5 collegiate draft prospects Detroit Tigers fans should monitor this spring

Malcolm Moore, C, Stanford

The Detroit Tigers could very much so be interested in one of the premier backstops in this year's draft class. Malcolm Moore has been near the top of many draft boards and has room to keep moving up draft boards with a loud spring for the Stanford Cardinal.

Moore is a 6-foot-2, 216-pound backstop with the athleticism and excitement around him that is similar to that of Kyle Teel and the praise he got last year. Teel was an uber-athletic backstop with elite upside as a defender and plenty of polish with the bat as well -- Moore's in the same boat as a draft-eligible sophomore.

In 2023, Moore slashed .311/.386/.564 with 20 doubles and 15 home runs, with 63 runs driven in over 64 games. He logged 257 at-bats with 21 walks and 50 strikeouts on the season for Stanford. Depending on how the spring unfolds, another loud performance could solidify Moore as the top catcher off the board in this summer's draft. Keep in mind that this is only year two for Moore, after his Freshman All-American season in 2023.

He's a left-handed bat with a unique and unorthodox setup in the batters' box. He starts really open with an aggressive toe tap and very low hands in his stance. He lifts the leg and works inward to the ball with plus bat speed and incredible athleticism to get the barrel to launch.

It may be a weird setup, but Moore's got serious upside, and his innate feel for the barrel produces loud results. If he can back up his freshman performance with another exceptional performance for Stanford this spring, he's in the conversation in the top half of the first round.