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MLB Draft 2016 open thread

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The Tigers have the ninth overall pick, but won't select again until the fourth round (#115).

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World Series - Kansas City Royals v New York Mets - Game Four Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

The MLB Draft doesn't receive nearly the same amount of attention as the drafts in the NFL or NBA, and Detroit Tigers fans have had plenty of reasons to ignore it in recent seasons. The previous front office had a poor record in the draft, and they weren't opposed to sacrificing picks to sign established free agents. Even when the few prospects they had started to climb the steps of the minor leagues, they were often traded away for major league talent.

It was a strategy that worked well for the big-league club for years, but it also resulted in general apathy among the fanbase towards the draft and prospects in general. But this season is different: this season, you should pay attention.

2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft

Day one, rounds 1-2: 7 p.m., June 9
Day two, rounds 3-10: 1 p.m., June 10
Day three, rounds 11-40: 12 p.m., June 11
Media: MLB Network, MLB.com, and the video feed below

For one, this will be the first draft under the Tigers' new front office. Former vice president of amateur scouting David Chadd, previously the head of all drafting decisions, has moved into the assistant general manager role. Scouting Director Scott Pleis has taken his place in the draft room.

Secondly, the Tigers have the highest pick since they selected Jacob Turner ninth overall in 2009. In the three drafts following Turner's selection, the Tigers never picked higher than 39th overall, and had only four top-90 picks total. When combined with a win-now philosophy at the top, this stretch decimated the farm system.

But the Tigers have been gradually rebuilding it, and the silver lining from last season's collapse is an influx of young talent. The trades made at the deadline went a long way towards dragging the Tigers up from the dredges, and they have an opportunity now to add another top-level player to the system.

Who might they take at #9?

Predicting the MLB draft is impossible, even for just the top 10 picks. Most experts are leaning towards southpaw pitcher A.J. Puk to go to the Phillies with the first pick, but even that's subject to change. After that, chaos reigns. But we've profiled a number of prospects that may be available, and that the Tigers may be interested in:

  • Riley Pint: A big righty with high-90's heat in high school. Ranked as the fourth-best prospect by Baseball America, the Tigers probably won't pass on him if he drops to #9. Recent rumors suggest the Rockies are very interested at No. 4, though.
  • Dakota Hudson: A big righty with mid-90's heat and a hard, biting slider out of Mississippi State.
  • Connor Jones: A big righty with mid-90's heat out of Virginia.
  • Matt Manning: A big righty with high-90's heat in high school. I'm getting deja vu.
  • Jason Groome: A big LEFTY with mid-90's heat out of high school. Groome was originally projected to be taken in the top few picks, but recent concerns about his maturity may force him down the board.
  • Blake Rutherford: a well-rounded outfielder with a solid bat and enough defensive ability to potentially stick in center field.
  • Kyle Lewis: a power bat projected for a corner outfield spot, he'll probably go in the top five picks, but a small slide is certainly possible.

Why do the Tigers only have one pick today?

The Tigers lost their second and third-round picks with the signings of Jordan Zimmermann and Justin Upton, respectively, so they'll only be making one pick on the first day. Their next pick will be in the fourth round, the 115th overall pick, on Friday afternoon. We'll be updating this thread with the Tigers' picks as they happen, so make sure to check in from time to time.

Other resources

Draft Order (picks will be updated as they happen)

Pick Team Name POS School
1 Philadelphia Phillies Mickey Moniak OF La Costa Canyon HS (CA)
2 Cincinnati Reds Nick Senzel 3B University of Tennessee
3 Atlanta Braves Ian Anderson RHP Shenendehowa HS (NY)
4 Colorado Rockies Riley Pint RHP St. Thomas Aquinas HS (KS)
5 Milwaukee Brewers Corey Ray OF University of Louisville
6 Oakland Athletics A.J. Puk LHP University of Florida
7 Miami Marlins Braxton Garrett LHP Florence HS (AL)
8 San Diego Padres Cal Quantrill RHP Stanford University
9 Detroit Tigers Matt Manning RHP Sheldon HS (CA)
10 Chicago White Sox Zack Collins C University of Miami (FL)
11 Seattle Mariners Kyle Lewis OF Mercer University
12 Boston Red Sox Jason Groome LHP Barnegat HS (NJ)
13 Tampa Bay Rays Joshua Lowe 3B Pope HS (GA)
14 Cleveland Indians Will Benson OF The Westminster Schools (GA)
15 Minnesota Twins Alex Kirilloff OF Plum HS (PA)
16 Los Angeles Angels Matt Thaiss C University of Virginia
17 Houston Astros Forrest Whitley RHP Alamo Heights HS (TX)
18 New York Yankees Blake Rutherford OF Chaminade Prep HS (CA)
19 New York Mets Justin Dunn RHP Boston College
20 Los Angeles Dodgers Gavin Lux SS Indian Trail Academy (WI)
21 Toronto Blue Jays T.J. Zeuch RHP University of Pittsburgh
22 Pittsburgh Pirates Will Craig 3B Wake Forest University
23 St. Louis Cardinals Delvin Perez SS Individualized Education School (PR)
24 San Diego Padres Hudson Sanchez SS Carroll Senior HS (TX)
25 San Diego Padres Eric Lauer LHP Kent State University
26 Chicago White Sox Zack Burdi RHP University of Louisville
27 Baltimore Orioles Cody Sedlock RHP University of Illinois
28 Washington Nationals Carter Kieboom SS Walton HS (GA)
29 Washington Nationals Dane Dunning RHP University of Florida
30 Texas Rangers Cole Ragans LHP North Florida Christian School (FL)
31 New York Mets Anthony Kay LHP University of Connecticut
32 Los Angeles Dodgers Will Smith C University of Louisville
33 St. Louis Cardinals Dylan Carlson OF Elk Grove HS (CA)
34 St. Louis Cardinals Dakota Hudson RHP Mississippi State University

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