The Detroit Tigers should draft a position player first overall

With the knowledge that they have the first overall pick, the Detroit Tigers should try to find a good position player to draft.

With their 111th loss last night against the Minnesota Twins, the Detroit Tigers have secured the worst record in the MLB for the 2019 season and the first overall pick in the 2020 draft. With an entire field of prospects to choose from, the Tigers scouts will have their hands full.

Before looking ahead to the upcoming draft, it’s important to remember who Detroit drafted in the first round over the last few years. From 2016 to 2018, the Tigers used their first-round picks on pitchers, including top prospects Matt Manning and Casey Mize. Last year Detroit took outfielder Riley Greene with their first-round pick.

The Tigers already have a solid core of young pitchers, but they lack depth in a few positions, namely first and third base. There are solid prospects like Isaac Paredes and Willi Castro in the middle infield, and in the outfield, there are prospects such as Riley Greene and Daz Cameron. Right now the Tigers have Dawel Lugo as the everyday third baseman and first base has been split between Jeimer Candelario and others.

Detroit should try to pick someone that could develop into a perennial all-star at first or third base. Arizona State’s Spencer Torkelson seems like the obvious pick here, but a full high-school and college season could reveal other potential picks. While taking a pitcher with the first overall pick wouldn’t be the worst thing that ever happened, Detroit needs all-star caliber position players for the future if they hope to be competitive in a few years.

It will be fun to keep up with the top college and high-school players and see who looks like a good fit for Detroit. Hopefully, they are able to find someone who can quickly develop and climb through the minors quickly and be ready to play with the Tigers in a few years.