Detroit Tigers: 2021 draft order uncertain, top talent is certain

The 2021 MLB Draft order may be uncertain, but the Detroit Tigers will have a plethora of top talent to choose from.

This past summer, the shortest MLB draft in recent years took place, with the Detroit Tigers going through five rounds of selections. The Tigers had the first overall selection, claiming their future top prospect in the form of Spencer Torkelson, taken first overall in 2019.

Looking ahead to 2021, the draft order has become a cause of confusion across the league. The thought was that the 2020 standings would be used, another idea was to use the 2019 standings, and thirdly was a combination of both years.

Either way, the Tigers would be likely to end up with a high pick, near the top of the list. The recent thoughts seem to have the Tigers finishing with a top-six pick in the 2021 draft, depending on their series with the Kansas City Royals.

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If the Tigers come away with a high draft pick once again, there will be no shortage of top talent to be taken.

Even when COVID-19 disrupted college, high school, and summer baseball in some areas, some of these players are still cemented as top picks.

Continuing to look ahead, if the Tigers were somehow fortunate enough to score the first overall draft pick again based on the 2019 standings, they could bolster their pitching future.

They could take Vanderbilt’s Kumar Rocker, who is likely to be in the “Round 1: Pick 1” conversation.

Pairing well in the top draft choice conversation is Rocker’s Vanderbilt teammate, Jack Leiter, who is another top tier arm that could bolster the farm system and future rotation.

If the Tigers fall to the fifth or sixth overall range, they could be looking at college talent Jud Fabian from the University of Florida or Matt McLain from UCLA. The point is, there will be some exciting talent there.

The hope should still be for one of those top two picks to have the chance at Rocker or Leiter, who project to both be future big-league arms that will be exceptional. The Tigers will be taking home a top talent, but at the 2020 season winds down, expect some clarity regarding who the Tigers will be looking at in 2021.

The 2021 draft is going to be a minimum of 20 rounds, likely between 20-30 rounds. It will also be held later than usual in 2021, getting underway during the week of the All-Star game held in Atlanta.

ESPN reported the news awhile back that it was being moved, giving more time for players to build draft sock it seems, and for ease of completion amount the big league teams.

By that point, the Tigers will have clarity, but for now, its a lot of speculation. One thing is sure, the organization’s rebuild is going to be furthered and better off after another top draft choice in 2021.

While the draft order is determined, the Detroit Tigers can get acquainted with players like Jud Fabian, Brady House, Jack Leiter, Christian Little, and Kumar Rocker.