Baseball America report card reveals Tigers buried sneaky slugger deep in 2026 draft

Scott Harris has been the subject of plenty of criticism this season, and for good reason. He took a roster that was expected to win the AL Central and didn’t do much to help it out even during the month of May, when injuries just ravaged the locker room.

The Tigers ended up missing the playoffs by eight games despite leading the division in run differential. It’d be easy to speak for hours on how bad the bullpen was, but it’s time to look toward the future so Detroit can be playing in the ALCS this time next year, like one of the Cleveland Guardians or Chicago White Sox will be doing.

In order to get there, some of Harris’ recent draft picks are going to need to pan out. Fortunately, he’s done a really solid job of building up the Tigers’ farm system.

That includes the 2026 MLB draft, when Harris apparently knocked a couple of picks out of the park once again, who could have a major impact on the organization in the near future. He may have found the hidden gem of all hidden gems in the 11th round, in the form of a high school slugger who’s being dubbed as arguably Detroit’s best hitter in the draft class.

According to Baseball America's report card for the latest Tigers draft class, Detroit found itself a demon in the 11th round.

Will Adams, a one-time LSU commit, was reportedly given a third-round grade at one point. Although he fell to the 11th, Detroit convinced him to sign and skip his planned college career.

Adams was leaning toward pursuing that LSU career, especially after falling to the 11th round, but Harris and the Tigers got a deal done and swayed him away from Baton Rouge. This was a steal especially because the first baseman was listed as a fringe top-100 prospect in the class and fell all the way to No. 336. Now, Baseball America is tabbing him as one of the best pure hitters in the class with the most power. They tabbed Tyson LeBlanc as maybe the best pure contact hitter, but Adams was mentioned as having an easy swing that should translate to contact and power.

"Above average in-game power" and "can hit to all fields" was the praise that Adams received. If that holds up, Detroit may have itself a future star. What an 11th-round pick he was.

Dare I say “Scott Harris masterclass”?

Hitting won’t be an issue for the Tigers’ foreseeable future

In previous years, pitching was considered the strength of the Tigers’ farm system. The organization spent a lot of early draft picks on pitching and they did so again this year with Cameron Flukey. However, bats have been a priority for a while and it’s starting to show.

The tides have shifted and the Tigers have more bats than they really know what to do with in minors. Guys like Max Anderson, Bryce Rainier, Cris Rodriguez, Josue Briceño, and Zyhir Hope, among several others, are pacing the organization as the top hitters with the most potential. Now, you throw in a guy like Adams who was an 11th-rounder but who can hit with some of the top hitters in the class, and Detroit has one of the deepest farm systems for bats.

Harris deserves plenty of criticism and he’ll see more if his pitching draft picks don’t pan out, but he has done everything right in terms of adding elite bats.

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