2016 Draft Report Card: Detroit Tigers

BEST PURE HITTER: OF Jacob Robson (8) batted .321 at Mississippi State last spring as a redshirt junior after hitting .324 as a sophomore, then hit .288 in his pro debut. He has a contact-oriented approach that gives him a shot to be an above-average hitter. Robson was the first hitter the Tigers drafted.

BEST POWER HITTER:  In a draft heavy on pitching, the Tigers didn’t draft much power. 1B Niko Buentello (18) hit 11 home runs at Auburn and has above-average raw power, but he hit only five home runs in the Gulf Coast League. C Austin Athmann (14) finished second in the Big 10 with a .621 slugging percentage and has average power.

FASTEST RUNNER: Robson is a top-of-the-scale runner, as is OF Daniel Woodrow (12).

BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Robson and Woodrow both are solid center fielders. Daniel Pinero (9) is a tall, rangy infielder who doesn’t profile as an everyday shortstop but plays it well enough to serve as a utilityman.

BEST FASTBALL: RHP Matt Manning (1) sits in the mid-90s at his best and has touched 97 mph. RHP Kyle Funkhouser (4) doesn’t touch 97 as often, but sits 93-95 at his best. RHP Mark Ecker (5) has touched 100 mph and sits 94-97 in short stints as a reliever.

BEST SECONDARY PITCH: Funkhouser’s curveball has flashed above-average, but he needs to improve its consistency. Ecker’s changeup has flashed above-average as well.

BEST PRO DEBUT: Ecker struck out 31 and walked only 5 in 28 innings while posting a 0.98 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP between short-season Connecticut and low Class A West Michigan. RHP Zac Houston (11) struck out 15 batters per nine innings and posted a 0.30 ERA in stops at Connecticut and West Michigan.

BEST ATHLETE: Manning had signed to play basketball at Loyola Marymount if he opted not to sign to play pro baseball.

MOST INTRIGUING BACKGROUND: Manning’s father Rich played in the NBA for the Vancouver Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers. RHP Clate Schmidt (20) beat Hodgkin’s lymphoma and been given a clean bill of health.

CLOSEST TO THE MAJORS: Ecker bounced back from a poor junior season to dominate at two levels. As a college reliever with a blazing fastball, he could move very quickly. Funkhouser’s inconsistency could slow down his climb, but he is a four-year college starter who should be ready for high Class A in 2017.

BEST LATE-ROUND PICK: The Tigers spent more than $100,000 only twice on picks after the 10th round. Houston was one of them and quickly showed he should easily earn his $190,000 signing bonus. Houston is a big (6-foot-5, 250-pound) reliever with a 92-95 mph fastball and usable secondary offerings. He dominated in his pro debut and proved he can move quickly.

THE ONE WHO GOT AWAY: SS Drew Mendoza (36) was projected as a first- to second-round pick before getting the word out to teams he intended to fulfill his commitment to Florida State. He is one of the top bats of the college
freshman class.