Torkelson or Martin? Tigers' GM won't tip hand

DETROIT -- No, Tigers general manager Al Avila did not go on his conference call with reporters Tuesday and announce his team’s pick with the No. 1 overall selection for tonight’s MLB Draft.

Were you expecting something different? Not on the eve of the Draft, which is set to be televised on MLB Network and ESPN with remote cameras set up, including one on Avila in his office at Tigertown in Lakeland, Fla., another on Arizona State first baseman Spencer Torkelson at his home in California and another on Vanderbilt outfielder/third baseman Austin Martin at his home in Florida.

“We can't tell you who we're going to pick,” said Avila, who would not confirm whether they’ve zeroed in on one player or any particular number. “Several things can happen between now and the day you do pick. Even that day, the Draft is at 7 [p.m. ET], so you have all day. Different things can come up that can change your course of thought. You just can't go ahead and say, 'Hey, this is the guy we're going to pick.' That's why they have the mock Drafts.”

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The mock Drafts are about universal at this point in Torkelson heading to the Tigers.

“A lot of the mock Drafts and the things that are out there, and everything you read, have been a little one-sided,” Detroit scouting director Scott Pleis said on the conference call. “There's some good players up there. It's not quite as easy as the way it's been written.”

Still, for a team that has a trio of young pitchers on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list but has made no secret of its desire to round out its rebuild with impact hitters, it isn’t hard to find those in this Draft. The Tigers have had an eye on Torkelson, either in person or by watching video, since last year. Even with the abbreviated college schedule, Torkelson was heavily scouted this spring before the college season ended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Tigers have had a slew of video and analytical work and remote discussions since then. They’ve ran and reran their information through Caesar, their database of analytical and scouting information, to update their rankings.

“Without it, it would be almost impossible to do a draft like this,” Avila said. “Our platform, Caesar, is amazing. The [platform] that these analysts created for us as scouts put in information and as data comes in, it just updates itself. … Once baseball stopped, the data stopped and the looks stopped. We already had the information loaded up. All we needed to do then is start having our meetings and loading it up and making adjustments and coming up with our list.”

Day 1 of the 2020 Draft airs tonight on MLB Network and ESPN at 7 p.m. ET and includes the first 37 picks. Day 2 begins at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday on MLB Network and ESPN2 and spans the remainder of the 160 picks.

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Comprehensive coverage will be available on MLB.com and MLB Pipeline, which will simulcast MLB Network’s broadcast. Go to MLB.com/Draft to see when teams pick, the Top 200 Prospects list, mock drafts from analysts Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, scouting video and more. And follow @MLBDraft and @MLBDraftTracker on Twitter to see what Draft hopefuls, clubs and experts are saying and to get each pick as it’s made.

For those looking for a Detroit-specific Draft preview show, Tigers broadcasters Dan Dickerson and Matt Shepard will host a pre-Draft show on Tigers.com, as well as the team’s Facebook and YouTube channel, tonight beginning at 6 ET. An array of guests will stop by in the hour leading up to the first pick.

Time to go recruiting
While the top of the Draft seems poised to fall in line with expectations, what happens after the Draft is going to be a new adventure. This year’s Draft will last five rounds rather than 40 like the past several years. After that, teams can sign an unlimited number of undrafted players for a $20,000 bonus.

Look for the Tigers to be aggressive.

“We'll have a list of players that we'll have interest in,” Avila said. “We're going to do basically what we'll do in the Draft and have them in preferential order, and it'll be a pretty good-sized list.”

Many players on their list will likely be on other teams’ lists, too. Those teams will also be able to offer a $20,000 bonus. With money being equal, teams will essentially be recruiting against each other for talent.

Avila said the Tigers will have a recruiting tool, though he wouldn’t get into specifics. More importantly, they’ll have a recruiting pitch.

“We do feel that in our situation right now, having what we feel is a great organization where we have a good track record of developing players, that there's going to be opportunity,” Avila said. “There's going to be obviously the best and most modern technology and analytics to help a player develop. We have a great, experienced coaching staff, and we have opportunity. So, obviously, we feel that's going to be a very attractive place for people to come and sign with us under these circumstances.”