Detroit Tigers: Jack Leiter at three is a possibility in this summer’s draft
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Tigers possess the third overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft this summer, and things could change a bunch. As the 2021 season has carried on at the high school and collegiate levels, there has been plenty of movement across draft boards.
That being said, Jack Leiter going first overall may not be a sure-bet. Personally, I think he goes one or two, but there is a chance that the high-school shortstops jump up the board. The Detroit Tigers should be jumping for joy if Leiter does fall to third overall for the team to pick him.
Looking at the first three picks, the Pittsburgh Pirates have the first overall honors, followed by the Texas Rangers. While the Tigers had the first overall pick last season where they selected infielder Spencer Torkelson, the Pirates get their pick of the litter this season.
Beyond that, the top grouping of prospects is two high-school shortstops in Jordan Lawlar and Marcelo Mayer, paired with two Vanderbilt University arms in Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker. It seems likely that things could change at the top of the draft order.
The Detroit Tigers should be hoping for Jack Leiter to slip to them at third overall.
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As the Tigers continue doing their due diligence on all of the best players, there is no doubt that Jack Leiter is a great talent. The 21-year-old right-hander has put in quite the season at Vanderbilt.
However, it may not be cemented that Leiter is selected first overall. Prep shortstop Marcelo Mayer from California has made his case. He has jumped up to the first overall ranking on MLB dot com’s Top 100 draft prospect rankings.
The switch-hitting prep shortstop was compared to Corey Seager. Playing the hypothetical game, if he goes first overall, the Texas Rangers may very well pass on Leiter.
The reason to think this is that there is another prep shortstop, Jordan Lawlar, who is from the Dallas area.
The Rangers could scoop up their “hometown hero” in Lawlar, who is another impressive youngster who deserves a look. Hopefully this is the case at one and two, leaving the “VandyBoys” on the board.
The Tigers adding in Leiter to their crop of arms would make for an amazing future pitching staff. Leiter has pitched in 13 games this season, where he has an 8-2 record. He features a 2.12 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP, and has punched out 127 hitters over 76.1 innings pitched.
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The son of former big-leaguer Al Leiter has also thrown a no-hitter this year as well. Leiter has great stuff and would be a dream come true for the Tigers if he falls to third overall. Now, this does not seem too farfetched; he could very well be there.