Well, here we are again. The baseball season has nearly two months to go, and we're already thinking about next year's draft.
For the second time in three years, the Tigers are gunning for the first overall pick.
It looked for a while like they'd lose out to the Orioles, who trailed the Tigers by 4.5 games at the All-Star break. Since then, Detroit has gone 5-21, Baltimore has gone 11-14, and the Orioles have surged 4 games ahead.
What a turnaround for the Tigers, the only team in baseball with a winning percentage (.297) below .300.
Someday, hopefully, this will all pay off. That day should come sooner if the Tigers find another star in the making at the top of the 2020 draft -- a draft that is said to be loaded.
So much can change between now and next June, but here are five names to know.
Emerson Hancock, RHP, Georgia
If the draft were today, Hancock would almost certainly go first overall. In fact, had Hancock been draft-eligible this year, some say he would have been the first pitcher off the board. In his sophomore season at Georgia, he posted a 1.99 ERA and 97 strikeouts to 18 walks in 90 1/3 innings. Hancock, 6'4, throws a high-90s fastball, a wipe-out slider and boasts a curve and a change, to boot. The Tigers want for hitters, but the idea of a rotation headlined by Casey Mize, Matt Manning and Hancock is pretty darn appealing.
Spencer Torkelson, 1B, Arizona State
More than just hitters, the Tigers need sluggers. Meet Spencer Torkelson. He hit 25 bombs last year at ASU, shattering the school's freshman record set in 1983 by...Barry Bonds. He followed that up this year by smacking 22 more. And this is no all-or-nothing swinger. Torkelson hits for average and walks as often as he strikes out. At the moment, the big-swinging righty is the best power hitter in the 2020 draft, and the best college hitter overall. He could satisfy Detroit's long-term need at first base.
Blaze Jordan, 1B/3B, DeSoto Central High (Mississippi)
A teenager known for hitting 500-foot bombs, Jordan has drawn comparisons to Bryce Harper. And like Harper at this stage, Jordan already has his sights on the MLB. He reclassified this year to enter the draft at the age of 17. If he keeps bashing baseballs, there's a good chance he'll go first overall. There are questions surrounding his play in the field, but Jordan, who won the high school home run derby at this year's MLB All-Star Game, has the bat to quiet those out.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF, Harvard-Westlake High School (Los Angeles)
If Jordan is the best high school hitter in next year's draft class, Crow-Armstrong is considered the best all-around player. He grades out at the top of the charts for his speed, hitting and defense. At the plate, he sprays line drives and stands to add considerably more power as he fills out his 6'1 frame. The Tigers took a smooth-swinging high school outfielder in the first round this year in Riley Greene, and could go back for seconds in 2020.
JT Ginn, RHP, Mississippi State
Ginn has already been a first-round pick once. The Dodgers took him 30th overall last year, but he turned down their offer to attend college. Then he posted a 3.13 ERA and 105 strikeouts against 18 walks in 86 1/3 innings in his debut season at Mississippi State. He throws his heater in the mid-90s, with the velo likely to increase as he adds bulk to his 6'2 frame, and has a swing-and-miss breaking ball to go with it.
