Detroit Tigers select RHP Alex Faedo in first round of 2017 MLB Draft

The Detroit Tigers selected right-handed pitcher Alex Faedo of the University of Florida in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

The Detroit Tigers used the 18th overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft to select right-handed pitcher Alex Faedo of the University of Florida.

Faedo doesn’t have the elite velocity the Tigers usually seem to like out of their top picks (multiple outlets report that he sits 92-95), but he apparently features an excellent slider. Here’s what Minor League Ball has to say about the pitch:

"His slider, once inconsistent, may be the best the college ranks have to offer. It hits as high as 87 according to most reports and has a serious bite. If batters make contact, it’s not very hard, and it has become a big time out pitch for the righty."

Faedo wasn’t projected to the Tigers by any of the experts we highlighted earlier on Monday, but Baseball America and both Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com had him off the board before the Tigers’ turn came up.

Baseball America ranks Faedo as the fourth best right-handed pitcher in the draft and notes that he showed himself to be “the all-around package” by the end of May. They thought he could have been in consideration as a top-ten pick.

As a college player who appears to be relatively polished, Faedo should move through the ranks rather quickly. He’ll probably be placed with the short season Connecticut Tigers to begin his professional career this season, but he could possibly be pushed to the West Michigan Whitecaps.

Next: Detroit Tigers all-time 25-man roster

Florida is still alive in the NCAA Baseball Tournament — they’re playing an elimination game against Wake Forest tonight — so Tigers fans could have a chance to see Faedo in action on TV in the coming days.