Detroit Tigers: A look at picks from rounds 2-5 of the 2021 MLB Draft

Round 3, Pick 74: Dylan Smith – RHP, Alabama (NCAA)

When the third round rolled around, the Detroit Tigers opted to keep a trend going. They would select a pitcher from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). With the 74th pick in the draft, the Tigers would grab Dylan Smith, a right-handed pitcher out of the SEC from the University of Alabama.

Smith is another exciting arm that the team added with another pick inside the top-100. The right-handed arm found some extra velocity which helps him work the low- to mid-90s and reach up to 96 mph.

The selection of Smith should not be that shocking; he’s another collegiate arm to be excited about. With his four-pitch mix, he will be on an excellent development path. The fastball with ride is solid, paired with a slider that has good sweep and some high-tilt movement on it.

Besides that, he has a curveball that has downer movement, as described in the MLB dot com report on Smith. With a feel for a fourth offering, a changeup, Smith has the tools to work on his development in the minors.

This past season was a great one for Smith at Alabama. He pitched in 16 games where he logged 98.1 innings pitched. Smith would pitch to a 3.84 ERA,  a 1.21 WHIP, and grab 113 punchouts in the process.

It was a bit of a script-flipping season for the Alabama arm. The righty became known for pounding the zone and throwing a lot of strikes, which worked out with him being inside the top-100 on draft boards.

The hope with Smith is that he can get on a roll in the minors and fine-tune his pitch mix, working his way towards the big leagues quickly. If nothing else, hopefully, Smith can become some intriguing trade bait for Al Avila to keep in his back pocket.