The Detroit Tigers entered the 2025 MLB Draft with four picks on Day One and made it clear they’re not chasing headlines or consensus prospect rankings. Under President of Baseball Operations Scott Harris and their staff, the Tigers have shown a consistent focus: trust the scouting process, identify upside, and develop players internally.
Whether a player ranks inside the Top 100 or not, Detroit’s front office is betting on their ability to shape raw tools into future big leaguers. That philosophy was on full display with the selections of shortstop Jordan Yost, catcher Michael Oliveto, RHP Malachi Witherspoon, and LHP Ben Jacobs.
Scouting grades in this article are courtesy of Baseball America.
Pick 24:Â SS Jordan Yost (Sickles HS, FL)
Ht: 6’0″ | Wt: 170 | B/T: L-R
Committed to: Florida
BA Grade: 50 / Extreme Risk
Yost’s name rose quickly in spring as one of Florida’s most polished prep hitters. His short, compact swing, high contact rate, and mature approach in the box give him a strong offensive foundation. As Tigers PR tweeted out, he drew 52 walks compared to just 10 strikeouts, including 20 walks to just one strikeout in his senior year.
While his power lags behind the class, he had one of the lowest max exit velocities at the Draft Combine, his frame suggests more strength is coming. Defensively, Yost has the actions and range to remain at shortstop, though some believe his future lies at second or center field.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 30 | Run: 60 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50
Pick 34:Â C Michael Oliveto (Hauppauge HS, NY)
Ht: 6’3″ | Wt: 185 | B/T: L-R
Committed to: Yale
BA Grade: 50 / Medium Risk
Oliveto wasn’t on the showcase circuit radar last summer but exploded onto the scene in Jupiter with a .615 average and loud contact. He’s a projectable left-handed bat with natural rhythm and above-average pull-side power. While the competition level in New York is a concern, the swing and approach stand out. He’ll need to tighten his defensive game behind the plate, especially receiving, but the athleticism is there to make strides. Smart kid with the ability to learn quickly.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 40 | Field: 45 | Arm: 50
Pick 62: RHP Malachi Witherspoon (Oklahoma)
Ht: 6’3″ | Wt: 220 | B/T: R-R
BA Grade: 45 / High Risk
A flamethrower from a low three-quarter arm slot, Witherspoon possesses some of the most explosive pure stuff in the draft. His fastball sits mid-to-upper 90s and he backs it with a hard slider and a slower curveball that both miss bats. While he flashes starter traits, his command and ability to land pitches consistently remain erratic. There’s reliever risk here, but also big-league bullpen upside with late-inning potential.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 30 | Control: 40
Pick 98: LHP Ben Jacobs (Arizona State)
Ht: 6’0″ | Wt: 190 | B/T: L-L
BA Grade: 45 / High Risk
Originally a UCLA recruit, Jacobs reinvented himself at Arizona State, emerging as one of the Pac-12’s most consistent starters. He features a balanced four-pitch mix: a low-90s fastball with carry, a cutter-style slider, a top-to-bottom curveball, and a standout changeup that induced a 52% whiff rate vs. righties. His pitchability is strong, but scouts want to see refinement in his command and sharper execution of his secondaries. With a starter’s frame and savvy sequencing, Jacobs fits the mold of a back-end starter with the potential for more.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Curveball: 45 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 45
Final Thoughts
The Tigers’ Day One draft haul shows a clear trend: athleticism, projection, and upside, both at the plate and on the mound. Yost and Oliveto offer long-term potential in the middle of the field, while Witherspoon and Jacobs provide contrasting but complementary paths to big-league pitching roles, almost right away to me. With the amount of injuries to their pitching prospects last season, Witherspoon and Jacobs have tremendous upside that, under the Tigers pitching machine, will get some tweaks and be able to step in and potentially help out sooner than later either as backend starters or relievers.
Michael Oliveto may have been a reach compared to industry consensus, but Detroit has a history of identifying under-the-radar talent in the Northeast. They’ve consistently scouted New York well, and Oliveto’s tools, specially his swing and power potential, must have stood out to the Tigers’ evaluators. They kept what they thought close to the vest.
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Chris Brown 
Jerry McKennan