Detroit Tigers: 3 prospects to watch in the College World Series Final

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Some potential Detroit Tigers’ draftees are playing for a national title

The College World Series championship begins tonight in Omaha, as the Ole Miss Rebels and the Oklahoma Sooners will battle it out in a winner-take-all three-game series. While there probably aren’t any players the Detroit Tigers might take with the 12th overall pick in this championship series, there are still a few names that fans should keep their eye on.

The 2022 MLB Draft is about three weeks away now, and while the nuance of being able to watch a player your favorite team just drafted in the College World Series is no more, it’s still fun to watch players that your team could draft.

Neither of these teams have any “elite” prospects per say, but there are still some interesting names to look out for come draft time. Here are three prospects to watch in the College World Series championship.

INF Peyton Graham, Oklahoma

Jun 22, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Oklahoma Sooners shortstop Peyton Graham (20) runs after hitting a double against the Texas A&M Aggies during the third inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports /

Graham wasn’t very heavily recruited coming out of high school, but quickly made a name for himself with the Sooners, slashing .358/.457/.612 during his COVID-shortened 2020 freshman season. He played third base his first two years in Norman, but switched to shortstop this season. Scouts believe there is a good chance he moves back to the hot corner in pro ball.

Here’s how MLB Pipeline thinks Graham profiles offensively:

“Though Graham has good feel for the barrel, he has gotten more aggressive with his right-handed swing as his college career has progressed and he doesn’t make consistent contact against anything beyond fastballs. He did show signs of settling down some in the second half of the college season and has the bat speed and projectable strength to develop into a solid power hitter without swinging for the fences. He’s also a plus runner who can steal a few bases.”

Graham struck out at a 27% clip about halfway through the season, but Keith Law from The Athletic reports a swing change that led him to cut down his strikeout rate and hit for more power. Law also notes that Graham struggles with breaking balls.

The Detroit Tigers have shown no hesitation in drafting college hitters that struggle to hit breaking balls before—Nick Quintana comes to mind. The hope is that Graham can continue to work on his swing and learn to adapt to sliders and curveballs.

Graham has been mocked to the Tigers at 51st overall before. Recent mock drafts don’t have him going in the first round, although it’s always possible a team gets excited.

C Hayden Dunhurst, Ole Miss

Jun 20, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Ole Miss Rebels catcher Hayden Dunhurst (13) celebrates after scoring against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the third inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports /

The left-handed hitting Dunhurst was previously drafted in the 37th round in 2019 by the Colorado Rockies, but decided to attend Ole Miss instead. He has struggled with injuries and consistency at the plate throughout his college career, but is considered by many scouts to be a top tier defensive catcher.

This is exactly the type of catcher the Tigers have seemed to like over the years, taking Cooper Johnson in the sixth round in 2019 and trading for Jake Rogers as part of the infamous Justin Verlander trade in 2017.

Here’s what Law had to say about Dunhurst:

“The big concern is that he was destroyed by decent velocity – not the typical guy who can hit a fastball but chases sliders down and away, but a guy pitchers could beat just with pure velocity. He could play a very long time in the minors thanks to his defensive skills, including a plus arm, but if he can’t hit velocity he won’t get past double A, and might be better served going back to Ole Miss to try to re-enter the draft off a better performance next year.”

So we go from a guy who can’t hit breaking balls in Graham to a guy can’t catch up to fastballs in Dunhurst. If his defensive skills are as good as scouts say they are, then he’ll have no problem being drafted in the middle rounds and having a decent career in the minors. At worst, he’ll be good depth.

But if he can hit even just a little bit, much like Rogers has for the Detroit Tigers, he could easily make a major league roster some day. If the Tigers took a shot on him as a midround pick, it wouldn’t me much of a surprise given their history with catchers.

Dunhurst seems to fit the profile of what the Tigers want in a catcher: prioritizing defense with development still to come with the bat. Don’t be surprised if they take a chance on him.

LHP Jake Bennett, Oklahoma

HOUSTON, TEXAS – MARCH 04: Jake Bennett #54 of the Oklahoma Sooners pitches in the first inning against the LSU Tigers during the Shriners Children’s College Classic at Minute Maid Park on March 4, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

The lone arm on today’s list, Bennett was a high school teammate of top Nationals’ prospect Cade Cavalli. Like Cavalli, he was drafted by Washington, but it was in the 39th round and he opted to play for the Sooners instead.

Bennett is a big kid, standing at 6-foot-6, and weighs 234 lbs. He features a fastball that has touched 98 mph in the past according to MLB Pipeline, but his bread-and-butter pitch is a changeup with some nasty movement.

Here’s what Pipeline has to say about Bennett:

“Bennett is more effective against right-handers than same-side hitters because his 82-85 mph changeup is a legitimate plus pitch that tumbles at the plate, and he uses it almost exclusively against righties. Although his four-seam fastball has touched 98 mph, it usually operates at 91-94 with some arm-side run, and he must locate it up in the zone to be effective. He uses a slider with similar velocity to his changeup against left-handers, and it lacks consistency while flashing solid sweep at times.”

Because of the inconsistent slider and his ability to pound the zone, most scouts believe his ceiling is as a backend of the rotation guy. But given what the Detroit Tigers have been able to do with the likes of Reese Olson, Wilmer Flores, and Beau Brieske with their newfound pitching development team, Bennett could be a very intriguing option.

The question is whether Bennett will still be there when the Tigers make their fourth round selection at pick 117. Remember, they don’t have pick 74 after trading it to the Rays in the Austin Meadows trade, nor do they have their third-round pick after signing Eduardo Rodriguez in the offseason.

Pipeline has Bennett ranked as their 89th overall prospect, but Law doesn’t have him ranked inside his top 100. The third or fourth round seems like the sweet spot for him. If he’s available when the Detroit Tigers are on the clock at 117, it wouldn’t be shocking to them pick him.

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Home / Detroit Tigers Draft

Some potential Detroit Tigers’ draftees are playing for a national title

INF Peyton Graham, Oklahoma

C Hayden Dunhurst, Ole Miss

LHP Jake Bennett, Oklahoma

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