Detroit Tigers MLB Draft Central

If you’re a regular reader at Motor City Bengals then you’ve probably seen some of our Detroit Tigers MLB Draft coverage over the past several months. Maybe you read every word of it, in which case, thanks! This post isn’t for you.

If you missed our MLB Draft coverage, or perhaps just couldn’t find it in yourself to care until closer to the draft, well, you’re in luck. Below you’ll find links and snippets from everything we’ve written, including historical retrospectives, mock drafts, scouting reports, and weekly recaps.

And keep an eye out for our post-draft coverage, which will include scouting reports on the latest draft picks and a look ahead to the 2022 class.

Detroit Tigers MLB Draft Scouting Reports

Click the links to read full reports on each player.

Sam Bachman – Link

Flying under the radar compared to players like Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter, Bachman had some of the nastiest stuff in all of college baseball this past season. He has a unique twist on the classic 1-2 fastball/slider combo.

Bubba Chandler – Link

His frame combined with his athleticism (which jumps off the screen when watching his football highlights) makes it easy to envision Chandler as a future workhorse. His arsenal includes a mid 90s fastball, potential plus curveball, and changeup which all have ticked up this spring.

Henry Davis – Link

Henry Davis boasts the greatest combination of intangibles and track record of any prospect in the draft. Going back to the start of the 2020 season, Davis now has a sample size of 250 plate appearances with elite production playing against strong competition in one of the top college divisions.

Brady House – Link

In the end, it’s about the bat. 70-grade power potential doesn’t grow on trees. House has shown the power to all fields and hasn’t been overwhelmed when confronted by premium velocity. The team drafting House envisions a shortstop who is also slamming 35+ homers one day.

Jackson Jobe – Link

He combines a high octane fastball, devastating slider, and promising changeup with a simple delivery which he repeats well. Jobe has a very quick arm and all of his offerings feature elite spin rates. The combination of three pitches that could all end up plus along with an average command profile gives Jobe a front of the rotation ceiling.

Jordan Lawlar – Link

Lawlar stands out most for his advanced hit tool, which he repeatedly put on display during the 2020 summer showcase circuit. He handles velocity well and has proven adept and making hard contact to the opposite field.

Jack Leiter – Link

Leiter is one of the more polished pitchers in the draft; with four legitimate and usable offerings to get hitters out. His heater shows riding life and flirts with triple digits at times. His slider has taken significant strides since his high school days.

Ty Madden  – Link

Ty Madden garnered scouts’ attention with his command and plus slider. His 55-grade control is strong, besting Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker, and Jackson Jobe. The fastball / slider is a lethal one-two-punch, but Madden will have to develop a third pitch to make an impact on the major league level.

Marcelo Mayer – Link

Marcelo Mayer is 6-foot-3, 185 pounds. He bats from the left side and is already scouted with a 60 hit tool with the frame that he will grow and gain more power in his bat. Mayer has a fluid, smooth stroke at the plate which rates him at elite bat-to-ball skills, and has good range at shortstop.

Matt McLain – Link

The real calling card for McLain as a prospect however is his feel for hitting. He combines strong contact ability, with the ability to control the strike-zone leading to the potential for a plus hit tool. In addition to the ability to make contact, some scouts believe he can also develop average power down the road due to the wiry strength in his frame and solid bat speed.

Kumar Rocker – Link

At 6’4” and 255-lbs Rocker comes with the force of a heater usually sitting 92-96 that has reached 99 on occasion. He backs that up with a premier plus-plus slider in the upper-80’s that’s proven to be overwhelming for college hitters. Rocker has a decent curveball and the rudimentary use of a change-up.

Spencer Schwellenbach – Link

Schwellenback is 6’1, 200 lbs and bats and throws right-handed. He was Nebraska’s closer this year in addition to playing short and put up some impressive numbers. In 25 innings pitched, he allowed just two runs, six walks, 29 strikouts, six saves and finished with an ERA of 0.71. He throws a fastball in the upper 90’s with a wipeout slider and a changeup.

Will Taylor – Link

Will Taylor’s profile starts with his borderline elite speed. Clearly, a guy with the ability to play receiver for Clemson has some serious wheels. The speed plays both on the bases and in the outfield.

Kahlil Watson – Link

Despite his 5’ 9” 180 lbs. frame, Kahlil Watson’s best tool is his power. As a left-handed batter, Watson makes hard contact on fastballs with a good launch angle. His contact is solid, but he sometimes struggles with breaking pitches, leading to groundouts and flyouts.

Detroit Tigers MLB Draft History

High School Picks – Link

In a general sense, high-school players come with more risk and more upside than junior college and 4-year college players, so we thought we’d take a look at the Detroit Tigers’ history of selecting prep talent, both in the first round and later in the draft.

Revisiting the 2011 Draft – Link

But today we’re going to travel back ten years to revisit the 2011 MLB Draft, the last of the free-for-all drafts before the current bonus pool system was implemented. A decade is a nice round number for doing a retrospective, but 2011 also happens to be one of the most interesting and impactful drafts ever.

Remembering Scott Moore from the 2002 Draft

Detroit Tigers Mock Drafts

Mock Draft 1.0 – Link

The Detroit Tigers have 3 of the first 39 picks in the 2021 MLB Draft, so we’ve decided to run this mock out to pick 40. That equates to the 4th pick in the 2nd round, which isn’t a natural end point, but this way all five of us get eight picks.

Mock Draft 2.0 – Link

We decided to take a different route for this mock, with seven MCB contributors each making picks for the Detroit Tigers, and only the Tigers, through the 5th round. Detroit has six picks (3, 32, 39, 74, 104, and 135) in the first five rounds.

Detroit Tigers Draft Podcasts

Sire co-experts Chris Brown and Rogelio Castillo got the opinions of some outside experts for the draft. Check out their interviews with Kile McDaniel from ESPN, and Brian Sakowski from Perfect Game:

Detroit Tigers Weekly Draft Updates and Positional Breakdowns

If you just can’t get enough draft coverage then feel free to go back a few months and read some of our weekly recaps. You might get a better idea of how the top of the draft class evolved this year. And the positional primers might help you with few sleeper names.

College Preview, High School Preview, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4&5, Week 6, Week 7, Top 5, Catchers, Corner Infielders, Middle Infielders, Outfielders