Tigers take 30 players on Day 3 of 2019 MLB draft, which is a lot

The Detroit Tigers were busy on Day 3 of the 2019 MLB draft, as they made their final 30 picks of the draft to round out their 2019 class. We will get into all of the picks shortly, but they started their day by taking Texas Tech righthander John McMillon, and closed it out with North Carolina righty Gianluca Dalatri.

The Tigers once again opted for a number of college talents, with 39th round pick Cade Doughty the lone prep selection. This class marks Detroit’s most college-heavy group of draft picks ever; only Doughty and first round pick Riley Greene have not played college ball, while only two other picks (both after the 30th round) came from junior college. Their other 36 picks, ranging from second rounder Nick Quintana to Dalatri in the 40th, all came from four-year programs.

Detroit’s 2019 class has drawn praise from many outlets so far. FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman noted that a scout considered the Tigers’ draft class among the top five in all of baseball, while MLB.com’s Jim Callis highlighted two Tigers picks among his favorites of day two.

The Tigers also announced one of the quickest signings in recent memory; first round pick Riley Greene is already in the fold, as he landed a full slot signing bonus ($6,180,700) before the draft was even over.

Let’s get to the picks!

11 (322) - RHP John McMillon: The 6’3 righthander started his career as a two-way player, but was drafted as a pitcher. He has hit triple digits with his fastball out of the bullpen, but his slider is inconsistent.

12 (352) - SS Corey Joyce: Joyce put up big numbers in three years at North Carolina Central, but struggled a bit in his lone look in a wooden bat league. He is an above-average runner, but likely won’t stick at shortstop at the pro level.

13 (382) - LHP Matt Walker: The 6’3 lefthander has a nice arm — he sits from 90-94 miles per hour with his fastball — but has had a lot of trouble finding the strike zone.

14 (412) - RHP Ted Stuka: Stuka stands 6’7 and has two plus potential pitchers in his fastball and splitter, but his command is spotty at best.

15 (442) - LHP Andrew Magno: He’s undersized, at just 5’11 and 190 pounds, but got the job done as Ohio State’s closer. He struck out 54 hitters in 47 ²⁄₃ innings this year and was named the Big Ten Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

16 (472) - LF Kona Quiggle: Possible Harry Potter character put up a .959 OPS in his first chance at extended playing time with Grand Canyon University. He projects as a fourth outfielder with gap power.

17 (502) - LHP A.J. Block: Block struggled this year as a starter, posting a 6.06 ERA with an 0-8 record, but he fanned 68 batters in 71 ¹⁄₃ innings despite a fastball that only sits in the high-80s.

18 (532) - CF Jared Mang: The Tigers’ first senior of their 2019 class put up huge numbers in all four years at New Mexico, with nearly as many walks (91) as strikeouts (104).

19 (562) - LF Kerry Carpenter: Carpenter put up massive numbers in junior college, but cooled off a bit as he faced ACC competition with Virginia Tech in 2019. Still, he managed 24 extra base hits and a .371 on-base percentage in 53 games.

20 (592) - SS Andrew Navigato: Navigato also went the junior college route before transferring to a big program for his junior season. He put up a .929 OPS for Oklahoma State this year, and has a bit of power and speed in his profile.

21 (622) - SS Scott McKeon: McKeon is a bit of a free swinger who hit .333 with 16 doubles for Coastal Carolina. His strikeout rate more than doubled when moving from junior college to Division I ball.

22 (652) - 1B Cole Zabowski: Per our friend Chris Brown — “Big first baseman. Strength over bat speed, but solid glove.”

23 (682) - 1B Griffin Dey: Dey mashed in four years at Yale, and put up a 1.133 OPS as a senior.

24 (712) - RHP Michael Bienlien: Bienlien only logged 18 ²⁄₃ innings as a reliever for N.C. State this season, but punched out 21 hitters in those frames. He can hit the mid-90s as a reliever. I will misspell his name every time after typing “John Beilein” for the past decade.

25 (742) - LHP Josh Coburn: Coburn can hit the mid-90s from the left side, but has had trouble hitting the strike zone. His strikeout rate took a nosedive as he moved to Division I ball this year.

26 (772) - RHP Brendan White: White’s strikeout rate took a big step forward as a junior, but he got knocked around while walking 11 batters in 14 innings in the Cape Cod League last summer.

27 (802) - RHP Beau Brieske: He’s big (6’3, 200 pounds) and struck out a lot of guys this year. Plus, video!

28 (832) - OF Connor Perry: Perry shrugged off a rough junior season to hit .289/.386/.573 as a senior at Pitt. He hit 15 home runs, but struck out at a 25 percent clip.

29 (862) - OF Elliott Cary: Cary starter his career at Oregon State, but transferred to an NAIA program after struggling in the Pac 12.

30 (892) - 3B Cordell Dunn: Dunn played catcher in his lone year at junior college, but will work as an infielder in the pros.

31 (922) - RHP Bryce Tassin: Tassin struck out 103 hitters in 104 ¹⁄₃ career innings at Southeastern Louisiana University.

32 (952) - RHP Jack Dellinger: Dellinger struggled to record strikeouts as a freshman at Purdue, and struggled to limit walks in his junior year at Virginia Tech. He flashes an above-average breaking ball at times.

33 (982) - 3B Jimmy Kerr: Kerr put up an .802 OPS as a senior at Michigan, his first look at extended playing time.

34 (1012) - RHP Sam Kessler: Kessler put up gaudy numbers as a reliever at West Virginia, with 112 strikeouts and a 2.69 ERA in 96 ¹⁄₃ career innings.

35 (1042) - LHP Robert Klinchock: Klinchock “worked his daggone butt off for four years” according to his coach. He featured a changeup and slider as Shenandoah’s No. 1 starter.

36 (1072) - 3B Pavin Parks: Parks had a nice breakout season at the plate for Kent State, but had more impressive numbers on the mound, with 31 strikeouts in 25 innings.

37 (1102) - LHP Kolton Ingram: The 5’9 lefty struck out 129 hitters in 114 innings this year.

38 (1132): 1B Dan Pruitt:

39 (1162) - SS Cade Doughty: Doughty will almost certainly attend LSU in the fall, where he will hope to bulk up a bit and tap into a 6’1 frame that already possesses a “compact, quick right-handed swing.” We’ll see where he ends up in three years.

40 (1192) - RHP Gianluca Dalatri: Dalatri struck out 66 hitters to just 15 walks as a spot starter for UNC over the past two years, but his raw stuff isn’t very impressive.