The Detroit Tigers are cruising at the midway point of the season, holding baseball’s best record (46-27) entering Tuesday’s series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. One of the reasons the Tigers have had success has been their ability to find talent in the MLB Draft. Six former Tigers draft picks are currently in their starting lineup and two more have found their way into the rotation, giving Detroit a homegrown push for a championship.
With first-round picks Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson and Casey Mize, the Tigers have made their picks count and the next could be a player that has turned into a hero at the College World Series.
College World Series Star Gage Wood Should Be on Tigers’ Radar Entering MLB Draft
The MLB Draft found a new star prospect when Gage Wood took the mound at the College World Series on Monday afternoon. The right-hander threw the first no-hitter at the event and struck out 19 batters without a walk in a 3-0 win over Murray State and grabbed the attention of analysts heading into next month’s draft including ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
GAGE WOOD HAS DONE IT!!!!!!!! THE THIRD NO HITTER IN MEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES HISTORY!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/oR1rS1OwCD
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) June 16, 2025
“What Gage Wood just did had not been done in 65 years. And if not for a hit-by-pitch in the eighth inning, he would have had a perfect game,” Passan noted. “He had 19 strikeouts, no walks, a fastball that’s 94-97 mph, topping out at 98 in the ninth inning. He carried his velocity and there’s a reason he’s shot up draft boards this spring.”
Wood served as Arkansas’ closer in his freshman and sophomore seasons and joined the Razorbacks’ rotation this spring. While he missed two months with a shoulder impingement, he’s gone 4-1 with a 3.82 ERA, 69 strikeouts, and seven walks in 37.2 innings. MLB Pipeline listed him as the No. 50 prospect in this year’s draft class but Passan believes his latest performance could help him become a first-round pick.
“The expectation is that he’s going to be a first-round pick,” Passan said. “Though a performance like this – similar to what Cade Horton did a couple years ago before the Cubs picked him toward the top of the first round – could be in the cards for Wood as well.”
Horton had a similar rise prior to the College World Series in 2022.
After posting a 7.94 ERA during the regular season, Horton changed his grips and dominated the postseason with 49 strikeouts and a 2.61 ERA in five postseason starts. The run culminated in the College World Series Championship where he struck out 13 batters and allowed two runs without a walk in 7.1 innings against Ole Miss. The Chicago Cubs then selected the Oklahoma Sooners star with the seventh overall pick the following month.
If a team doesn’t completely fall in love with Wood – which is possible considering he carried a 5.02 ERA into Monday’s start – the Tigers could be waiting with the 24th overall pick.
Detroit has found some solid starting pitching in the draft including Mize, Jackson Jobe, and reigning Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, complemented with savvy trades for Sawyer Gipson-Long and Reese Olson. But the Tigers don’t have a pitcher listed in MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects and their top pitching prospect, Jaden Hamm, ranks seventh in their organization with a 4.73 ERA at Double-A Erie.
While the Tigers’ pitching is strong right now, good organizations stockpile arms to create depth, replace departing players, or be in a position to acquire talent via trade. Wood jumped on the radar on Monday afternoon and should be in the Tigers’ crosshairs when the draft begins July 13 in Atlanta.