Detroit Tigers draft board: 5 prospects to keep in mind for the first 5 rounds

Detroit Tigers should grab Myles Naylor away from Cleveland.

The Detroit Tigers need to try to go out, and draft Myles Naylor before the Cleveland Guardians try to grab him to have all three Naylor brothers. Naylor, a Mississauga, Ontario native, has the big league bloodlines in the family and could be just as exciting as his older brothers, Bo and Josh.

Myles Naylor is a 6-foot-2, 195-pound middle infielder who's verbally committed to play his college ball at Texas Tech in the Red Raiders program. But the Tigers should have him circled on their draft board as someone who could be worth projecting on.

The carrying tool here is the bat. He has a different frame and body than his brothers, being more physical and athletic with room to keep getting stronger while in a pro organization. He's got a simple operation in the box, starting with an even base and a pretty simple setup. The hands start high, and the back elbow gets up as he lifts the leg to load up.

As he loads, there's a bit of barrel wrap. He's able to get the foot down and get the hands through the zone on a good path to do damage. There's a ton of strength that makes for some explosive contact off the barrel. Naylor's got the barrel control to back it up, too, getting on time for pitches and crushing them.

I've seen Naylor a few times since he was 16 years old on the Perfect Game circuit. The strength component continues to increase, and the results tend to be louder and louder contact. He's got the ability to rotate hard through contact and let the barrel do the talking with explosive contact.

It can be violent through contact at times, being that he rotates and shows off some bat speed to annihilate pitches. There's plenty to like about Naylor and reason to believe he can develop into a big-league prospect as he gets into an organization and further develops.

Defensively, Naylor's got a good feel for shortstop at the prep level. The frame could develop into that of a corner infielder, but he's got the defensive skillset to play short as it stands—good footwork working into a clean funnel.

He gets into throws with good whip on the arm on firm throws across the diamond. The arm strength is there, and he's got the makings of an infielder long-term, just more of a question if he sticks at shortstop or moves to the hot corner.

Either way, the tools are worth the Detroit Tigers taking a flier on. Plus, they could get him away from the Guardians, who have Josh Naylor on the big league roster, and Bo Naylor at the Triple-A level.