Let’s check in and see how the players Detroit selected in the draft earlier this month are doing in Omaha this week.

Jack Kenley- INF, Arkansas

Arkansas’ Jack Kenley, Detroit’s eighth-round pick, is the highest Detroit Tigers draft pick from this year competing in Omaha. Unfortunately, Kenley’s Razorbacks became the first team eliminated from the CWS on Monday in a 5-4 loss to Texas Tech.

Kenley played second base and went 0-3 at the plate in Arkansas’ opening game of the tournament on Saturday, a 1-0 loss to Florida State. In Monday’s loss to Texas Tech, Kenley again went 0-3 but brought in an RBI on a SAC fly to tie the game at four in the top of the eighth.

With the Razorbacks’ early departure from Omaha, Kenly ends his junior season, and likely his Arkansas career, with a .311 BA and 54 RBI in 2019.

John McMillon- RHP, Texas Tech

From the team that eliminated Jack Kenley and the Razorbacks, reliever John McMillon and the Texas Tech Red Raiders’ national championship hopes are still alive. The Detroit Tigers selected McMillon in the eleventh round of this year’s draft, and the righty has made relief appearances in both of Texas Tech’s games in Omaha so far.

McMillon surrendered a run in 1.2 IP in Tech’s loss to Michigan on Saturday and made an appearance in the elimination game victory against Arkansas, recording a strikeout in 0.1 IP. His season ERA currently sits at 3.15 with 62 K’s as the Red Raiders try to stay alive and win it all.

Jimmy Kerr- INF, Michigan

In the 33rd round of this year’s draft, the Tigers selected senior Jimmy Kerr from right down in the road in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan. Though being a late round draft pick and most likely a long shot to make it to the big leagues one day, Kerr has had a tremendous impact on the Wolverines’ run in Omaha.

Kerr had a big two-RBI triple in the third inning of Michigan’s victory over Texas Tech on Saturday. He also hit a crucial RBI single in the fifth inning on Monday that helped the Wolverines secure a 2-0 win against Florida State.

These guys are just three of the Tigers’ 40 draft picks from this year, but their efforts in helping their teams compete for a national championship show just how talented they are. Kenley and McMillon are sure to be making their way into Detroit’s farm system soon, and Kerr could prove a lot of people wrong if he keeps up his clutch performances in Omaha.