Three years after the Detroit Tigers made their 2023 MLB Draft picks, the early returns look strong enough to make the whole class stand out.
That first draft under Scott Harris, as president of baseball operations, was built around athleticism, defense and high-upside talent. Now, with several years of pro ball behind them, the Tigers already have multiple top prospects moving fast and one player who has reached the majors.
Max Clark is right where Detroit wanted him to be. The 21-year-old has grown into one of baseball’s premier outfield prospects and has reached Triple-A Toledo in 2026.
In 77 games this season, he is hitting .266 with 83 hits, 56 runs scored, 17 doubles, seven home runs and 33 RBI. He has also stolen 19 bases.
The speed, athleticism and on-base skills are all there, and while the power is still developing, he looks like a player who can settle in as an everyday center fielder.
Kevin McGonigle has already pushed his way into the big leagues and looks every bit like the kind of player who can anchor a franchise. The 21-year-old made his major league debut in 2026 and came out swinging before cooling off a bit, which is hardly a surprise.
Through 89 games this year, he owns a .287/.399/.422 line with 96 hits, 18 doubles, three triples and seven home runs. He has also driven in 32 runs, drawn 59 walks and stolen 11 bases, good for an .821 OPS.
For a rookie, that kind of plate discipline is rare. He has more than met the expectations that came with his pick.
Max Anderson has taken a quieter path, but the production is hard to miss. The former Nebraska star has moved up the ladder quickly and in 2026 is batting .307 across 57 games between Double-A and Triple-A.
He has 70 hits, 13 doubles, one triple, 11 home runs and 36 RBI, with an .871 OPS. Over his minor league career, Anderson has posted a .286/.337/.448 slash line with 391 hits, 43 home runs, 221 RBI and a .785 OPS in 337 games.
His offense keeps trending up, with his OPS rising from .828 in 2025 to .871 in 2026. His defense still needs work, but the bat is getting close.
Not every story in the class has been as clean. Hamm has been slowed by ongoing right shoulder issues and has been shut down for most of 2026.
The upside is still there, but health remains the big issue, and durability has to be part of the conversation if the shoulder continues to be a problem. The Tigers still believe that if he gets and stays healthy, he can keep climbing.
Paul Wilson’s path has been even more interrupted. Tommy John surgery early in his career wiped out most of the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
He finally returned on July 4, 2026, pitching in a Single-A Lakeland game and working 2.2 innings with six strikeouts and two walks. Like Hamm, he still has the ability to throw strikes, but staying on the mound is the question.
Late-round finds can change the feel of a draft, and Callahan has given Detroit one of those stories. He keeps producing offensively and is having his best season yet, hitting .284/.375/.493 over 73 games.
He has 79 hits, 15 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs, 47 RBI and 25 stolen bases. His OPS has climbed to .868 from .792 in 2025.
Taken together, the 2023 class is shaping up as one of the organization’s strongest in years. A few of these players are already beating expectations, and several more are moving in the right direction. Detroit has plenty to like here.
In Other News...
How To Watch The MLB Draft As Tigers Pick Multiple Times Day 1
The 2026 MLB Draft will unfold over two days during All-Star Week in Philadelphia, with the first four rounds set for Saturday and the rest of the class coming off the board Sunday. For Tigers fans, the timing should make for a busy opening day, since Detroit is positioned to be in the mix multiple times before the draft even gets out of the early rounds.
Coverage starts on NBC and Peacock for the first 10 picks before moving to MLB Network and MLB.com for the rest, with the White Sox holding the No. 1 overall selection. A few clubs have also been hit with draft pick penalties for crossing the Competitive Balance Tax threshold, adding another layer to how the board could unfold, and the Tigers will be watching closely as their own Day 1 opportunities begin to stack up. [Read more 🡒]
Why Framber Valdez Still Has Tigers Fans Worried
Framber Valdez was supposed to give Detroit a steadying presence in the rotation, the kind of veteran left-hander who could take the ball and tilt a series in the Tigers favor. Instead, the early returns have looked a lot more like the back half of last season in Houston, when the sharp edge on his game began to fade and the dominant version of Valdez started to look a little less certain.
The biggest concern is the same one that has followed him from Houston to Detroit: the curveball is not missing bats the way it once did, and the rest of the profile has slipped with it. When the pitch that usually drives so much of his success loses bite, the margin for error gets thin in a hurry, and Detroit is already seeing how quickly that can turn a dependable starter into a much more vulnerable one. [Read more 🡒]