Meet Jace Jung, the Detroit Tigers first-round pick in the MLB draft
The Detroit Tigers selected Texas Tech second baseman Jace Jung with the No. 12 overall pick in the first round on Sunday of the MLB 2022 draft.
Ryan Ford, Wochit
The Detroit Tigers will make seven selections Monday in the 2022 MLB draft, completing 10 of the 20 rounds.
On Sunday, the Tigers made two picks: Texas Tech second baseman Jace Jung in round 1 (No. 12 overall) and Oklahoma shortstop Peyton Graham in round 2 (No. 51). of the general). Rounds 11-20 begin Tuesday at 2 p.m.
“We were a little worried that (Jung) was ahead of us,” Tigers amateur scouting director Scott Pleis said Sunday. “We were super happy when he came to us. He’s a guy we’ve been talking about for a long time, long spring, long summer. It happened that we were lucky and he came to us.”
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The organization changed its selection to round B of competitive balance (No. 71 overall) and boxing player Isaac Paredes to the Tampa Bay Rays in April for gardener Austin Meadows. The Rays used the pick to select Illinois state outfielder Ryan Cermak.
The Tigers also lost their third-round pick to signing left-back Eduardo Rodriguez in November 2021. Rodriguez, who signed a five-year, $ 77 million contract, has been off the team, on the list restricted and unpaid from June 13th.
Detroit’s first pick on Monday is No. 117 overall in the fourth round, followed by No. 147 (fifth round), No. 177 (sixth round), No. 207 (seventh round), No. 237 (eighth round). ), number 237 (eighth round), number 207 (seventh round). 267 (ninth round) and no. 297 (10th round).
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Meet the newest tigers, starting in the fourth round:
Age: 21.
Vital: 6 feet 4, 210 pounds.
Beats / throws: Right / right.
Elaborated: Fourth round (no. 117 of the general).
The Buzz: Melton, 2022 Mountain West Co-Launcher of the Year, recorded an effectiveness of 2.07 with 15 balls and 67 strikeouts in 65⅓ innings in 11 starts for the Aztecs this season. He threw 163⅔ entries throughout his four-year college career. Melton throws four pitches: four-seam quick ball, two-seam quick ball, slider, and shift. Before the 2022 season, Melton changed his delivery and his resulting performance shot him in the third round of this year’s draft. Not only did he improve his lead, but his effectiveness dropped from 6.14 in 2021 to a 2.07 lead in Mountain West in 2022. He averaged 3.7 passes for every nine innings last season and 2.1 walks again this season.
Age: 21.
Vitals: 6-0, 220.
Beats / throws: Right / right.
Elaborated: Fifth round (no. 147 of the general).
The buzz: Between Boston College and the summer ball, Gold has played all four positions on the inside field, but his main position is second base. Still, the Tigers selected him as a third baseman. While defensive versatility is valuable, Gold’s true value comes from its offensive production. He hit .309 with 21 doubles, nine homers, 24 balls and 28 strikeouts in 53 games for Boston College in 2022, earning ACC first team honors. Gold has a power hit contact profile, and his low total punches indicate that he knows the hit zone and is not fit to chase throws. In three years in college, he hit .303 with a .374 base base and five stolen bases in seven attempts.
Age: 22.
Vitals: 6-1, 195.
Beats / throws: Change / right.
Elaborated: Sixth round (no. 177 of the general).
The buzz: There are five consecutive college players for the Tigers to win now, with four of them position players. (Catch?) But Serretti, a four-year-old starter in North Carolina, is the first hitter the organization added to this year’s draft. He hit .365 with 17 doubles, 10 homers, 32 RBIs and 38 strikeouts in 64 games this season, the best campaign of his career. His .437 OBP led the Tar Heels. The best part of Serretti’s university development was his percentage of positions, which fell from 19.9% (48 positions in 241 appearances on the board) in 2021 to 12.6% (38 positions in 302 appearances on the board) in 2022. He started all his games this season at shortstop, but is no stranger to second base, which should be useful throughout the professional ball.
Age: 21.
Vitals: 5-9, 165.
Beats / throws: Change / right.
Elaborated: Seventh round (no. 207 of the general).
The buzz: In an unsurprising move, the Tigers grabbed another college bat and another switch batter in the seventh round. What separates this selection is that Stephenson is by far the fastest player the Tigers have selected. In 2022, he hit .339 with 17 doubles, four homers, 15 walks per base and 41 strikeouts in 59 games, in addition to stealing 25 bases in 30 attempts. He played mostly on the left field for the Volunteers, but his speed should allow him to handle the center field. He also played a second base, so there is value as a utility player. With this election, Tennessee tied a program record for most players caught in a single draft. Before joining Tennessee in 2022, Stephenson spent two seasons at Temple Junior College in Texas.
Age: 21.
Vitals: 6-2, 185.
Beats / throws: Left / left.
Elaborated: Eighth round (no. 237 of the general).
The Buzz: The Tigers selected a pitcher for the second time in the draft (and for the first time since the fourth round), but Miller is the first left-handed pitcher to catch the organization. Along with a 6-2 record, he recorded a 5.58 ERA this season with 17 balls and 75 strikeouts in 61⅓ innings in 12 games (11 starts). Miller finished fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference with 11 strikeouts for nine innings. He allowed 10.4 hits per nine – the big negative, as the teams had no trouble getting it – and 2.5 passes per nine. In 2022, he became Valparaíso’s first pitcher to win six games since Dalton Lundeen in 2016. Miller had a 2.66 ERA with eight balls and 22 put in 20⅓ entries in the Costal Plain League this summer.
Age: 21.
Vitals: 6-0, 217.
Beats / throws: Right / right.
Elaborated: Ninth round (no. 267 of the general).
Age: 24.
Vitals: 6-2, 200.
Beats / throws: Right / right.
Elaborated: 10th round (no. 297 of the general).
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more about the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our newsletter.