Detroit Tigers Rumored to be Targeting Hitters in First Round of 2016 MLB Draft
By Matt Snyder
The Detroit Tigers are rumored to be targeting hitters in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft, according to John Manuel of Baseball America.
Baseball America released their mock draft version 4.0 on Friday and have the Detroit Tigers paired with college infielder Nick Stenzel from Tennessee.
The pick itself isn’t entirely surprising — the Tigers grabbed infielder Nick Castellanos with their top pick in 2010 — but the comment by the venerable John Manuel is.
"Detroit’s believed to want a bat, and has not shied away from Scott Boras Corporation clients. Nick Senzel also checks the team’s Southeastern Conference box."
Manuel alludes to half of the Tigers’ draft modus operandi, which is to heavily prefer college players from the SEC, but their typical first-round targets (at least under Dave Dombrowski) were hard-throwing pitchers.
Whether this rumored preference for a hitter at the top of the 2016 MLB Draft represents and organizational shift in philosophy or insight on how the team views this particular pool of players remains to be seen.
FanGraphs’ Jesse Burkhart has this to say about Senzel as a hitter, referring to the top video embedded below.
"Senzel has the tools to hit for both average and power thanks to his feel for the barrel, natural strength and advanced strike-zone awareness. Equipped with a fluid swing that produces frequent hard contact and few misses, there’s a model illustration of his cut featuring a nice hand path at the 1:11 mark in the video."
But even if the Tigers are hunting for a bat, the draft might not line up that way for them. MLB.com’s Jim Callis (a Baseball America alumnus) sees the Tigers ending up with a high school pitcher at pick number nine because of the way the picks might fall.
"9. Tigers: Matt Manning, RHP, Sheldon HS (Sacramento, Calif.)No early first-round talent has more helium right now than Manning. The son of former NBA player Rich Manning has a fresh arm capable of delivering 99-mph fastballs. With the way the top of the Draft is lining up, Detroit seems destined to get a prep pitcher. If Groome, Pint and Manning aren’t available, the Tigers would move on to Garrett, Anderson and right-hander Forrest Whitley (Texas)."
A tall, hard-throwing righty is more in line with what Tigers fans have come to expect out of mock draft projections.
Next: Detroit Tigers All-Time 25-Man Roster
The Detroit Tigers’ top pick from the 2015 MLB Draft — high school right hander Beau Burrows — is having success in the Midwest League (West Michigan Whitecaps, A-ball) as a 19-year old this year. He’s posted a 2.70 ERA in 33 innings with 26 strikeouts, six walks, and zero home runs allowed.