Detroit Tigers: Izaac Pacheco’s comparisons should excite fans

The Detroit Tigers opted to pass on prep shortstop Marcelo Mayer and select Jackson Jobe in the first round of this summer’s Amateur Player Draft. While there was some outrage about the team’s choice of Jobe over a prep shortstop.

However, in the second round of the draft, the Detroit Tigers would grab Izaac Pacheco out of Friendswood High School in Texas. While he’s not Marcelo Mayer or the top option, there’s been a lot of buzz around Pacheco and his development path.

This includes a recent article spurred out of Tigers mini-camp that talks about Pacheco’s bat and how he compares to someone else that Tigers fans know very well. Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press posted an article ($) comparing Pacheco to Nicholas Castellanos.

Tigers fans know Castellanos all too well, someone who was ranted and raved about as one of the best prospects in the organization. While he is an exceptional bat in the Cincinnati Reds lineup, Seidel seems to think Pacheco may be similar.

Detroit Tigers Izaac Pacheco’s pro comparisons should excite fans.

Pacheco’s got the projectability on his side. Seidel details that the 19-year old looks the part at his young age. Scouts who evaluated him before the draft also noted that the bat was the excitement with Pacheco.

He’s a left-handed bat with pop that will produce hard contact and be a barrel producer in the lineup. While 2021 was his first summer of the affiliated ball, and his stats were not blowing anyone away, the tools are what drive the excitement.

For reference, in 2021, Pacheco logged 30 games, picking up 125 plate appearances for the Tigers affiliate of the Florida Complex League, where he slashed .226/.339/.330 in his first taste of affiliated ball.

Looking at Pacheco, he was known to have a quality bat from the get-go. The comparison to Castellanos should leave fans excited, but even more than that, he’s a left-handed bat. His future as a shortstop is not 100% definite, as he may end up shifting to the corner infield spot.

It’s easy to see this happening with his 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame. This is before any development and growth get him to fill out his frame and show even more strength. So the comparison makes sense, other than the righty/lefty swap.

However, if Pacheco is going to have a swing similar to Castellanos from the left side, there is plenty to be happy about. The bottom line is the Tigers should be excited about Pacheco; no matter who the comparison is, there’s plenty to like.