Best draft picks in Detroit Tigers history

The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever.

These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country.

Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the best draft picks nationally were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections.

There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers.

Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are "slightly more likely" than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally.

To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft picks in Detroit Tigers history using data from Baseball Reference. The players were ranked using career wins above replacement, so not one recent choice was named. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024.

#25. Justin Thompson
- Draft: 32nd overall pick in 1991
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 103
- Career stats: 36 wins, 4.02 earned run average, 1.34 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 12.8

#24. Mike Henneman
- Draft: 104th overall pick in 1984
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 561
- Career stats: 57 wins, 3.21 earned run average, 1.31 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 12.9

#23. Glenn Wilson
- Draft: 18th overall pick in 1980
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,201
- Career stats: 98 home runs, .265 batting average, .704 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 13.1

#21. Cameron Maybin (tie)
- Draft: 10th overall pick in 2005
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,162
- Career stats: 72 home runs, .254 batting average, .697 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 13.5

#21. Cody Ross (tie)
- Draft: 117th overall pick in 1999
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,073
- Career stats: 132 home runs, .262 batting average, .768 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 13.5

#20. Nick Castellanos
- Draft: 44th overall pick in 2010
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,441
- Career stats: 217 home runs, .273 batting average, .792 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 13.7

#19. Frank Catalanotto
- Draft: 280th overall pick in 1992
- Position: Second baseman
- Games played: 1,265
- Career stats: 84 home runs, .291 batting average, .802 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 14.5

#18. Matt Joyce
- Draft: 360th overall pick in 2005
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,400
- Career stats: 149 home runs, .242 batting average, .767 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 14.7

#17. Jeff Weaver
- Draft: 14th overall pick in 1998
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 355
- Career stats: 104 wins, 4.71 earned run average, 1.37 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 15.2

#15. Alex Avila (tie)
- Draft: 163rd overall pick in 2008
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,052
- Career stats: 105 home runs, .233 batting average, .741 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 17.1

#15. Dan Petry (tie)
- Draft: 74th overall pick in 1976
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 370
- Career stats: 125 wins, 3.95 earned run average, 1.36 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 17.1

#14. Rick Porcello
- Draft: 27th overall pick in 2007
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 355
- Career stats: 150 wins, 4.4 earned run average, 1.32 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 18.8

#13. Brandon Inge
- Draft: 57th overall pick in 1998
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,532
- Career stats: 152 home runs, .233 batting average, .685 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 19.2

#12. Bobby Higginson
- Draft: 336th overall pick in 1992
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,362
- Career stats: 187 home runs, .272 batting average, .813 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 23.1

#11. Chris Hoiles
- Draft: 489th overall pick in 1986
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 894
- Career stats: 151 home runs, .262 batting average, .834 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 23.5

#10. Jason Thompson
- Draft: 75th overall pick in 1975
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 1,418
- Career stats: 208 home runs, .261 batting average, .804 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 25.0

#9. Travis Fryman
- Draft: 30th overall pick in 1987
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,698
- Career stats: 223 home runs, .274 batting average, .779 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 34.4

#8. Kirk Gibson
- Draft: 12th overall pick in 1978
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,635
- Career stats: 255 home runs, .268 batting average, .815 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 38.4

#7. Lance Parrish
- Draft: 16th overall pick in 1974
- Position: Infielder
- Games played: 1,988
- Career stats: 324 home runs, .252 batting average, .753 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 39.5

#6. Jack Morris
- Draft: 98th overall pick in 1976
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 549
- Career stats: 254 wins, 3.9 earned run average, 1.30 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 43.5

#5. Curtis Granderson
- Draft: 80th overall pick in 2002
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 2,057
- Career stats: 344 home runs, .249 batting average, .803 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 47.2

#4. John Smoltz
- Draft: 574th overall pick in 1985
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 723
- Career stats: 213 wins, 3.33 earned run average, 1.18 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 69.0

#3. Alan Trammell
- Draft: 26th overall pick in 1976
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 2,293
- Career stats: 185 home runs, .285 batting average, .767 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 70.6

#2. Lou Whitaker
- Draft: 99th overall pick in 1975
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 2,390
- Career stats: 244 home runs, .276 batting average, .789 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 75.1

#1. Justin Verlander
- Draft: 2nd overall pick in 2004
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 518
- Career stats: 260 wins, 3.25 earned run average, 1.12 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 81.7

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 30 MLB teams.