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The Detroit Tigers will make seven picks and complete 10 of the 20 rounds in the 2022 MLB draft on Monday.
On Sunday, the Tigers hit two picks: Texas Tech second baseman Jace Jung in Round 1 (No. 12 overall) and Oklahoma shortstop Peyton Graham in Round 2 (No. 51 overall). Rounds 11-20 begin Tuesday at 2 p.m.
“We were a little concerned that (Jung) was going to go ahead,” Scott Pleis, the Tigers’ director of amateur scouting, said Sunday. “We were super happy when he came to us. It’s a guy we’ve talked about for a long time, long spring, long summer. It just so happened that we got lucky and he came to us.”
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The organization traded their pick in Competitive Balance Round B (No. 71 overall) and infielder Isaac Paredes for outfielder Austin Meadows to the Tampa Bay Rays in April. The Rays used the election to draft Illinois State shortstop Ryan Cermak.
The Tigers also forfeited their third-round pick when they signed left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez in November 2021. Rodriguez, who signed a five-year, $77 million contract, has been out of the team since June 13 and is on the suspended list and unpaid.
Detroit’s first pick Monday is No. 117 overall in the fourth round, followed by No. 147 (fifth round), No. 177 (sixth round), No. 207 (seventh round), No. 237 (eighth round), No .267 (ninth round) and #297 (10th round).
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Meet the latest Tigers starting in Round 4:
Age: 21
Vitals: 6 feet 4, 210 pounds.
Punches/Throws: Right right.
Designed: Fourth round (No. 117 overall).
The Buzz: Melton, the 2022 Mountain West Co-Pitcher of the Year, posted a 2.07 ERA with 15 walks and 67 strikeouts over 65⅓ innings in 11 starts for the Aztecs this season. During his four-year collegiate career, he pitched 163⅔ innings. Melton throws four pitches: four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, slider, and changeup. Ahead of the 2022 season, Melton changed his performance and his resulting performance catapulted him to the third round of that year’s draft. Not only did his command improve, his ERA fell from a 6.14 in 2021 to a Mountain West-leading 2.07 in 2022. He averaged 3.7 walks per nine innings last season and 2 this season, 1 walks per nine innings.
Age: 21
Vitals: 6-0, 220.
Punches/Throws: Right right.
Designed: Fifth round (No. 147 overall).
The Buzz: Between Boston College and the Summer Ball, Gold has played all four positions in infield, but his primary position is second base. Despite this, the Tigers selected him as a third baseman. While defensive versatility is valuable, Gold’s true value comes from his offensive performance. He hit .309 with 21 doubles, nine home runs, 24 walks and 28 strikeouts in 53 games for Boston College in 2022 and earned All-ACC First Team honors. Gold has a contact-over-power shot profile, and his low strikeout totals indicate he knows the strike zone and doesn’t tend to chase pitches. In three years of college, he hit .303 with a base percentage of .374 and stole five bases in seven tries.
Age: 22
Vitals: 6-1, 195.
Punches/Throws: switch/right.
Designed: Sixth round (No. 177 overall).
The Buzz: That’s five straight collegiate players for the Win-Now Tigers, four of whom are position players. (Get it?) But Serretti, a four-year starter in North Carolina, is the first switch-hitter added to the organization in this year’s draft. He hit .365 with 17 doubles, 10 homers, 32 walks and 38 strikeouts in 64 games this season, a career-best season. His .437 OBP led the Tar Heels. The best thing about Serretti’s collegiate development has been his strikeout rate, which dropped from 19.9% (48 strikeouts in 241 plate appearances) in 2021 to 12.6% (38 strikeouts in 302 plate appearances) in 2022. He started all of his games this season at shortstop, but is no stranger to second base, which should come in handy throughout pro ball.
Age: 21
Vitals: 5-9, 165.
Punches/Throws: switch/right.
Designed: Seventh round (No. 207 overall).
The Buzz: In an unsurprising move, the Tigers grabbed another college slugger — and another switch hitter — in the seventh round. What sets this pick apart is that Stephenson is by far the fastest player drafted by the Tigers. In 2022, he hit .339 with 17 doubles, four homers, 15 walks, and 41 strikeouts in 59 games, along with stealing 25 bases in 30 attempts. He played mostly in left field for the Volunteers but his speed should allow him to handle midfield. He’s also played some second base, so he’s valuable as a utility player. With this selection, Tennessee set a program record for most players picked in a single draft. Before coming to Tennessee in 2022, Stephenson spent two seasons at Temple Junior College in Texas.
Age: 21
Vitals: 6-2, 185.
Punches/Throws: left left.
Designed: Eighth round (No. 237 overall).
The Buzz: The Tigers picked a pitcher for the second time in the draft (and first since the fourth round), but Miller is the first left-handed pitcher to be adopted by the organization. Along with a 6-2 record, he recorded a 5.58 ERA with 17 walks and 75 strikeouts over 61⅓ innings in 12 games (11 starts) this season. Miller ranked fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference with 11 strikeouts per nine innings. He allowed 10.4 hits per nine – the big minus – and 2.5 walks per nine. In 2022, he became the first Valparaiso pitcher to win six games since Dalton Lundeen in 2016. Miller had a 2.66 ERA with eight walks and 22 strikeouts in 20⅓ innings in the Coastal Plain League this summer.
Age: 21
Vitals: 6-0, 217.
Punches/Throws: Right right.
Designed: Ninth round (No. 267 overall).
Age: 24
Vitals: 6-2, 200.
Punches/Throws: Right right.
Designed: 10th round (No. 297 overall).
Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @ Evan Petzold. Read more about the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.
