'Add talent we can build around' is a Tigers Draft goal

This story was excerpted from Jason Beck’s Tigers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Scott Harris’ imprint on the Tigers since becoming president of baseball operations last fall is already fairly big, from the Major League roster to player development to Comerica Park itself. But there’s one major area where Harris and his front-office group have yet to take their swing.

That changes Sunday night with the MLB Draft, the Tigers’ first under Harris, assistant general manager Rob Metzler and director of amateur scouting Mark Conner.

“I love the Draft,” Harris said last month. “It’s an opportunity for this organization to add talent that we can build around, so I’m very involved. I think you guys know me well enough that I’m not going to share anything about the third pick, or any of the other picks we have, until we make them, but I will be very excited.”

Here’s what fans need to know ahead of the Draft:

When is the Draft, and how do I watch?
Day 1 of the Draft is set for Sunday (7 p.m. ET on ESPN and MLB Network) and will feature the first two rounds. Rounds 3-10 will take place during Day 2 on Monday (2 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and MLB.com). Rounds 11-20 will occur on Day 3 on Tuesday (2 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and MLB.com).

When will the Tigers pick on Day 1?
The Tigers pick third overall for the second time in three years, this time thanks to MLB’s first-year Draft lottery last December. They also have a Competitive Balance Round A pick at 37th overall, and their second-round pick at 45th overall.

Who could the Tigers pick at No. 3?
The industry perception is that the Draft’s top group is three players deep. MLB Pipeline’s mock draft last week pegged Detroit to University of Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford, assuming Pittsburgh drafts LSU outfielder and Golden Spikes Award winner Dylan Crews first overall and Washington picks LSU pitcher Paul Skenes at No. 2. But if the Pirates throw a curveball and draft somebody outside that group, such as high school outfielder Max Clark, the Tigers could draft Crews, whose combination of 70-grade hitting and 60-grade running fit the skill set of a prototype Comerica Park outfielder and give him the potential to advance to the Majors quickly to team with Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter. Perfect Game’s Brian Sakowski projected such a scenario in his mock draft last week.

If Crews and Langford go 1-2, the Tigers could pivot to one of the top high school outfielders, either Clark -- who worked out for the team at Comerica Park last month -- or Walker Jenkins, whom the Tigers scouted extensively.

Could the Tigers draft a pitcher with their top pick?
Likely no, though never say never. The Tigers, under then-scouting director Scott Pleis, did draft high school hurler Jackson Jobe over well-regarded shortstops the last time they picked third overall. Metzler, now in charge of the Draft, wasn’t afraid to select pitchers early when he ran the Rays’ Draft room (Brendan McKay fourth overall in 2017), nor was Conner while running the Padres’ Drafts (including MacKenzie Gore third overall in 2017 and Ryan Weathers seventh overall a year later). If Skenes is still there, unlikely as it seems, his high-velocity, high-strikeout arsenal could be the one scenario for a repeat. But given the state of the Tigers’ farm system, Detroit’s luck with injuries to pitchers, and the investment the organization has made in coaching and instruction to find upside in pitchers, it would be a stunner. Teams can never have too much pitching, but Detroit badly needs more quality hitters and athletes.

How much can the Tigers spend on Draft picks?
The Tigers have $15,747,200 in their Draft pool this year. Only the Pirates, who pick first, have more, and only by $438,500.