Tigers Draft Day

I'll be to the point. I love the Detroit Tigers draft thus far. Now, I caution both my readers. I have an affinity for college baseball and the Tigers have gone heavy towards the college players so far, so that alone would please me. However, I do have a somewhat more rational reason for liking the college kids--they tend to get to The Show quicker.

This group also has something the Tigers might be lacking on the farm--quality hitters. Not that the Tigers' minors are void of such players, but they could stand to use a few more. Couldn't everybody?

In spite of the hitters, let me start with Andrew Miller. I was listening to the draft on the radio and when the Tigers selected Miller, I just about cheered. This guy was thought to be the first pick overall. If not, he was certainly not going to fall to number six. Yet, there he was.

Yes, Miller wants too much money. Yes, he needs a change-up. However, the lefty from North Carolina also has allowed all of one homer at a level where everyone is using a metal bats. He's got a 2. something ERA. He's 12-2. Miller has done this all in one of the better baseball conferences in the land--the ACC.

Oh, by the way, Miller can throw a 92 mph fastball with accuracy and one 95 mph, only he's not as sure where that one might land. He's also got a nasty slider according to those who have gotten a good look at it.

Of course, he could fail. Most prospects never live up to the hype, but the Tigers probably selected the most polished pitcher in the draft. (I haven't exactly seen all the others, so I'll take the "experts" word on that.) Regardless of how this plays out, in terms of his success and his contract demands, I think the Tigers did the right thing in taking the player with the best combination of ability, production and playing at the highest possible level.

For comparison, think of this as the Lions unexpectedly landing the quarterback with the most pro-ready game, with lots of upside, who has won a ton of games playing in one of the top flight football conferences in the country. Imagine how most fans in Detroit would act right now. That's about how I felt when I heard "Detroit selects Andrew Miller, pitcher, University of North Carolina".

On to a few other names that caught my attention. First, Ronnie Bourquin from Ohio State. As you may have heard, I do a bit of blogging about Big Ten baseball and I've seen Bourquin in person about five times this year. He's only looked dominant once, but there is simply no arguing his numbers.

As has been pointed out everywhere else, Bourquin paced the Big Ten in batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage to name just three things. (A fact you would all know if you visited my other site. Sure, it's a shameless plug.) I also concur with those who question whether Bourquin will remain at third. His defense isn't what I'd like at the hot corner, so I do envision a move elsewhere.

The easy comparison is to ex-Buckeye Nick Swisher. I'm not sure Bourquin's quite as good as Swisher. It seems to me that Swisher exhibited more power. Bourquin might make a bit more contact, but that's just an impression off the top of my head, I haven't gone back to compare numbers.

I don't know that much about Brennan Boesch and I have not seen him play. I like the thought of drafting a centerfielder, though. Not that I don't like Curtis Granderson, I do. I also like the thought of a pure CF roaming Comerica Park's spacious outfield. I'm going to have to do some research on Mr. Boesch.

Conversely, I have seen Ryan Strieby. I'll say this about the Wildcats 1B, he can flat rake. He's a JUCO transfer to Kentucky who walked into the powerful SEC and grabbed Player of the Year honors. Strieby's coach at UK believes in plate discipline. If you are on the OBP bandwagon, both Bourquin and Strieby should appeal to you.

This is another random observation, but Strieby seems like a more dynamic force that Bourquin. Now, any number of reasons could account for that including I may have seen Strieby on his good days and Bourquin on his off nights.

I'm not sure if he will stay at first, my inclination is that he will, but I still think drafting as many top flight college hitters as you come across is a good thing no matter what position they play.

Yeah, yeah, aluminum bats. I know. The guy could be a product of the bat. He could also be an all-star caliber slugger. The draft is a crap shoot and you try to play the odds. I figure if Strieby can pound SEC hurlers the odds of him hitting at the pro level have to be reasonably good.

Like the Scott Sizemore pick, too. Yes, he's had a down year, but he's a secondbaseman with power who hit in the Cape Cod League where they use wood bats. Again, I embrace selecting middle infielders who can hit with some pop.

The Tigers have selected a few more college players that intrigue me, but I've got to move on to the next task. Like checking the Tigers/Sox score. Bottom line is that if this were the Lions draft people would be very excited. For now, I will be excited for everyone else.