3 Biggest MLB Draft Busts in Detroit Tigers History

Baseball has turned into a science with all of the modern analytics, but one thing remains unpredictable - the MLB Draft.

While teams can gather all of the intel possible, study prospects for months, and write all kinds of scouting reports, it doesn’t change the fact that picks are not an exact science and every single one of them is a risk.

While the Detroit Tigers have found some of the best players in franchise history through the draft, they have also had some busts.

Here are three that we classified as the biggest disappointments.

1. Les Filkins (1st Round, 3rd Overall, 1975)

The Detroit Tigers haven’t been disappointed quite as badly as the results of their first-round pick in 1975 of Les Filkins.

Filkins was a California high school outfielder who turned out to be the favorite of Detroit. They expected, as most would, that he would become a major part of the franchise’s future.

That’s not at all what happened.

Searching across history shows that the 1975 draft was likely one of the weakest in MLB history. Regardless, when a team misses on a No. 3 pick it hurts, no matter how weak the draft was.

Filkins spent several seasons with the Tigers farm system but never made it past Double-A ball.

To this day, he remains one of the highest draft picks in franchise history to never play a game in the major leagues.

2. Matt Anderson (1st Round, 1st Overall, 1997)

Comerica Park | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The hype surrounding Matt Anderson was real. He had a fastball that regularly reached triple digits.

The Tigers believed that the Rice University right-hander could become an elite closer.

Anderson made quick work of the minors and found his way to the major league field. During his rookie season, he showed signs of promise but he never really developed into the player Detroit expected him to be.

Anderson spent six years with Tigers before playing one year with the Colorado Rockies in 2005. At the end of his career, he had a 15-7 record with a 5.19 ERA, 224 strikeouts and 22 saves.

Ultimately, Anderson’s career was derailed by injuries and lack of production.

Anderson is a huge “what if” for Detroit.

3. Dave Stegman (1st Round, 5th Overall, 1976)

Just the very next year after selecting Filkins, the Tigers decided to use their premium draft pick on outfielder Dave Stegman.

He was picked No. 5 and reached the major leagues but truly never completely established himself as an everyday player.

He only spent three seasons with the MLB team in Detroit. The first two in 1978 and 1979 he only played in a total of 20 games. The team gave him the best chance to showcase his talent in 1980 when he appeared in 65 games and had 130 at-bats. He ended that time with a slash line of .177/.255/.262 and an OPS of .517.

Those numbers were a long way off from what Detroit expected from a No. 5 pick.

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