Tigers Test Strong Track Record With Unexpected First Round Picks in MLB Draft

The Detroit Tigers have a propensity for selecting prep position players recently, and that strategy was no different on Sunday for their first selection in the MLB draft.

Under the successful regime of president of baseball operations Scott Harris, the Tigers have loaded an impressive farm system.

They added to that with their No. 24 overall selection of shortstop Jordan Yost from Florida, who was the No. 50 ranked prospect in the MLB Pipeline rankings.

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The selection came as a bit of a surprise—not as much as their second selection at No. 34 overall—as Yost was seen as a potential “reach” by analysts at that spot.

Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com released his analysis of Day 1 selections and offered a balanced take on Yost and why he may make sense for Detroit.

“This might seem like a bit of a reach, but we (Jim Callis specifically) had been hearing about Yost climbing draft boards as we got closer, and he was among the names we mentioned as generating draft buzz on Saturday,” Mayo wrote. “Yost is a left-handed-hitting high schooler with a chance to stick at short and fits in the mold of recent Tigers draftees like Max Clark, Kevin McGonigle, and Bryce Rainer.”

For some organizations that struggle to develop prospects in their farm system, Yost may have been a shocking pick. For the Tigers, it might play right into their tested strategy of high-upside prep position players with athleticism.

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Yost posted a .412 batting average for Sickles High School in his senior campaign, along with four home runs, 26 RBI, and 28 stolen bases.

Jason Beck of MLB.com provides helpful context for Yost as a late bloomer who, according to Detroit’s amateur scouting director, Mark Conner, entered high school weighing 115 pounds.

The six-foot prospect is now listed at 170 pounds, and as his body filled out, his draft stock rose in tandem as that allowed him to add power to his swing.

The Tigers and area scout RJ Burgess have been watching Yost closely since his early career and saw a palpable growth in his body and swing.

With the context of his size, Yost may end up being a strong selection that Detroit has done due diligence on.

They undeniably paid the same attention to Long Island prep catcher Michael Oliveto, whom they selected at No. 34 overall.

That was a more shocking pick, as Mayo wrote.

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“Whoa. Area scouts in the Northeast had told me they were hearing buzz about Oliveto going in the second round … and this beats that by quite a bit,” Mayo wrote. “He’s a left-handed hitter who has some pop, and the Tigers hope he can follow in the footsteps of former Long Island prep backstop Logan O’Hoppe.”

The Tigers hadn’t drafted a high school catcher in the first round since 1987, according to Beck.

It was a bit stunning that they broke that drought by selecting the No. 219 prospect with the 34th pick.

It was Oliveto’s performance in the World Wood Bat Association championships in Florida last fall where he showed off his left-handed swing to Detroit, landing him on their radar.

And as Beck points out, good catchers aren’t the easiest to find, and adding depth to that position in their system only bodes well for the Tigers in the future should he be able to develop and stick there.

Only time will tell if either or both picks were reaches, but Detroit has shown a strong enough track record to trust the initial selections.

For more Tigers news, head over to Tigers On SI.