Detroit Tigers Draft Update: 5 players to consider at No.3

3. Paul Skenes, RHP

The Detroit Tigers should be jumping for joy if they are able to land right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes. While he very technically does two-way and was able to hit for Air Force, he will make a good chunk of change, putting the bat down and focusing on his stuff on the bump.

Skenes has been the most dominant arm in college baseball this season. He's 6-foot-6, 245 pounds, and uses every bit of that physicality to be a dominant pitcher on the mound. He's got high velocity that will poke triple digits, and the slider has been downright nasty in 2023.

Skenes has pitched in seven games for the LSU Tigers in 2023, where he has accumulated 44.1 innings pitched. He has managed a 0.81 ERA and a 0.61 WHIP and has punched out 83 opposing hitters while issuing just eight walks all season long.

It truly is bat-missing stuff. That slider is filthy. It works them mid- to upper-80s with great shape and makes hitters have some really uncomfortable at-bats. Especially knowing he can mix in the changeup that will disappear on hitters.

He replicates arm speed and tunnels the changeup off of his fastball incredibly well. It makes it incredibly tough to stick to an approach, and hitters have their work cut out for them when Skenes toes the slab. The results have not been pretty for the opposition in 2023.

It's a very controlled and repeatable motion on the mound. He controls the game incredibly well, dictating at-bats and sequencing well to keep hitters guessing and with the stuff he has, it makes it challenging to really sit on anything and find success.

If Skenes is on the draft board at no.3, there's a good reason to believe he'll go from the Tigers' purple and yellow jerseys to the Tigers jersey with navy blue and orange. The Tigers faithful should be more than happy if Skenes is the choice at third overall in 2023.

He's been the prospect with the most helium in terms of arms. He was easily the biggest transfer on the pitching side of things, making the most noise in his move. He became the LSU's Friday night starter and has lived up to the hype incredibly well.

The stuff, the results, the makeup, its all stuff tht projects to continue being dominant at the next level. He's pitched himself into the best arm of the draft spot with his performance thus far.