Top Pitching Prospect Turns Down Detroit Tigers

One of the best pitching prospects in the country has decided not to sign with the Detroit Tigers.

Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris, right, talks with general manager Jeff Greenberg. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Monday was an emotional day for the Detroit Tigers. On the field, they continued their recent hot streak, thumping the Cleveland Guardians 8-2. The surging Tigers have now won 11 of their last 14 games, pulling to within one game of .500.

Off the field was a different story, however. Trade rumors continued to swirl around Detroit's ace, Tarik Skubal, who is widely expected to be moved before the July 30 MLB Trade Deadline. On Monday night, news also broke that the Tigers had failed to sign one of the top pitching prospects in the country.

Anson Seibert, a 16th-round pick by Detroit in last week's MLB Draft, will not sign with the Tigers. Instead, he will attend the University of Tennessee in the fall.

BREAKING: RHP signee Anson Seibert has turned down the Detroit Tigers after being selected, and will attend Tennessee! 🍊

Seibert is the highest-rated signee in Tennessee’s #1 ranked recruiting class, and is the No. 35 overall player in the country according to Perfect Game. 📈… pic.twitter.com/TbMp8Cceix

— Tennessee Volunteers (@Volology) July 22, 2024

This is a significant gut punch for Detroit, although not entirely unexpected. If Seibert plays well at Tennessee, he could easily be a first-round draft pick with a much higher signing bonus in a few years.

Still, it's a painful miss for the Tigers, especially if they end up dealing Skubal. With his enormous 6-foot-8 frame and a power fastball that's been clocked at 99 mph, Seibert is the No. 35 prospect in the country (per Perfect Game) and has obvious ace potential.

Instead of honing that potential in Detroit's minor-league system, the hard-throwing right-hander will try to do so at Tennessee. Seibert joins the nation's No. 1 ranked recruiting class and reigning College World Series champions.

A 19-year-old from Overland Park, Kansas, Seibert is the highest-rated signee in Tennessee's class. He's impressed scouts with his velocity and has the potential to dominate the big leagues if he stays healthy and polishes his command and secondary pitches.

Unfortunately, it probably won't be for Detroit unless the organization spends another draft pick on him in a few years.