Detroit Tigers Draft: 3 late-round picks to keep an eye on

Detroit Tigers sign prep pitcher Andrew Dunford.

Not all three of these prospects have deals worked out, but in the process of putting this together, prep pitcher Andrew Dunford came to terms on a deal with the Detroit Tigers. The details of his contract & signing bonus are not known, but the two sides were able to agree on a deal.

Dunford is a taller, more physical-looking right-handed pitcher who the Tigers selected with their twelfth-round pick of the 2023 MLB Draft. He comes to Detroit out of Houston County High School in Georgia. He was committed to play for the Mercer Bears at the next level, though, after signing with Detroit, he will be forgoing that commitment.

Dunford is a 6-foot-7, 235-pound right-handed pitcher who two-ways at the high school level, but his stuff on the mound has taken a jump considerably. On the Perfect Game event circuit, Dunford really took some strides and carried that into a fun prep season in the Spring this year.

He has a long, loose frame with tons of whip to the arm stroke. Dunford throws from a higher slot, which creates some angle for hitters and can be a problem. It's a controlled and efficient delivery with obvious extension that stands out from his lengthy frame. He's an athletic mover, given his size, being in good control of his body.

He's got a really good fastball and slider combination that helps him attack hitters. The fastball works the low- to mid-90s with a ton of arm-side sink to it that can be deadly. He pairs it with a slider that gets into the low-80s with a high-tilt sweeper look to it. Another deadly pitch. He also can throw it a little slower with bigger slurvy/curveball action to it. He has a changeup in the mix, but it's mostly a sinker/slider attack.

For the Tigers, it's not that he's some highly touted pitching prospect, but he's someone to keep an eye on to see how he fares in the Tigers' Player Development department. There are some real intriguing traits to work with there that could make him an intriguing arm down the line.

Detroit Tigers need to sign Ethan Farris.

The Detroit Tigers went out and selected corner infielder Ethan Farris with their 18th-round draft choice. The Cypress Woods (TX) product is a prep infielder who patrols first or third and can get up on the mound as needed at the prep level.

He's another physical specimen, like Dunford. Not as large, but certainly a physical prospect. Farris measures up at 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, with plenty to juice in the right-handed hitting stance. He's hit well on the Perfect Game circuit and also done well in the prep seasons with Cypress Woods.

Farris uses his size well, driving the ball in the air and just attacking well pull-side. Farris leverages the ball well, really being able to extend out front and drive the ball pull-side. There's a ton of strength in the frame, and it shows with real loud impacts, being able to put the ball in the parking lot at his high school field.

It's a right-handed hitter stroke with good separation, using the long levers well and creating some whip through the zone to do damage in the air. There's strength and juice present, with some violent swings shown.

Farris is a Texas State commit with some signability concerns here, as there has been no deal worked out with Detroit yet. For the long-term, it might be better for Farris to bet on himself, going to Texas State to try and continue producing the power numbers and continue to add more strength to his XL frame.

But if the Tigers are able to lock down Farris on a contract, it's going to be fun to see how his power projection pans out in the long run. He's someone the Tigers could bring in as an investment piece, seeing how his power pans out in affiliate ball as he works through the team's system.

Detroit Tigers might have found sneaky upside in Donye Evans.

The Detroit Tigers drafted right-handed pitcher Donye Evans in the 16th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. He spent his first two seasons at Vanderbilt with the Commodores before transferring to UNC-Charlotte for his junior season, ultimately helping him earn his selection.

Evans is another specimen with a huge frame. He's 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, with broad shoulders and long levers that help him operate on the mound. After coming out of high school from his prep days in Georgia, Evans has certainly filled out what was a long & lanky frame, bringing a more physical look to the mound now.

In 2023, Evans threw in 27 games for Charlotte with two starts. He pitched to a 4.70 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and punched out 64 opposing hitters over 46.0 innings. This came after a big summer on the Cape with the Orleans Firebirds, where he was solid.

Evans moves down the mound with some pace to the delivery. He throws from a lower-three-quarters arm slot that can result in some challenging reads for hitters. He attacks hitters early and often, being able to roll up groundballs and use his stuff to be effective.

The right-hander works up into the low-90s on the fastball with good arm-side run to it, and some angle that gives it that sinker look as it runs arm-side. He also mixes in a slider that can be a little cutter-like at times, manipulating it to throw it within a wider velo band.

Essentially, he's got the cutter which he throws with a harder and tighter break up into the low-80s with a more lateral slider with tilt in the mid- to upper-70s. Either way, he mixes all of his pitches well and is able to turn in outs efficiently.

He's another prospect to dream one. He's someone the Tigers could get into the organization and try to really hammer a high-leverage reliever out of. They could very much so turn him into a ground-ball first reliever who comes in and gets the job done.

First, he's got to sign, and the Tigers need to get him through the levels of the organization. But Evans is certainly a player to be excited about as a Tigers fan.