Pair of Former Top Prospects Among Worst Tigers First Round Picks by bWAR
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A huge reason for the Detroit Tigers success in the past two seasons has been their top prospects coming up and contributing everyday. Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson have beome middle of the order bats, while Tarik Skubal is the best pitcher in baseball and Casey Mize is a solid middle of the rotation arm.
Green and Torkelson were key pieces for the future success of the Tigers after thre straight 98-plus loss seasons to end the 2010s. If they wanted any hope of being where they are right now, the two bats had to hit. But that doesn't happen every time.
Detroit has had its fair share of first round draft busts, and quite a few of them in the last 20 years. It happens to every team, and they've had their fair share of draft hits, too. From a top pitching prospect a decade ago to a current infielder, these are the five worst first round picks by bWAR for the Detroit Tigers.
1. SS Tom Veryzer, -1.6 bWAR
The Tigers took Veryzer with the 11th pick of the 1971 draft out of high school and he made his debut in 1973 at 20-years-old. At the time, Detroit had been lacking a true star shortstop and attempted to make it happen with the New York native.
However, it was pretty clear right away that the young Veryzer was overmatched. He made his debut in 1973, but between that and his 1974 season, he only played 40 games. In that span, he hit .253 with a .704 OPS, two home runs and a -0.3 bWAR. He was floating right around league average with a 99 OPS+, but he would soon take a free fall.
He played a full season in 1975 and in 128 games, he hit 13 doubles, five home runs and posted a .624 OPS. He had a 0.4 bWAR in 1976, but he was still getting worse at the plate, porting a .563 OPS and 64 OPS+.
His final year in Detroit was a disaster. In 125 games, he hit only two home runs with a .197 batting average, .485 OPS and -1.2 bWAR. Someone once viewed as the future shortstop was done as a Tiger after five seasons. He was traded to Cleveland after 1977, paving the way for Alan Trammell.
2. OF Christin Stewart, -1.1 bWAR
Stewart was taken in the first round of the 2015 draft and didn't debut until he was 24, during the worst stretch of Tigers baseball in the last 15 years. He competed in the Futures Game in 2016 and hit 25-30 home runs from 2016 until 2018 all throughout the minors.
It looks like he was going to be a power hitting corner outfielder that Detroit was looking for, posting an OPS of at least .836 in that three year span. But his power was effectively gone when he reached the Majors.
During a cup of coffee in 2018, Stewart hit two homers, a double and a triple in 17 games. There was some nice plate discipline, walking 10 times to 13 strikeouts, but the defense wasn't good, posting a -0.2 bWAR.
As a 25-year-old in 2019, he would get his best chance to win a job on a bad Tigers team. He couldn't take advantage, though, as he had just a .693 OPS in 104 games. He hit 25 doubles, third on the team, and 10 home runs, but his 82 OPS+ showed he was far from being able to play everyday.
After a 43 OPS+ and -0.6 bWAR over 36 games in 2020, Stewart would not appear in another major league game. He had a lot of raw power as a prospect, but was never able to tap into it. In his three seasons, he played 157 games with a .676 OPS.
3. RHP Jacob Turner, -1.0 bWAR
Once upon a time, Jacob Turner was a highly touted prospect. The best in Detroit's system, Turner was the number 15 prospect in all of baseball in 2011, according to MLB Pipeline. He was viewed as a future ace and top of the rotation arm to go along with Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.
Drafted in 2009, as a 19-year-old in 2010, he threw 115.1 innings with a 3.28 ERA and 102 strikeouts. The next season, as a 20-year-old, he posted a 3.44 ERA and struck out 110 in 131 minor league innings and made his debut that same season.
The right-hander had a nice debut, allowing two runs and striking out six in 5.1 innings, but his final two starts would be disastrous. He finished the season allowing 12 runs in 12.2 innings, an 8.53 ERA while only striking out eight.
In a short sample, they hoped that Turner would make an impact in 2012 with a World Series caliber roster. That wasn't the case, as in another 12.1 innings, he gave up 11 runs and walks and strikeout seven a piece.
Even if he wasn't good on the field, Turner did contribute to the Tigers reaching the World Series in 2012. He was the headline in the package that acquired infielder Omar Infante and starter Anibal Sanchez at the deadline.
In his final season in 2018, Turner returned to Detroit, making one start and allowed five runs in one inning. Turner never worked out and became the ace the Tigers were hoping he would, but he did acquire an eventual ERA champion.
4. 3B Jace Jung, -1.0 bWAR
Jung is unfortunately on here through the first 55 games of his career, but it's such a small sample for the 25-year-old that he may not be here for long. The 12th overall pick in 2022 out of Texas Tech, Jung sped through the minors to make his debut in 2024.
In his first two full seasons, Jung showed the power and approach that made him such a high pick. In 2023, he hit 27 doubles, 28 home runs and 82 RBI in 128 games. He had an .878 OPS and showed off his great plate discipline, walking 79 times and striking out 139.
In 2024, he hit 24 doubles, 15 home runs and posted an .841 OPS in Triple-A, eventually reaching the major leagues. He only played 34 games as a rookie, hitting five doubles, driving in three and posting a .665 OPS, but he did walk 15 times.
He only played 21 games in 2025, hitting .106 with a -0.5 bWAR, but at Triple-A he hit 17 home runs and had an .816 OPS in 110 games.
The good news for Jung is that it's only been 55 games and he has continued to to walk a lot. Detroit's infield is crowded so it's hard for him to get playing time, but there is still upside.
5. 2B/SS Jerry Manuel, -0.7 bWAR
Manuel was drafted in 1972, a year after Veryzer. Manuel played two full seasons, one in Single-A and two at Triple-A. The middle infielder wasn't known for his power, but he was a speedy, glove first type of player.
In 144 games in 1973 at Triple-A, he hit 17 doubles, four triples and two home runs on his was to stealing 22 bases and looked like he could be a bottom of the order bat in the majors. In 1974, he played 127 games, but only hit five doubles, five triples and 1 home runs. Manuel also only stole three bases, a down year for the first rounder.
In 1975, he was once again at Triple-A, hitting for a bit more power, five more doubles and three more home runs than the year before, but importantly, was running again. He was called up to make his debut that season, playing only six games, going 1-for-18.
Manuel played 54 games with Detroit in 1976, hitting .140, collected only one double and one stolen base. After a few more seasons in the minors, he was traded to Montreal in 1980.
