Tigers projected to select 'boom-or-bust' high school slugger in 2026 MLB Draft

After years of having draft picks within the top-12, the Detroit Tigers had the 24th overall selection last year. With it, they took shortstop Jordan Yost, a high schooler from Sickles High School in Florida. 

This year, they will have a similar draft pick, selecting 22nd overall. Here, there should be loads of talent to choose from. It will just be on the front office to decide if they want to go the high school or college route. 

They have leaned toward taking high schoolers as of late. Five of their last six first-round draft picks were all high schoolers. 

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Tigers projected to select 'boom-or-bust' high school slugger in 2026 MLB Draft

When looking back at the Tigers' last four first-round picks, they selected a catcher, two shortstops, and an outfielder. Some teams lean heavily on position players, while others like to target position players, and the Tigers certainly like their position players. 

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter took a shot at predicting each team's first-round pick. In it, he believes the Tigers will continue their high school trend, taking outfielder Kevin Roberts Jr. from Jackson Prep in Mississippi. 

"An imposing 6"5', 215-pound outfielder with a 55-power, 60-speed profile, Roberts is a potential 30/30 player with a ceiling few can match in this year's high school class. There are questions about his pitch recognition skills and overall hit tool, which gives him a serious boom-or-bust outlook, but the boom would be a middle-of-the-order center fielder."

With a solid bat and great speed to strike fear into opposing catchers, Roberts could be a steal in the draft. However, there are some concerns with his game. 

There is always a risk with taking high school players in the draft, so the front office will want to closely monitor him this year.

More MLB news:

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• Royals linked to Mississippi State slugger as a potential first-round pick
• Rays projected to take Alabama standout with second pick in 2026 MLB Draft
• It's becoming more and more clear who the White Sox will draft first overall