Detroit Tigers 2020 MLB Draft: Four remaining targets for Round 2

What draft prospects sound the most intriguing for the Detroit Tigers in Round 2 of the 2020 MLB Draft?

Now that the Spencer Torkelson sweepstakes are over, with the Detroit Tigers selecting him number one overall, Detroit selects first in Round 2 of the MLB Draft starting around 5 pm. With Torkelson, they have addressed one of their biggest needs, a power bat. Detroit still has plenty of other needs across their system.

Of course, you do not draft for need, you draft the best player available. Other factors to consider include if they are signable, patience for a high school player with tremendous upside and if they want to break away from a college commitment.  An example of this would be infielder Blaze Jordan, who is one of the youngest top prospects of this class. He is committed to Mississippi State but has displayed a ton of power and could be tempting for Detroit.

From a player development standpoint, does Detroit break their mold and draft a player who plays two positions well like Masyn Winn at 38? Winn has a fastball in the upper 90’s and has shown plus tools at shortstop.  Time would be needed to develop Winn but with his athletic prowess at already at 18, he could be worth the time.

You would like to have an impact player at number 38 who could step in within a few seasons. Let’s take a look at four names the Detroit Tigers should target at 38.

Shortstop Casey Martin: Unversity of Arkansas

Casey Martin has a slim lead in our MCB Twitter pool on who the Tigers should select. Jacob Boes’s write-up on Martin spoke about his speed tool being one to like and a power upside, having double-digit totals in home runs in his two seasons.

Detroit since 2010, has chosen eight players from the Unversity of Arkansas with the most recent pick as last year with Jack Kenley in the 8th round. This does seem like a very Tigers pick but he does strike out too much. Honestly, with the amount of talent to start the second round, they could go get a similar type of player in the 3rd or 4th round.

RHP Chris McMahon: University of Miami

I spoke about this in the podcast with Chris Brown and Harris Frommer of the Tigers Minor League Report about the Tigers still needing pitching outside of Double-A. Chris McMahon could be a starter that could climb quickly in the system.

For a very short junior year, he was able to punch out 38 in 25.1 innings. He bounced back from a knee injury in his freshman quite well, showing a three good pitch mix of a fastball, a change-up with some sinking action to it, and a curve or slider, depending on what video you have watched.

Again, I speak with familiarity with schools and conferences and McMahon comes from ACC country as the “U” is making waves again in college baseball. If he can continue to develop his curve/slider more, Detroit could get a solid pitcher in the 6’2 205 pound right-hander. Only 5% of the MCB Twitter poll wanted him. Oh well.

Outfielder Daniel Cabrera: Louisana State University

The Tigers have ties to LSU with JaCoby Jones, Mikie Mahtook, and recent draft pick Zack Hess. Left-handed hitting Daniel Cabrera was a three-year starter at LSU and showed he was a good contact hitter. It showed with a solid Cape Cod last summer hitting .287/.369/.400 and was named to the Cape Cod League All-Star team.

Defensely, he handles left field very well,  a position the Tigers could use some assistance with if you are going to make Christin Stewart the full-time DH at some point. Detroit could also have him play right-field but at 38, Cabrera would not be a bad idea.

RHP Cole Wilcox: University of Georgia

Wilcox was projected to go as high as 20 to the Brewers. As a draft-eligible sophomore, he could go back to school. The slotted value in the second round for Detroit at 38 is $1,952,300. The Tigers’ bonus pool is $13,325,700.  So all that being said, does Detroit dip a bit into the pool and make a case for Wilcox?

Wilcox is tall, standing at 6-5 and has a fastball that has been clocked at 100 mph that has good darting action. He is turning 21 soon so combine the youth, size, and movement on his pitches and pedigree pitching in the SEC, having another power right-hander is not bad of an idea.

We will have a pick by pick analysis of each draft pick. Stay tuned for another day of draft excitement as we give you the latest news and information.