The Detroit Tigers’ farm system is widely regarded as one of the best in Major League Baseball.
Right-hander Jackson Jobe has graduated from the prospect ranks, but they still have Max Clark, Kevin McGonigle, Bryce Rainer, and many others.
However, for the Tigers, this is particularly important for several reasons. Not only have the Tigers not spent money in recent years, but they’re in a position to contend right now. They can send any of those prospects out for a massive star, or they could develop them like they currently are, and have them be a big piece of the team in the near future.
When searching for who the Tigers might select in the 2025 MLB draft, MLB.com recently predicted them to take another project. They predicted that they’d select Slater de Brun, an outfielder out of Oregon.
De Brun is a high school player, so he doesn’t exactly fit the Tigers’ win-now timeline, but they’ll still have a very good future if things go as planned.
“After taking some left-handed-hitting high schoolers of late (Bryce Rainer, Max Clark, Kevin McGonigle), de Brun fits in very nicely,” they wrote.
The Tigers will only be as good as their farm system develops and how much money they spend.
Having players like Clark, Tarik Skubal, Riley Greene, and others emerge in the farm system is great. However, the reality is that all those players will eventually have to be paid.
If the Tigers aren’t willing to spend money, they shouldn’t expect much to change.
De Brun would be an intriguing fit with those young guys, too, and could fix some of the issues the Tigers are facing offensively, but he recently turned 18 years old, so it’s tough to suggest that he’ll have a chance to make his big league debut any time in the near future.
