On Thursday, the Major League Baseball Rule 5 Draft will take place and our Detroit Tigers just so happen to have the No. 3 overall selection.
Though Tigers GM Al Avila could go in a different direction, most believe he will snag a pitcher.
According to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, there 5 pitchers that could be on the Tigers’ radar and could be on their team by the end of the day. Here is a look at the pitchers mentioned by Stavenhagen.
RHP Garrett Whitlock, Yankees: A hot name on the Rule 5 circuit this year, Whitlock has Double-A experience and a 2.41 career ERA in the minors but underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2019.
RHP Addison Russ, Yankees: Maybe this is just a plug for my high-school teammate. But Russ throws a nasty splitter and has a 2.48 career ERA in the minors. He was traded from the Phillies to the Yankees this past year and supposedly impressed at New York’s alternate training site.
RHP Brett de Geus, Dodgers: With a fastball reaching 98 mph and a plus curveball, de Geus hasn’t pitched above High A but got some attention when he made huge strides in the 2019 season. His pure stuff is as good as any pitcher available.
RHP Sterling Sharp, Nationals: Some thought the Tigers might take this Michigan native in the Rule 5 draft last year. He was instead selected by the Marlins but returned to the Nationals after posting an 11.81 ERA over 5.1 innings. He’s now 25 and still as close to MLB-ready as anyone in the Rule 5 pool.
RHP Lake Bachar, Padres: His fastball can reach the mid-90s and he has experience as both a starter and reliever. He could be a safe pick somewhat like Garcia was last season.
Nation, which of these players should the Tigers select? Or, do you have somebody else in mind?
The Rule 5 Draft starts at noon EST on Thursday, so we will soon know who the Tigers select.
