MLB Draft expert has remarkably high praise for Tigers' Day 1 selections

Fans would be forgiven if they turned off the MLB Draft on Sunday night after their team's first pick. It was a top-heavy draft with a bit of a drop-off in talent after the first 10 selections. The Tigers got lucky with their first pick at No. 11 — they chose high school shortstop Bryce Rainer, who was projected to go among the first 10 selections.

Still, the Tigers had two more turns after Rainer that night, with the second and the Competitive Balance B rounds looming. With the 49th and 72nd overall picks, they took high school pitchers Owen Hall and Ethan Schiefelbein respectively to round out their first day.

Rainer has been one of the most-hyped prospects this season, but Hall and Schiefelbein are sneakier choices. However, Eric Longenhagen, FanGraphs' lead prospect analyst, was emphatic in his praise for the Tigers' first three picks, saying that they were perhaps his favorite of the Day One crop. He echoed a familiar sentiment regarding Rainer's novelty ("lefty-hitting shortstops with power are rare"), and predicted big things for Hall, who he said could've gone in the first round.

FanGraphs prospect expert Eric Longenhagen loved Tigers' Day One draft picks in Bryce Rainer, Owen Hall, and Ethan Schiefelbein

Hall and Schiefelbein are committed to Vanderbilt and UCLA respectively, but if the Tigers can convince them to go pro instead of playing college ball, Longenhagen projects Detroit could have some big names on their roster in the near future. He cites Hall's "frame and arm action" in arguing for his long-term viability, and Schiefelbein's "polish and effortless delivery." He's your classic crafty lefty, but the top two names seem to have fuller palates.

Rainer was a big name in mock drafts ahead of Sunday's event. CBS Sports predicted he'd go sixth to the Royals, and The Athletic and MLB Pipeline both seemed certain the Nationals would swipe him from right under the Tigers' noses with the 10th pick.

The Tigers, led by a scouting director who likes high school players, were looking to take high schoolers early, and they came away with three. With the Tigers' not-so-faraway history of going with the wrong guys in the first round (Spencer Torkelson and Casey Mize come to mind), hopefully Rainer will follow in the recent footsteps of Max Clark, Jace Jung, and Jackson Jobe in breaking that mold, and ideally Hall and Schiefelbein turn into better major leaguers than Mize, Alex Faedo, and Matt Manning have been able to.