The Detroit Tigers Guide To The Sweet 16

Detroit Tigers Sweet 16 Matchup 2: Villanova vs. Baylor

Notable Detroit Tigers:

Villanova: Bob Loscalzo, Andrew Mante, Frank Skaff

Baylor: John Bevil, Nicholas Cassavechia, Dean Crow, Josh Turley

The Detroit Tigers have never drafted a player from Villanova, but for one very strange summer they had a former Wildcat for a manager. Frank Skaff played in just 38 MLB games, but he spent most of his life as a coach and scout. He joined the Detroit Tigers coaching staff in 1965, serving as the bench coach in 1966, but he became the manager when both Chuck Dressen and interim manager Bob Swift tragically fell ill and died during the season. The Tigers went 40-39 under Skaff, but he was replaced by Mayo Smith in 1967 and never managed another game.

The Tigers have never had a prominent player from Baylor on their team, though Dean Crow did see action in 15 games back in 1998. Their most notable recent Baylor draft pick is probably Josh Turley, a 16th-round pick in 2012 who spent parts of three seasons with Triple-A Toledo. He was a lefty who would throw occasional knuckleballs in games, but he never got a serious look from the Tigers, and he retired in 2018.

Winner: Baylor, because less tragedy.