Best Outfield Draft Options for the Detroit Tigers
It’s draft month here at Tigers Minor League Report, and today we’re taking a closer look at 2025 draft prospects who roam the grass. The Tigers system is a bit lacking in outfielders, but smart teams draft for talent, not organizational need. Besides, if you have good athletes you can just turn them into All-Star starters in the outfield.
The Detroit Tigers have a pretty smart front office. So we don’t think they are heading into the 2025 MLB draft looking to beef up their outfield prospects. But, it’s easiest for us to break down the draft by position groups, so that’s what we’re doing. Rogelio profiled infield options the other day, and then some pitchers. You can also look at individual player profiles from Ashley. And Jerry had fun scouring the JuCo ranks.
Now, let’s get to the outfielders.
Detroit Tigers Outfield Options – Pick 24
Slater de Brun
Bats: L – Throws: L – 5-foot-9, 185 pounds – 6/8/2007 (18)
Slater de Brun is the outfielder most often linked to the Detroit Tigers in mock drafts and general Internet scuttlebutt. It’s hard to know if the Tigers actually covet him – they don’t make it a habit of announcing who they want to pick before the draft. But de Brun does seem to fit the profile of many of Detroit’s picks over the past two drafts. He’s a shorter hitter with strong contact skills and plate discipline, and he’s a 70-grade runner who could be a plus defender in center field.
A native of Oregon, de Brun often gets compared to fellow undersized Pacific Northwesterner Corbin Carroll. He probably won’t hit 20+ home runs a year like Carroll, but he has enough power to keep pitchers honest. He shares a lot of similarities with Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle, and he could develop into an ideal top-of-the order hitter in time.
Draft Spotlight: Slater de Brun, OF, Summit HS (OR)
Dynamic, twitchy athlete with a strong, compact frame. Bat to ball skills present with continued power development. Plus runner that can handle CF @PG_Scouting @PGAllAmerican pic.twitter.com/MfXDbykzsF
— Perfect Game Draft (@PG_Draft) May 8, 2025
Jace LaViolette
Bats: L – Throws: L – 6-foot-6, 230 pounds – 12/4/2003 (21)
Jace LaViolette is about as far away as it gets from de Brun in terms of skills and stature. He is an impressive athlete in his own right, but he’s roughly the same size as two de Bruns in a trenchcoat. LaViolette came into the draft process as one of the favorites to go first overall, but he and Texas A&M had a very disappointing season. At his best he shows 70-grade power, excellent patience, and enough athleticism to possibly handle center field.
But this year he looked slower and stiffer, and that resulted in him batting .258 with a 25% strikeout rate. He doesn’t seem like the sort of player this Tigers front office would target, but he should go in this range. The best-case scenario for LaViolette may be as a three-true-outcomes hitter in the mold of Adam Dunn or Joey Gallo.
Ethan Conrad
Bats: L – Throws: L – 6-foot-3, 220 pounds – 7/4/2004 (21)
Ethan Conrad is one of the more intriguing college hitters in this year’s class. A native of New York, he spent his first two seasons playing for Marist. He had a terrific stint in the Cape Code League last summer, batting .385/.433/.486 with 19 steals in 30 games. Then he transferred to Wake Forest and was off to an excellent start this year. But he hurt his shoulder after just 21 games and missed the rest of the season.
Conrad is a big, physical kid who has a chance to be above-average across the board. He’s relatively young for a college pick, too. The shoulder injury makes his profile a little more risky, and he’s an aggressive hitter who chases pitches out of the zone fairly often. That makes him an unlikely choice for the Detroit Tigers at pick 24. But some evaluators think he could have been a top-10 pick if he stayed healthy this year. He also reportedly visited Tennessee recently, and may opt to stay in college.
Detroit Tigers Outfield Options – Pick 34
Sean Gamble
Bats: L – Throws: R – 6-foot-1, 190 pounds – 7/6/2006 (19)
Sean Gamble fits the Tigers profile pretty well. He has a long track record of hitting on the high-school showcase circuit. He’s also an above-average athlete with a chance for five at least average tools down the road. There is some thought he could play on the infield, but we think it makes the most sense to just put him in center field. He could potentially be a fit at pick 24, or perhaps on a slightly over-slot deal at 34.
‘25 Sean Gamble (FL, @VandyBoys) looking poised for a big spring in BP.
Compact stroke w/ some tight turns sees a heavy barrel stay in the zone. Worked middle throughout showing off some ability to lift.
👍👍 || #MLBDraft || @PB_DraftHQ #FLPC25 || @PrepBaseballFL pic.twitter.com/VZqqlrfxIS
— Shooter Hunt (@ShooterHunt) February 6, 2025
Cam Cannarella
Bats: L – Throws: R – 6-foot, 185 pounds – 9/6/2003 (21)
Two years ago it looked like Cam Cannarella might be a top five pick in this draft. He was an All American as a freshman at Clemson after batting .388 with 26 extra-base hits and 24 steals. He continued to hit well and play very good defense over his next two seasons, but he hurt his shoulder as a sophomore and basically stopped trying to steal. Cannarella doesn’t offer much in the way of power, and there are now some questions about his arm strength and base stealing. Still, he looks like a potential above-average hitter with the chance to be a plus defender in center field.
Josh Owens
Bats: L – Throws: R – 6-foot-3, 185 pounds – 1/8/2007 (18)
Josh Owens is technically still a shortstop, but he shows a lot of similarities to Padres 2021 first-rounder Jackson Merrill, who eventually moved to the outfield. Owens doesn’t have a long track record on the showcase circuit, but that’s partially because he also played football in high school. He shows a nice swing, with tons of room to add strength, and he’s a plus runner with a strong arm. He may be more of a fit for the Tigers at pick 62, but there’s a decent chance he’ll be gone by then.
Top 200 Draft prospect Josh Owens putting his bat on display the Combine.
Watch LIVE: https://t.co/pEFLga4uSB pic.twitter.com/fmYcoqeqdE
— MLB Draft (@MLBDraft) June 18, 2025
Jaden Fauske
Bats: L – Throws: R – 6-foot-3, 200 pounds – 11/21/2006 (18)
Jaden Fauske is an interesting player as a long-time catching prospect who now seems to prefer playing outfield. He has the offensive potential to make that work, with a strong mix of plate discipline, contact skills, and potentially above-average power. He’s also a solid runner, so he could play some center field, but he’ll probably settle in right eventually. He is committed to LSU, however, so he might need a hefty bonus to sign.
.@jonmorosi talks to No. 57 MLB Draft Prospect Jaden Fauske on his development under Hall of Famer Jim Thome.#MLBCentral | @MLBPipeline pic.twitter.com/N92H45dS9l
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 8, 2025
Detroit Tigers Outfield Options – Pick 62
Charles Davalan
Bats: L – Throws: R – 5-foot-9, 190 pounds – 12/16/2003 (21)
Charles Davalan checks off a lot of boxes for the Tigers. He makes strong swing decisions and puts the bat on the ball a ton. Davalan shows surprising pop for a shorter hitter, and he’s also an above-average runner. He may be able to play center field, left field, and second base in pro ball. He’s originally from Canada, but he played his first college year at Florida Gulf Coast. He transferred up to Arkansas and performed even better this year, batting .346 with 14 home runs and more walks than strikeouts.
This is the definition of a “big boy swing”! Charles Davalan turns around this 95 MPH heater and hits an absolute tank (EV of 107) out to RF. Big time bat speed. Davalan is a fun player with an enticing blend of performance and tools. Potential T-2 rd type.pic.twitter.com/BD21YtYeUQ
— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) June 8, 2025
Brock Sell
Bats: L – Throws: R – 6-foot-1, 180 pounds – 10/27/2006 (18)
Brock Sell’s profile screams future leadoff hitter. He has a quick, simple swing designed to make tons of contact, and he’s a plus runner. His speed gives him extra value on offense and makes him a good bet to stick in center in pro ball. Sell’s approach doesn’t produce a ton of power, and he may never be more than a gap hitter. He’s also committed to Stanford, so there’s a pretty solid chance he gets to college. He has been playing in the West Coast League this summer, and his stats there are a good reflection of his profile.
Blaine Bullard
Bats: B – Throws: L – 6-foot-2, 180 pounds – 8/16/2006 (18)
Blaine Bullard seems to fall in more of the 4th round range on public draft lists, but there’s an awful lot to like here, and teams may need to take him earlier to keep him off campus. His swing isn’t terribly fluid, but he shows feel for contact from both sides of the plate, and he’s a premium athlete who was also a wide receiver in high school. He earns some 70 run grades, with the chance to be a plus defender in the outfield. And he has room to grow into at least average power. If he gets to school he could be a 1st rounder in a few years.
Blaine Bullard (25 TX) showing well so far; multiple knocks & several stolen bags. High end run tool; B2B skill w/ switch hit ability. Lots to like on both sides & can really defend. #Aggies commit. #PGHS @PG_Draft @KCainBaseball pic.twitter.com/ZJ86LjF81H
— Perfect Game Texas (@Texas_PG) April 9, 2025
Rogelio Castillo 
Jerry McKennan