Detroit Tigers early draft observations: Team is prioritizing offense

The Detroit Tigers are prioritizing bats early in the 2023 MLB Draft

The Detroit Tigers have the worst offense in the league for the second straight year. They had three picks in the top 50 in this year's MLB Draft, and they have used them to address this issue.

Starting with high school OF Max Clark, it was clear right away that this regime was going to be different that the previous one. Other than Riley Greene in 2019, the Al Avila regime rarely went with high school position players high in the draft. Izaac Pacheco in 2021 and Colt Keith in 2020 are other exceptions.

The Tigers' first two picks of the draft were high schoolers. Clark and Kevin McGonigle were both highly-touted prep bats. Clark has five-tool potential, and McGonigle has a legit hit tool.

Their second-round pick was INF Max Anderson out of the University of Nebraska, who led the Big Ten in many offensive categories this past season. His defensive home is a major question mark, but the Tigers drafted him for his bat.

If there's one thing in common for all three of these players, it's that they are all going to hit. Scott Harris and company are trying to change the offensive identity of this team, and on paper, this is a good start. Clark may have been a disappointing pick to some with Florida OF Wyatt Langford still on the board, but he is going to be a very good player.

It may be underwhelming to some that they took high school bats because historically, they take longer to develop. However, Riley Greene made his MLB debut three years after he was drafted. Colt Keith is likely to make his debut either latet this season or sometime in 2024. Jackson Holliday was taken No. 1 overall by the Baltimore Orioles last season, and he is already in Double-A at just 19 years old.

If they're good enough, high school bats move more quickly through the minors than they used to. Right now, there's no reason to believe Clark and McGonicle can't do the same.

It'll be interesting to see when — or even if — the Tigers opt to take an arm in this draft. We'll find out later today whether they stay in this offensive direction.