Detroit Tigers

Players signed indicated in Bold

Round Overall Player Position School State Bonus
2 76 James McCann C Arkansas Ark. $577,900
McCann is a California product who was drafted in the 31st round out of high school and has started for most of the last three seasons at Arkansas. He is putting together his best college season as a consistent hitter for a relatively punchless Arkansas club, rebounding from a .105 showing in the Cape Cod League last summer. McCann doesn't have any standout tools, but he also doesn't have a glaring weakness. He has a chance to hit for average and has fringe-average power, though his swing can get long. His home runs usually come on mistakes, and he has had issues with velocity. McCann has a solid-average arm and is a fringe-average receiver whose actions can get long defensively as well. His solid 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame is a plus, as are his leadership skills and intangibles. The thin college catcher crop should help him get drafted in the first three rounds.
3 106 Aaron Westlake 1B Vanderbilt Tenn. $310,000
At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Westlake is physically ready for pro ball and was strong enough to have a strong season despite the powered-down bats in college baseball this season. He was forced to redshirt in 2008 due to a blood clotting issue, and he was drafted in the 22nd round as a sophomore last year. The Blue Jays followed him in the Cape Cod League, where he hit .292 with five homers. He had career-best numbers this spring for Vanderbilt as the team's offensive anchor, murdering mistakes, and his eight home runs in league games led the Southeastern Conference. He's patient and strong, generates solid bat speed and is an adequate defender. A gamer, he played catcher (albeit poorly) for an injury-ravaged Vandy team in 2009. He's 22, so he'll probably be pushed through the minors quickly.
4 137 Jason King 3B Kansas State Kan. $195,300
After missing 2010 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Jason King returned to bat .326 with 10 homers and 16 steals this spring. The 6-foot, 213-pounder offers plus power potential from both sides of the plate. Though some scouts wonder if he can stick at third base, he's a good athlete with the speed and arm strength to handle right field if needed. A fourth-year junior, he plays with his younger brother Jared at Kansas State.
5 167 Brandon Loy SS Texas Texas $212,000
One of the top defensive shortstops in the draft, Loy has enhanced his draft status with improved performance at the plate. His calling card is still his defense, which includes quick feet, solid range, sure hands and a strong arm. He makes all the routine plays as well as spectacular ones and rarely commits errors. In his first two years at Texas, the righthanded hitter batted .271 and was most notable at the plate for his bunting prowess. Loy led NCAA Division I with 25 sacrifices in 2009 and ranked fourth with 17 last year. He has been asked to bunt less this year, when he hit .327 in the regular season with 20 extra-base hits, nearly matching his previous career total of 21. The 6-foot, 170-pounder projects to have well below-average power with wood bats. He controls the strike zone well but sometimes tries to pull and lift pitches, which isn't his game. Loy has average speed and runs the bases well, though he won't be a big basestealing threat. He might be relegated to the bottom of a big league lineup, but his defensive prowess could make him a major league regular.
6 197 Tyler Collins OF Howard (Texas) JC Texas $210,000
Collins, who started his college career at Baylor and is committed to Texas Christian for 2011, is a lefthanded hitter with plenty of bat speed and a knock for barreling the ball.
7 227 Brian Flynn LHP Wichita State Kan. $125,000
Though Flynn has been inconsistent at Wichita State, winning just seven games in two seasons sandwiched around a redshirt year in 2010 when he was academically ineligible, he remains intriguing because he's a 6-foot-8, 239-pound lefthander who operates in the low 90s and can reach 95 mph with his fastball. His size allows him to throw on a steep downward plane. Flynn's future depends on his ability to develop his secondary pitches. He scrapped his curveball and had some success with a slider, generating momentum in April that might have carried him into the first rounds had he not slumped in May. His slider isn't always reliable, and neither is his changeup or control. His size and plus velocity still could get him picked in the first five rounds, though teams also may be leery of the extra leverage he possesses as a draft-eligible sophomore.
8 257 Jason Krizan OF Dallas Baptist Texas $50,000
Outfielder Jason Krizan's pure tools may not be spectacular, but his performance this spring has been. He set an NCAA Division I record with 37 doubles (breaking a mark shared by big leaguer Brad Hawpe, among others) and set a new Dallas Baptist standard with a 39-game hitting streak. At the end of the regular season, Krizan ranked first in D-I in hits (97) and doubles, second in OPS (1.255) and third in RBIs (76) and total bases (166). The 6-foot, 186-pounder makes consistent hard contact from the left side of the plate. He doesn't run well enough to play center field and may not have enough power to profile as a big league regular in right field, but he could provide nice value as a senior sign in the eighth to 10th round.
9 287 Chad Wright OF Kentucky Ky. $95,000
Outfielder Chad Wright is a good college player who set career highs across the board this spring, when he hit .359 with 16 steals, but he's more of a tweener than a regular by pro standards. He helped his cause by hitting .300 with wood bats for Cape Cod League champion Cotuit last summer. A 5-foot-10, 195-pound lefthanded hitter, he sprays line drives all over the field. He doesn't project to have much power with wood. A good but not plus runner with a below-average arm, he played left field for the Wildcats.
10 317 Curt Casali C Vanderbilt Tenn. $40,000
Curt Casali has lost his plus arm strength to Tommy John surgery, and his inability to control the running game was one of Vanderbilt's few weaknesses in 2011. He was still a positive for the team with a solid bat and good receiving skills, and he's shown the ability to handle the Commodores' high-octane arms. He has a polished approach at the plate with decent gap power.
11 347 Dean Green 1B Barry (Fla.) Fla.
12 377 Jeff Holm OF Michigan State Mich.
Jeff Holm was player of the year and nearly won the triple crown in the Prospect League last summer, then did the same in the Big Ten Conference this spring. He led the Big Ten with 61 RBIs and ranked second with a .376 average and nine homers--nearly doubling his career total of five in three previous seasons at Michigan State. One of the best senior signs in the Midwest, Holm controls the strike zone and makes contact from the left side of the plate. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder collapses on his backside and has an uphill stroke, so he doesn't generate a lot of backspin and may top out at 15-20 homers in pro ball. That's not the power teams want at first base, where Holm is a quality defender, but he has the average speed and enough arm strength to move to the outfield.
13 407 Ryan Woolley RHP Alabama-Birmingham Ala.
Fifth-year righthander Ryan Woolley had his best season and could sneak into the first 10 rounds to a team looking for a bargain. A former Georgia pitcher, Woolley missed a year as a transfer following an incident in the Cape Cod League in June 2008, when police said he drove a truck that struck Cape teammate B.J. Dail, breaking his ankle and fracturing his skull. Woolley pleaded guilty to operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol in February 2009 and received a suspended sentence and community service. He was drafted in the fifth round in 2009 by the Braves, didn't pitch well that summer in the Alaska League and didn't sign, then struggled mightily last season at UAB (7.09 ERA). In 2011, Woolley finally figured out college baseball. While he can touch 94-95 mph with his fastball, he's better when he sits 90-92 with better life and command. He has cleaned up his delivery, helping him locate the ball down in the strike zone, and has done a better throwing his curveball and changeup for strikes. He's already 23 and profiles as a middle reliever.
14 437 Pat Smith OF Middle Georgia JC Ga.
15 467 Tyler Gibson OF Stratford Academy, Macon, Ga. Ga. $525,000
The son of Mercer head coach Craig Gibson, Tyler has a smooth lefthanded swing with a classic high finish and plus raw power potential. He combines good bat speed, improved strength and good balance with plenty of leverage. Scouts are somewhat split on just how high Gibson's ceiling is and how athletic he is, and some believe all his value will be in his bat. With broad shoulders, he should fill out his 190-pound frame and has added 15 pounds since last summer, when he was sidelined by an automobile accident that kept him off the showcase circuit. He returned in October and hit two home runs at the World Wood Bat event and hasn't looked back. Gibson signed with Georgia Tech, which would play him at short, but pro scouts don't consider him a fit there, and projecting him at third base can be a challenge if he keeps getting bigger. He runs well enough (6.7-seconds in the 60) to move to an outfield corner and could hit well enough to man either spot. His arm might be better suited to left field, but it won't matter if he hits with plus power.
16 497 Ismael Salgado OF International Baseball Academy, Cieba, P.R. P.R.
Outfielder Ismael Salgado is the island's fastest player, having turned in 3.7-second times to first on drag bunts. He's wiry at 6-foot-1, 160 pounds and his overall game resembles that of Adrian Ortiz, who was a two-time fifth-round pick both out of Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and later out of Pepperdine. Salgado doesn't figure to go as high as he lacks present strength, making evaluations about his bat all projection.
17 527 Chad Smith RHP Southern California Calif.
18 557 Brett Harrison 3B Green Valley HS, Henderson, Nev. Nev. $125,000
19 587 Daniel Bennett RHP Florida State Fla.
20 617 Tyler Barrett LHP Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) Idaho
21 647 Scott Squier LHP Greenway HS, Phoenix Ariz.
Control and consistency have been an issue for lefthander Scott Squier. He has been up to 94 mph and is committed to Hawaii. Squier has projection in his 6-foot-5, 180-pound frame, and his cutter and curveball show promise.
22 677 Tommy Collier RHP San Jacinto (Texas) JC Texas
Collier was the leading winner on San Jacinto's 2009 College World Series team but had Tommy John surgery last year. The Gators eased him back in a relief role, and the 6-foot-2, 205-pounder showed a low-90s sinker and signs of a plus changeup. His hard slider used to be his bread and butter--and throwing too many may have led to his torn elbow ligament--but he babied his breaking ball this spring. Drafted twice previously (29th round by the Brewers in 2008, 49th round by the Blue Jays in 2009), Collier is expected to sign rather than follow through on a commitment to Houston.
23 707 Trent Daniel LHP Arkansas Ark.
24 737 Matt Crouse LHP Mississippi Miss.
Lefthander Matt Crouse has a better feel for pitching and wound up as Ole Miss' most consistent starter, going 7-4, 3.41 in 90 innings. He throws strikes with an 88-91 mph fastball and pitches off his heater, commanding it, cutting it and running it to both sides of the plate. His crossfire delivery gives him deception, and his ability to add and subtract off his heater helps his fringy changeup and curveball play up.
25 767 Mitch Mormann RHP Wichita State Kan.
26 797 Colin Kaline 2B Florida Southern Fla.
27 827 Scott Matyas RHP Minnesota Minn.
28 857 Guido Knudson RHP UC San Diego Calif.
Knudson's delivery and arm action are best suited for a relief role. He has arm strength, with a 90-93 mph fastball and the makings of a decent slider.
29 887 Montreal Robertson RHP Coahoma (Miss.) CC Miss.
30 917 Greg Milhorn RHP Arkansas HS, Texarkana, Ark. Ark.
31 947 Brian Stroud RHP Western Michigan Mich.
32 977 Brandon Eckerle OF Michigan State Mich.
Brandon Eckerle, who edged Jeff Holm for the Big Ten batting title with a .379 average, set Michigan State records for hits in a season (96) and career (261), thanks to his plus speed. He puts the ball on the ground and uses his legs to get on base, a slap approach that allows him to make contact but leaves the 6-foot, 175-pound righthanded hitter with little power. He gets good jumps and takes good routes in center field.
33 1007 Dan Kickham RHP Missouri State Mo.
If Mike Kickham hadn't signed with the Giants for $410,000 as a sixth-rounder last summer, he would have teamed with his twin brother at Missouri State this spring. A 6-foot-4, 205-pound righthander, Dan Kickham is a mirror image of his brother, who's a similarly sized lefty. Dan saved 13 games to help Crowder (Mo.) CC reach the 2010 Junior College World Series, then turned down the Rockeis as a 37th-round pick and matched that total in his first season with the Bears. His best pitch is a low-80s slider that he sets up with an 88-91 mph fastball. He has toned down his delivery compared to a year ago, but there's still some effort and recoil.
34 1037 Zach Maggard C Florida Southern Fla.
35 1067 Eric Heckaman RHP Western Michigan Mich.
36 1097 Jake Sabol RHP Central Michigan Mich.
37 1127 Nick Avila RHP Nova Southeastern (Fla.) Fla.
38 1157 Blaise Salter C St. Mary's Prep, Orchard Lake Village, Mich. Mich.
39 1187 Cole Brocker RHP Sacramento CC Calif.
Sac City doesn't get many players from Wisconsin, but that's where righander Cole Brocker grew up. He pitched through arm soreness this year, and when he's at his best he has a 91-94 mph fastball and a slider that gets a lot of swings and misses. He fits in the 10th-15th round on talent, but has been adamant about going to a four-year school in the fall, so he'll likely end up at Oregon State.
40 1217 Ryan Krill 1B Portage (Mich.) Central HS Mich.
41 1247 Jimmy Pickens OF Brother Rice HS, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Mich.
42 1277 Tim Chadd C Bishop Carroll HS, Wichita, Kan. Kan.
43 1307 Greg Fettes C Lamphere HS, Madison Heights, Mich. Mich.
44 1337 Chretien Matz OF Arkansas-Pine Bluff Ark.
45 1367 Andrew Allen 1B Cal State Los Angeles Calif.
46 1397 Alex Fernandez Jr. OF Archbishop McCarthy HS, Southwest Ranches, Fla. Fla.
47 1427 Ryan MacPhail C Dutch Fork HS, Irmo, S.C. S.C.
48 1457 Lavaris McCullough OF Palatka (Fla.) HS Fla.
49 1487 Brett Impemba OF Dakota HS, Macomb, Mich. Mich.
50 1517 Brandon Webber OF Bishop Carroll HS, Wichita, Kan. Kan.

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