The Detroit Tigers actually have two picks on Sunday night in the opening round of the MLB Draft in Denver.
The No. 3 pick is understandably attracting a lot more attention than No. 32. But both picks will depend heavily on what happens ahead of them.
Most of the final mock drafts project that the Tigers will take Oklahoma prep pitcher Jackson Jobe or Georgia prep infielder Brady House. Both players have been heavily scouted by the Tigers.
There’s a one-in-a-thousand scenario in which California prep shortstop Marcelo Mayer falls to No. 3, but most expect he’ll go No. 1 overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Texas Rangers, who have the second overall pick, could be the real wild card. If they go for Vanderbilt pitcher Jack Leiter, that would leave the Tigers to choose between Jobe or House (or perhaps any of another half-dozen viable candidates). But if Rangers bypass Leiter and take Dallas-area prep shortstop Jordan Lawlar, as many expect, that could leave the Tigers with an intriguing dilemma: The polished and close-to-MLB-ready Leiter, or the higher-risk, higher-upside Jobe?
Picking House would allow them to skip that debate, which is why it’s a popular projection.
Baseball America: Jobe
ESPN: House
The Athletic: Leiter
Fangraphs: House
MLB: House
My prediction? I thought you’d never ask.
I say they take Jobe. Not because “you can never have too much pitching” or any other aphorism you might hear spouted. I just think they like him more than anyone else. If the Tigers had the No. 10 pick, everybody would be thrilled with Jobe and call the selection a great bargain. If this were the NFL, the Tigers would probably trade down. But this is MLB. The pick you have is the pick you get, and it’s usually best to pick who you want and let others worry about perception.
When/how to watch today?
Coverage of Day 1 begins a 7 p.m. on MLB Network and ESPN. The draft can also be livestreamed on MLB.com.
What about the rest of the draft?
The 2021 draft is “only” 20 rounds, which is less than the usual 40 but more than the five rounds of last year’s COVID-impacted draft.
Day 2 will include Rounds 2-10 and begins at 1 p.m. on Monday. The final 10 rounds are on Tuesday beginning at noon.
Days 2 and 3 are available only on MLB.com.
