The MLB Draft kicks off Sunday, with the Tigers picking in the top five for the fourth year in a row -- and in the top three for the third year in the past four. They are alone in both distinctions.
Detroit took Casey Mize first overall in 2018, Riley Greene fifth overall in 2019 and Spencer Torkelson first overall in 2020 to supercharge their rebuild. With the third overall pick on Sunday, the Tigers will select ... ?
The growing consensus is either Vanderbilt pitcher Jack Leiter or prep shortstop Brady House.
Before we go any further, the Tigers are known to love prep shortstop Marcelo Mayer. They'll surely take him if he falls to No. 3. Just don't expect that to happen.
Detroit has been connected to Leiter for a long time. The club has an affinity for power arms from the SEC, and Leiter just led the country in strikeouts in his final college season. "He is their type to a T," says ESPN's MLB Draft analyst Kiley McDaniel.
House has also been on the Tigers' radar for a while. He's an 18-year-old with a 6'4 frame and major power. "A more athletic [and right-handed hitting] version of Joey Gallo," says MLB Pipeline. And the Tigers are said to be higher on House than ever after he lit up a recent workout in Detroit.
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One more name to keep an eye on: prep pitcher Jackson Jobe. He wouldn't quite fit the timeline of the Tigers' young core -- nor would Mayer or House, for that matter -- but Jobe might have the highest ceiling of any pitcher in the draft. And Detroit has followed him closely.
In almost every mock out there, Mayer is going No. 1 to the Pirates. It's the Rangers at No. 2 who could dictate what the Tigers do at No. 3.
Keith Law of The Athletic has the Tigers taking Leiter, who "fits better with their current timetable" than House, after Mayer and Vandy pitcher Kumar Rocker go 1-2.
Jim Callis of MLB.com has the Tigers taking House after Mayer and Leiter go 1-2: "The best power hitter in the Draft would be a nice backup plan" to Mayer. So do FanGraphs and ESPN's McDaniel, with the latter noting "it's close" for the Tigers between House and Jobe.
FanGraphs says House's workout in Detroit "reinforced the Tigers’ belief in both a plus hit and plus power tool." The question is whether he projects as a shortstop or third baseman in the bigs.
So there's your roundup. There's little we can say in certainty for the Tigers heading into Sunday, other than they'll pounce on Mayer if he's there at No. 3. The draft for Detroit likely begins at No. 2.