It’s been a long year for the Detroit Tigers.
After entering the 2022 season with hopes their rebuild was coming to an end, the Tigers now sit at 37-55 in fourth place of the American League Central. Detroit fans turned their attention to the MLB draft, hoping once more general manager Al Avila would finally piece together long-term solutions for the franchise’s biggest on-field issues.
The Tigers’ 2022 class was headlined Sunday with Texas Tech second baseman Jace Jung in Round 1 (No. 12 overall) and Oklahoma shortstop Peyton Graham in Round 2 (No. 51 overall).
SEIDEL: How this Tigers pick ended up getting an on-field dance that ‘wasn’t too PG’
TIGERS GRADES: One ‘F’ and one ‘A’ among the mess
In total, Detroit made 19 selections, all from the college ranks, over the draft’s three-day period. Was this enough for the Tigers to put their rebuild behind them? Here’s a roundup of grades and analysis of Detroit’s moves from those cover the MLB:
The Athletic
While The Athletic didn’t give out letter grades for this year’s draft, it praised Detroit’s early picks. Jung, a 6-foot, 205-pound Texan, slashed .335/.481/1.093 over 295 plate appearances his junior season.
“Everyone thought the Tigers were going college bat, and they did, taking Texas Tech second baseman Jace Jung, the younger brother of Rangers prospect Josh Jung,” Keith Law, the site’s senior baseball writer, wrote. “Jace Jung has a really weird setup at the plate, pointing the bat head back and up, like maybe he thinks lightning is going to come down from behind the stadium and put some electricity into his bat, but he makes it work for him — he’s hit everywhere, for average and power, while also getting on base a ton. He walked about 40% more often than he struck out. He’s not great at second base but if he hits like this I think you can live with it.”
Graham, a 6-3, 185-pounder who’s also from Texas, slashed .335/.417/1.058 and hit 20 home runs in 2021.
“Oklahoma shortstop Peyton Graham changed his swing and setup partway through the season and hit far better after that, showing more power and less swing-and-miss. He’s a plus runner who might stay at shortstop and could probably handle center. He does have some vulnerabilities at the plate that he’ll have to work on, but he has above-average regular upside with his power, speed, and improved contact rates.”
Law thinks the Tigers took some chances with their later selections, but could see them paying off.
“Second baseman Luke Gold (No. 147 overall) makes a lot of contact, especially against fastballs, but has fringy power and doesn’t walk much,” Law wrote. “He has no load and no stride, so even with all that contact he doesn’t drive the ball much. I do think there’s more here than the stat line shows and it’s a good pick in the fifth round.
“Lefty Jake Miller (No. 237 overall) looks like he might have some projection remaining even as a college junior. The Valparaiso southpaw is mostly 89-91 mph but has some life on it, and if he gains a little arm speed, the slider might end up solid-average, as well. His delivery is good enough for a starter. Georgia Tech first baseman Andrew Jenkins (No. 267 overall) has power and might be able to play another position, but his ball/strike recognition is nowhere close to where it needs to be. He’s a good gamble in this spot, too.”
CBS Sports
CBS Sports’ R.J. Anderson and Mike Axisa only graded Jung, but gave Detroit a ‘B’ for taking him at No. 12. This grade matches what Bleacher Report gave the Tigers overall.
“Jung has an excellent feel for contact and the strike zone alike,” Anderson and Axisa wrote. “The questions evaluators had about his game revolved around his power (he has plus raw strength, though he seldom taps into it) and his defense, which projects to be subpar even at the keystone. Still, he’s a fairly safe and proven collegiate hitter who can reasonably be expected to play a non-first-base position. That’s solid.”
Jung was ranked as the No. 9 prospect in the draft by MLB Pipeline. He hit .335 with 14 homers and 18 doubles in 61 games at Texas Tech in 2022.
The Sporting News
The Sporting News’ Edward Sutelan is higher on Jung than other outlets. The site gave Detroit an ‘A’ for the pick.
“Another team benefitting from a top player sliding down the board, the Tigers likely didn’t expect Jung to still be on the board at No. 12 after he had long been discussed as a top-10 pick,” Sutelan wrote. “He has one of the most disciplined approaches in the class and he has no problem making consistent, hard contact.
“Jung doesn’t have as much power as his brother, Rangers prospect Josh Jung, but he could tap into more raw pop. The defense is the biggest question mark, but he could stay at second base, which gives him plenty of value at the 12th pick.”
Chandler Engelbrecht is a reporting intern at The Detroit Free Press and can be reached at CEngelbrecht@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @ctengelbrecht.