Tigers' 2025 first-round pick announced himself emphatically in first spring AB

The Tigers' first-round pick in the 2025 draft was yet another reminder that Scott Harris isn't interested in playing by anyone else's rules. Jordan Yost, a high school shortstop from Florida, was on scouts' radars after a successful showing at MLB's Draft Combine, but was never expected to go in the first round.

He didn't even make his professional debut in 2025 — he had to get his diploma, after all — but he's been on the backfields with a selection of other Tigers minor leaguers.

With the major league camp's roster down to just over 40 now, the Tigers still need to field players to carry them through these last few days of spring training. Yost got his professional debut on Sunday, replacing Kerry Carpenter as DH in the eighth.

The Tigers were already steamrolling the Yankees 7-0 going into the inning. New York certainly wasn't putting their best guys on the mound, but Double-A pitcher Zach Messinger gave up a leadoff double to Gage Workman, then a single to Corey Julks, and then hit Ben Malgeri with a pitch to load the bases.

Yost came up, saw a ball way above the zone, and then hammered a 95 MPH fastball up. Grand slam. In his first professional at-bat. And in front of a crowd loaded with friends and family.

Tigers' 2025 first-round pick Jordan Yost shows off huge power in first spring training at-bat of his career

Yost is the Tigers' No. 9 prospect in 2026, per MLB Pipeline. Evaluators didn't know what to make of the pick when it happened, but Yost's track record in high school offers some insight into the Tigers' decision making. He struck out just a single time in 35 games as a high school senior and demonstrated the potential for elite contact.

But he's not so much a home run hitter, with a 40-grade for power, which made that line-drive grand slam even more of a shock.

The Tigers' pipeline is absolutely loaded with shortstops — No. 1 prospect Kevin McGonigle, No. 3 prospect Bryce Rainer, No. 9 Yost, No. 12 Franyerber Montilla, No. 15 John Peck, and No. 24 Jude Warwick. That's not to mention the seven other infielders who make up space in Detroit's top 30.

It's far too early to speculate on where Yost might end up when he's not expected in the majors until 2029, but immediately doing the unexpected is a very good way to make a first impression.