The Detroit Tigers have had enough first-round success over the last decade to build a real case that the draft has helped shape the roster, even if not every pick has worked out the way the club hoped. Some of those players are already established big leaguers.
Others are still trying to turn promise into production. And a few never quite got there.
With that in mind, here’s a ranking of the Tigers’ last 10 first-round draft picks, from best to worst, with Competitive Balance picks left out.
At the top of the list is Riley Greene, and it’s not much of a debate. Detroit took him fifth overall in 2019, and he’s done nothing but deliver since reaching the majors.
Greene is headed back to the All-Star Game for a third straight season, becoming the first Tiger to do that since Al Kaline. He also won a Silver Slugger Award in 2025 and has posted positive WAR numbers throughout his MLB career.
Right behind him is Casey Mize, whose last two seasons have pushed him firmly into the upper tier of Tigers first-round picks. The former first overall selection has one All-Star nod and, according to the source, could have had another if injuries hadn’t slowed him in 2026.
Health has been the main issue, but when Mize has been on the mound, he’s been excellent. He’s at 7.4 WAR and counting across six seasons.
Jackson Jobe comes in third, and the upside here is obvious. Drafted third overall in 2021, Jobe made his debut late in 2024 and helped Detroit get to the playoffs before moving into the starting rotation in 2025. He owns a career 3.91 ERA, and MLB.com has the Tigers expecting him back sometime in August, which could matter if Detroit is still hanging around the playoff race.
Spencer Torkelson lands fourth. The former first overall pick from 2020 has been a steady source of power, even if the overall profile still leaves something to be desired for a player taken at the very top of the draft.
He hit 31 home runs in both 2023 and 2025 and is six homers away from 100 for his career. His 2.0 WAR over five seasons keeps him out of the top tier, but the bat still plays.
Max Clark is next, though he hasn’t reached Detroit yet. That’s the only reason he isn’t higher.
The speedy outfielder has not made his MLB debut, but he has performed well in the minors and is holding his own at Triple-A. Among the draft picks on this list who are still waiting for their first big league game, Clark is the top prospect.
Matt Manning checks in sixth after a career that never fully matched the expectations that came with being picked ninth overall in 2016. He was useful at times, but never locked down a long-term spot in the Tigers’ rotation.
From 2021 to 2024, he posted a 4.43 ERA in 50 starts with a 1.9 WAR. Detroit traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2025 for Josueth Quiñonez, who is currently in Rookie ball.
Bryce Rainer sits seventh. The 2024 first-round pick has already had a stop-and-start beginning to his pro career after dislocating his right shoulder in 2025, which cut that season short and sidelined him until this year.
In 2026, he’s shown more of what Detroit hoped to see, hitting eight home runs with a .281 batting average for the West Michigan Whitecaps. He could become part of the Tigers’ infield mix with Kevin McGonigle and Colt Keith.
Alex Faedo comes in eighth after spending parts of 2022 through 2024 with Detroit. He worked both as a starter and a reliever, and his best season came in 2024, when he posted a 3.61 ERA.
A shoulder injury ended that year early, and the Tigers eventually moved on. Faedo is now in the Los Angeles Angels organization and has not returned to the majors since.
He finished with a 0.7 WAR in three seasons with Detroit.
Jace Jung is ninth after getting multiple chances to make something stick in the majors. Drafted 12th overall in 2022, Jung has played 58 games for the Tigers and owns a -1.0 WAR with 25 hits in 132 at-bats.
He hasn’t hit an extra-base hit in the majors since 2024 and still hasn’t launched his first MLB home run. The bat has shown up at Triple-A, but it hasn’t translated in Detroit.
Jordan Yost rounds out the list at No. 10, and that’s mostly a timing issue. The Tigers’ 2025 first-round pick was drafted less than a year ago, so there’s simply not enough to judge yet.
Yost has one home run, 15 RBIs and a .265 average this season with the Lakeland Flying Tigers. Defensively, he has six errors in 307.2 innings and a .957 fielding percentage.
The upside is still there, and the Tigers could have a nice piece on their hands if he keeps moving forward.
In Other News...
Tigers Finally Have A Flaherty Trade Prospect Worth Watching Again
When the Tigers sent Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers in 2024, the return looked like the kind of deal that would need time to sort itself out. Trey Sweeney has not given Detroit much to celebrate so far, but Thayron Liranzo is starting to change the tone around that trade package, and his progress has put him back on the radar as one of the more interesting young names in the system.
Liranzos path has not been smooth, with injuries and personal tragedy helping drag down a season that pushed him off multiple top-100 lists. Even so, the catcher has shown enough improvement to earn another look on a bigger stage, and his renewed attention gives the Tigers at least one reason to keep watching the Flaherty deal with fresh eyes. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Make Sudden Coaching Change Amid Growing Baserunning Scrutiny
The Tigers made a notable coaching adjustment in the middle of the season, with A.J. Hinch saying third base coach Joey Cora has left the organization and Billy Boyer is stepping into the role right away. Boyer had been working in the clubs system as quality control coach and minor league infield coordinator, so this is a familiar internal move rather than a hire from outside the building.
The timing adds weight to the change, coming as Detroits baserunning has drawn more attention and the club continues to look for cleaner execution on the margins. Cora had also been handling infield instruction, and Boyer is expected to take on those responsibilities as well, giving the Tigers a broader shift in how that part of the staff is organized moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Baseball America Just Delivered A Brutal Reality Check On Tigers Prospects
Baseball Americas midseason farm system rankings delivered a sharp reminder of how quickly a prospect pipeline can lose its shine. Detroit slid to No. 22, an 18-spot drop from where it stood before the season, with the decline tied to a mix of injuries and the natural churn that comes when top talent moves up the ladder.
The Tigers have already watched Kevin McGonigle and Hao-Yu Lee graduate from the system, and the depth behind them has been thinned by a wave of injuries across the organization. Even with Max Clark and Bryce Rainer still among Baseball Americas top-100 prospects, the ranking underscores how much pressure is now on the rest of the farm to rebound and restore some of the luster that made Detroits system so highly regarded not long ago. [Read more 🡒]