Scott Harris has taken plenty of heat this season, and not without reason. Detroit went into the year with expectations of winning the AL Central, then spent May watching injuries tear through the roster and never really did enough to steady the ship.
The result was a playoff miss by eight games, even though the Tigers finished first in the division in run differential. The bullpen could fill its own autopsy, but the bigger question now is what comes next, because Detroit wants to be the team making noise in the ALCS next year, not watching someone else do it.
That future depends in part on whether Harris’ recent draft work keeps paying off. On that front, the farm system has started to look a lot healthier, and Baseball America’s latest report card on the Tigers’ 2026 draft class suggests Detroit may have landed another big one late.
The name to know is Will Adams.
Detroit grabbed the high school first baseman in the 11th round and got him to sign instead of heading to LSU, where he had been committed. At one point, Adams carried a third-round grade, and Baseball America noted that he was once viewed as a fringe top-100 talent before sliding all the way to No.
- That kind of fall makes him the sort of player teams dream about uncovering on day three.
Baseball America described Adams as one of the best pure hitters in the class with the most power. The publication also credited him with an easy swing that should play to both contact and power. The praise was specific and loud: “Above average in-game power” and “can hit to all fields.”
If that sticks, Detroit may have found far more than an 11th-round flier.
The Tigers have been building toward this for a while. Pitching used to be the calling card of the farm, and the organization still spent early picks on arms this year, including Cameron Flukey. But the bats have become the real story.
There are a lot of them, too. Max Anderson, Bryce Rainier, Cris Rodriguez, Josue Briceño, and Zyhir Hope are all part of a system that now looks loaded with offensive upside. Add Adams into that mix, and Detroit suddenly has a deep group of hitters with real potential.
Harris will still hear plenty about the pitching side of the draft if those arms don’t come through. But when it comes to adding bats, he’s clearly done his job.
In Other News...
Jace Jung Is Fueling A Tigers Debate Scott Harris Can't Ignore
The Tigers recent front-office philosophy under Scott Harris has leaned heavily toward keeping premium young talent in the organization rather than using it as trade currency, a approach that fits a club trying to build patiently through the system. Jace Jung, the 2022 first-round pick, has become the kind of case that makes that strategy harder to defend, because Detroit has been asking fans to wait on a prospect whose development has not yet matched the pedigree.
Jungs rocky path has turned him into more than just one players story. It has become part of a broader debate about whether Detroit should be more open to moving prospects when the fit is unclear, instead of treating top names as untouchable. For a team still trying to sort out its next competitive core, the question is whether holding on too long is really the safer play. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Offseason Should Start With One Clear Building Block
The Tigers were out of playoff contention long before the seasons final stretch, which has pushed the conversation in Detroit squarely toward what comes next. In that space, rookie Kevin McGonigle has already made a strong case to be part of the answer, giving the club useful production on both sides of the ball and a promising look at a young player who can matter beyond a single season.
McGonigles emergence puts a real shape to the offseason for a front office that has to decide whether to lean into its younger core or make bigger roster changes elsewhere. For a team that spent too much of the year looking up at the standings, the appeal of a clear building block is obvious, and the Tigers now have one player who makes that path easier to imagine even as the rest of the puzzle remains unfinished. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Bullpen Shakeup Continues As Veteran Exit Alters Offseason Plans
The Tigers late-season bullpen churn kept moving at the end of August when Tanner Rainey was designated for assignment, cleared waivers and then opted for free agency. Rainey had already spent time with Triple-A Toledo before making his decision, and his brief run in Detroit never quite turned into a lasting foothold in the relief mix.
For the front office, the move adds a little more roster and financial flexibility heading into an offseason that already figures to center on the bullpen. Detroit is still sorting out how it wants to reshape that group for 2027, and a veteran arm leaving the picture only sharpens the sense that more changes are coming. [Read more 🡒]