The 2022 MLB Draft will begin on Sunday, July 17, and the Detroit Tigers will have the No. 12 overall pick in the opening round.
So far during the 2022 season, the Tigers have been absolutely atrocious when it comes to hitting the baseball and scoring runs, which has caused many to believe they will select a hitter with the No. 12 pick.
In fact, many believe the Tigers will try to stack up with plenty of hitters throughout the 2022 MLB Draft.
But could the Tigers actually select a pitcher with the No. 12 pick?
Detroit Tigers land top college pitcher in 2022 MLB mock draft
In his most-recent 2022 MLB mock draft, Kiley McDaniel has the Detroit Tigers selecting who he believes is the best college arm that will be available.
That player is LHP Connor Prielipp out of Alabama.
Here is what McDaniel has to say about the Tigers passing on a bat to get another arm.
From ESPN:
I get the impression that the Tigers don’t want to take a prep arm given where they are in the competitive cycle, which is unlucky as they might well have their pick from a deep class. I’m hearing they are almost only on college players, and I think they’d prefer a pitcher. Prielipp now seems to be the clear best college arm in the draft, and this is about where he likely goes.
Gavin Cross and Jordan Beck aren’t here in this scenario, but I think, in that order, those are the college bats they’d like to get. Jace Jung is an option and Detroit was deep at his regional. As with Elijah Green, I’m not sure who has the conviction to pick Jung, but he should be in the conversation for every team in this range.
Now, if you have not heard much about Connor Prielipp as of late, that should not come as a surprise as he did not pitch at all in 2022 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.
Prior to getting injured (in the first start of his sophomore season), Prielipp was talked about as being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.
During his freshman season with the Crimson Tide, Prielipp was 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA while striking out 35 batters and walking just six in 21 innings. That’s right, Prielipp did not allow a single run in 21 innings of work as a freshman in the SEC.
According to reports, Prielipp has thrown in front of scouts and proved that he has fully regained his stuff.
Prielipp, according to MLB.com, has a slider that is one of the most dominant pitches in college baseball.
Prielipp’s slider is one of the most devastating pitches in the college class, sitting in the mid-80s and touching 90 mph with two-plane break that has it drop off the table as it approaches the plate. He also can elicit swings and misses with a low-90s fastball that peaks at 95 mph with run and downhill plane. He has a quick arm and could add more velocity after completing his rehabilitation from elbow reconstruction.Â
Nation, how would you feel about the Detroit Tigers selecting Connor Prielipp with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft?
