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

Detroit Tigers looking to find value late in the 2023 MLB Draft.

The Detroit Tigers have gone through the 2023 MLB Draft, picking their 21 names of the draft and even beginning to sign some undrafted free agents. But, for now, the Tigers are beginning to close in on deals with their draftees. They finally signed the big one, getting third overall pick Max Clark his deal, just under-slot to save some money to spend elsewhere.

For the Detroit Tigers, they are going to try and find some ways to agree with their players. However, the reality is, the Tigers are not going to be able to sign all of these players, it's just the facts. But they have some late-round gems who could wind up being quite valuable for the team down the line.

With that in mind, saving money on picks early on, like Clark and compensation round pick Max Anderson, allows them the opportunity to try and sign players like that later in the draft. It will certainly be interesting to see how things pan out.

In their last ten picks, the team was able to pick some players who have some sneaky upside as prospects. The question will be if they will be able to sign all of these players. With that in mind, let's talk through 3 players that the Tigers faithful should be keeping their eyes on as the team continues to work out deals with their draftees.

Each of these three players is someone the Tigers could possibly sign and then develop well, again, playing the lottery that is player development/prospect development within the game of baseball. Without further adieu, let's dive into it.

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.