The Tigers are headed into the 2026 MLB Draft with a familiar kind of mystery hanging over them. Detroit’s front office has built a habit of keeping people guessing, and even with mock drafts piling up, the real answer won’t come until the names start coming off the board.
That’s especially true for a club that has shown a clear preference under Scott Harris. Since he took over, the Tigers have leaned toward high school players who can stay up the middle.
Their recent first picks fit that mold: Jace Jung, the lone college player in the group, followed by Max Clark, Bryce Rainer and Jordan Yost. Yost, taken 24th overall last year, was not widely expected to go in the first round even though he was ranked No. 50 on MLB Pipeline’s draft prospects list.
Detroit’s system is already heavy on infield talent, which makes an outfielder or pitcher feel like a reasonable guess at the top. But this front office has made a point of not being easy to read, and that’s part of the appeal.
Here’s where the Tigers stand in the draft:
First Round: No. 22
Second Round: No. 61
Competitive Balance Round B: No. 69
Fourth Round: No. 125
Fifth Round: No. 158
Rounds 6-20: Every 23rd pick
The first four rounds will air on NBC/Peacock on Saturday beginning at 1 PM. Rounds 5 through 20 will air on MLB Network on Sunday starting at 11:30.
Detroit’s bonus pool sits at $9,165,100 after last season’s ALDS run. The Tigers do not have a third-round pick because they signed Framber Valdez, who had been given a qualifying offer by the Astros. Houston receives an extra pick between the fourth and fifth rounds as compensation.
As for who Detroit might actually take, the projections are all over the place. The Athletic has linked the Tigers to high school pitcher Carson Boleman and college pitcher Cameron Flukey.
Baseball America’s latest mock has them taking high school shortstop Aiden Ruiz, which would fit the Tigers’ usual profile. If MLB Pipeline’s board matched the draft order perfectly, Detroit would land college outfielder Sawyer Strosnider at No.
That’s the thing with this front office: it tends to do what it wants. And so far, that approach has worked more often than not.
In Other News...
Tigers First Round Track Record Looks Very Different Than Fans Think
The Tigers first-round draft story has not followed the tidy script many fans might assume when they hear about a wave of premium picks. A look back from 2022 through 2025 shows a front office that has mixed upside, patience and a few uncomfortable questions, with Jordan Yost, Bryce Rainer, Max Clark and Jace Jung all sitting at very different points on the development curve. Some are still climbing through the minors, some have already reached the majors, and the overall picture is less about one clean success story than a collection of separate bets still being sorted out.
Jordan Yost, the clubs 2025 first-rounder, is already drawing a C+ grade and leaving observers to wonder what Detroit sees in him. Clark remains in Triple-A, where the Tigers want him to keep developing while also preserving his PPI eligibility for 2027, even as the big-league temptation grows louder. And with the 2026 MLB Draft approaching, Detroit will have four picks after forfeiting its third-round selection by signing Framber Valdez, a reminder that the pipeline is still being shaped not just by who the Tigers choose, but by the roster decisions that come before the draft board ever turns. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Just Took Another Bullpen Flier Fans Will Want To Track
The Tigers added another arm to the bullpen mix by claiming right-hander Andre Granillo off waivers from the Nationals and sending him to Triple-A. It is the sort of low-risk move Detroit has made plenty of times as it keeps searching for usable pitching depth, and Granillo brings a little more intrigue than the usual waiver pickup because he has already reached the majors this season and now occupies a spot on the 40-man roster.
Granillo also arrives with some real pedigree, having once been considered a notable Cardinals prospect before St. Louis moved him to Washington earlier this year. The immediate assignment to Triple-A suggests the Tigers want to see more before giving him a longer look, but his track record and the fact that he has already opened this season in the big leagues make him one of those names worth following if Detroit needs another bullpen option later on. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Are Rolling And This Phillies Win Changed The Feeling Fast
The Tigers wasted no time turning a tight game into a loud one Friday night at Comerica Park, burying the Phillies 10-2 in the opener of a three-game series. Detroits offense broke through in a big sixth inning, then kept stacking on runs in the seventh, with Eduardo Valencia, Zach McKinstry, James Outman, Colt Keith and Spencer Torkelson all part of the surge that changed the tone fast.
Jack Flaherty helped set the stage by giving Detroit six innings and allowing two runs, giving the club another steady start to lean on as the lineup came alive behind him. The bigger question now is whether this was just one of those nights where everything clicked, or another sign that the Tigers are starting to look a lot more dangerous when a game gets into the middle innings. [Read more 🡒]