What if the Detroit Tigers draft another pitcher with the first overall pick?
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Tigers have the first overall draft choice in 2020; all signs point to them taking a hitter, but there’s a chance they select pitcher, Emerson Hancock.
With the College Baseball season underway, the Detroit Tigers will have to figure out who is the best player to take for the future of the organization. The “Vandy Plan” seems like it is the way to go, by selecting Austin Martin.
Arizona State is prepping Spencer Torkelson for a power-filled career that could also be worthy of a first-round selection. Shortstop Nick Gonzales is emerging as a dark horse first pick after a historic start. But what if the team takes a pitcher, Emerson Hancock.
The Tigers have to be smart; if Hancock continues through 2020 with incredible numbers and is by far the best player available, then the Tigers may have to consider it. Even though the Tigers organization is full of pitchers, the Tigers may have to consider taking Hancock.
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Hancock is a 6-foot-4, junior out of the University of Georgia, as the ace of their staff in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He has not started off the best in 2020, but his “stuff” on the mound is what makes him a dominant pitcher.
In 2020, Hancock has made four starts totaling twenty-four innings with a 2-0 record on the season. Over the course of the season, he has pitched to a 3.75 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, walking three batters and striking out thirty-four. He has had two rough starts and two solid outings to pair with it.
On the bump, Hancock has all the makings of Casey Mize 2.0, as a future big-league, front of the rotation, starter. His “stuff” is what carries him as a projectable first-round pick, and what would make him a valuable addition to the Tigers organization.
He has a four-pitch arsenal, with his fastball being a standout pitch that he can often use to get strikes. He can run it up to the upper-90s (97-99) with good sinking movement that makes it a very effective pitch.
His best-offspeed offering would be his slider that he often uses to induce swings and misses from batters. It features a tight and late break to it that makes it simply just disappear from the hitters.
His curveball is not bad either, being more of a power curve, but it still can induce more swings and misses from hitters when he locates it well low in the zone. He tunnels his pitches well with simple and easy arm action, watching his warm-up pitches.
He lets his arm go and just open it up to be touching the upper-90s on his fastball. His dominance on the mound should transfer well to the big leagues. The Tigers would not be dumb to consider him for the first overall pick providing he produces strong statistics and continues to show dominance/development on the hill.
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All-in-all, the kid has the stuff, and if the stats are there, the Detroit Tigers may have to give him a look before pulling the trigger on a hitter his upcoming June at the draft.