MLB draft 2015: Tigers fail to sign 7th round draft pick Nick Shumpert

The Detroit Tigers took a risk when they drafted high school shortstop Nick Shumpert in the seventh round of the 2015 MLB draft. According to SB Nation's Joon Lee, Shumpert, the son of former major leaguer Terry Shumpert and cousin of current Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts, has decided not to sign with the Tigers. Shumpert will instead attend San Jacinto College, a powerhouse community college program in Pasadena, Texas.

Shumpert was one of the few prep players in the Tigers' 2015 draft class. Of their first 17 draft picks (16 rounds), only he and first round selection Beau Burrows were high schoolers. Shumpert was initially projected to go higher than 220nd overall, but many believed that he would attend the University of Kentucky, his father's alma mater. Shumpert had committed to Kentucky before the draft.

While we will likely never hear any inside information on the negotiations between Shumpert and the Tigers, it is likely that they were unable to come up with enough money to lure Shumpert away from college. The Tigers had a bonus pool of $7,114,300 to spend on all their draftees this year, but could not save enough with other signings to fit Shumpert in under their cap. A raw talent with plenty of upside (including power), the young shortstop has one of the highest ceilings of any of the Tigers draftees this year.

Because he is attending a junior college, Shumpert will be eligible for the 2016 MLB draft. He can also choose to transfer to a four-year institution, where he would no longer be draft eligible until 2018.

UPDATE: I missed this yesterday, but the Tigers signed 14th round pick A.J. Simcox earlier this month for $600,000, well above his slot value. Simcox, a junior shortstop from Tennessee, hit .293/.362/.378 in 50 games with the Volunteers last season. He only had 11 extra base hits in 188 at-bats, but stole 15 bases in 18 attempts. He has eight hits in 33 at-bats for the Connecticut Tigers this summer.