The Detroit Tigers Guide To The Sweet 16

Detroit Tigers Sweet 16 Matchup 3: Oral Roberts vs. Arkansas

Notable Detroit Tigers:

Oral Roberts:  Michael Hollimon, Mike Moore, Brian Rios

Arkansas: Dominic Ficociello, Jack Kenley, James McCann, Drew Smyly

The Detroit Tigers have drafted a dozen players from Oral Roberts University, but their most prominent pick was the bloody gentleman you see above, Michael Hollimon. Don’t let the blood fool you, he wasn’t a butcher in the field, and he had some tools on offense, but he only played 11 big-league games during the 2008 season. He struggled with injuries, moved on the the Twins organization, and retired in 2012. Mike Moore had a very nice big-league career, even making the All-Star team in 1989, but he had a career 5.90 ERA in his three seasons with the Tigers.

The Tigers have made a habit of drafting Razorbacks in the past 15 years. Drew Smyly and James McCann are probably the best of the bunch, and both found themselves landing solid paydays this off season. The team actually drafted Ficociello twice, and he was a solid organizational soldier for parts of six years. Kenley was Detroit’s 8th-round pick in 2019 and he hasn’t had much of a chance to play in pro ball.

Winner: Arkansas.