The Detroit Tigers have built the core of the contender in recent years and a big part has been their success in the MLB Draft. Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson are some of the recent first-round draft picks that have gone on to become key contributors this season and the Tigers are hoping that trend continues with the selection of first-round pick Jordan Yost.
But while the Tigers are on top of the American League Central, their rivals behind them are trying to find a way to catch them. That led one divisional opponent to tap into the bloodlines of a pair of former Tigers’ sluggers and may have landed them with the steal of this year’s draft.
Twins Take Relative of Former Tigers Sluggers in MLB Draft
The Minnesota Twins selected Oaks Christian High School (Calif.) shortstop Quentin Young with the 54th overall pick in the MLB Draft. A 6-foot-6 shortstop that’s committed to LSU, Young has plenty of upside that could make him a problem in future seasons. But he also has a connection to the Tigers as the nephew of former Detroit sluggers Dmitry and Delmon Young.
Dmitri spent five seasons with the Tigers including an All-Star campaign where he hit .297/.372/.537 with 29 homers and 85 RBI in 2003. He slashed .279/.340/.486 with 82 home runs and 267 RBI over his tenure but was released by the Tigers in September 2006 after leaving the team to get help at a substance abuse center the previous May. He joined the Washington Nationals before enjoying a second All-Star season in 2007 and retired following the 2008 season.
A few years later, Delmon followed his brother’s path to Detroit. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays, Young made his major league debut as a 20-year-old in 2006 and was traded to the Twins in 2008. He spent 3.5 seasons in Minnesota before he was traded to the Tigers in 2011 and had his finest moment in 2012, hitting .353 with two homers and six RBI to earn American League Championship Series MVP honors in a four-game sweep of the New York Yankees.
Delmon Young went on to play with the Philadelphia Phillies, the Rays and the Baltimore Orioles before he was designated for assignment by Baltimore midway through the 2015 season. But the Youngs’ bloodlines could continue if Quentin Young reaches the majors.
Quentin Young reclassified after initially being part of the 2026 class and was ranked as the No. 37 prospect by MLB Pipeline. His scouting report touts “huge raw power” but his swing and miss could be an issue in the future. It also states that Young could eventually move to right field and has a “Jayson Werth-type of toolbox.”
Twins just got the steal of the draft with Quentin Young at #54 overall. He has insane upside, crazy exit velos and a cannon of an arm. He is my favorite prospect in the MLB Draft and I think will end up being one of the best players from the draft class pic.twitter.com/v2X3wCMulb
— Marc Luino (@GiraffeNeckMarc) July 14, 2025
Projecting any high schooler is a difficult task and Young could opt to take his talents to Baton Rouge to refine his game and get drafted even higher in three years. But the potential is there and it could lead to some former Tigers bloodlines being a part of one of their biggest rivals for years to come.