Day one of the draft is complete, and the Tigers have made their first four picks at #22, 61, 69, and 125. Let’s take a deep dive into each of their selections and the tools that they feature.
Round 1, Pick 22: Cameron Flukey
Draft Age: 21
School/Commit: Coastal Carolina
Position: RHP
Bat/Throw: R/R
Height/Weight: 6’6”/210
Flukey pitched for Coastal Carolina for three seasons, 2024-2026, over which he struck out 232 batters in 180.2 innings pitched. His sophomore season really put him on the map for scouts, he was the Saturday night starter and ended the season with a 3.19 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 101.2 innings pitched. After his first start of the 2026 season, he was diagnosed with a rib fracture and sidelined for two months. He made only 7 starts in 2026, posting a 4.13 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched. He bounced right back up to 97 MPH with his fastball after his injury, and seemed to have his feel back for all his pitches.
Flukey begins his delivery with a high leg kick into a long arm path both in the back and in the front, throwing from a high 3/4 arm slot. Adding to his deception are his 6’6” frame (lean and still projectable!!), a good amount of extension, and a unique high release point, making it so that he appears to be pitching downplane. He shows lots of downward rotation in his torso upon release as his front foot lands on-line with slight first-base falloff at the end. His fastball velocity has touched 99 MPH with his comfort zone being 96 — oh, and it averages 18 inches of IVB (induced vertical break). His fastball does its best work when he rides it at the top of the zone — it induces plenty of swing-and-miss underneath, contributing to the 40% chase rate and 21% miss rate on the pitch. Both the velocity AND fastball quality play plus.
His breaking stuff consists of a gyro slider and a curveball. The slider sits 84 and has an 11-5 shape. The curveball sits 78 with depth, and has a true 12-6 shape. His preferred secondary especially against right-handed hitters, his curveball induced an overall 40% miss rate in 2026. His less frequently featured changeup sits 86 and shows occasional late fade and armside run. He has stated in interviews that his changeup is a “work in progress” for him.
Flukey is a strike-thrower who repeats his delivery with ease and pounds the strike zone — his strikeout rate in 2026 was 30.7%, above average for an NCAA pitcher, and his walk rate was 8.9%, also better than average. He has impressive feel to pitch — he is able to command the fastball around the zone, setting up his nasty secondary. He’s shown the ability to execute in two-strike counts as well, opponents hitting just .143 off of him in such situations in 2026. Overall, it is safe to say Flukey has the ability to shape four pitches, and features a combination of deception, velocity, and command. I am excited about this pick. Flukey has real upside and middle-of-the rotation potential — I would love to see what happens to his velocity and command should he add more strength to his frame!
Summary of Grades (Present/Future):
Fastball – 60/65
Slider – 50/50
Curve – 55/55
Change – 45/50
Command – 55/55
Control – 55/55
Overall – 55
Round 2, Pick 61: Tyson LeBlanc
Draft Age: 21
School/Commit: Kansas
Position: SS
Bat/Throw: R/R
Height/Weight: 6’0”/200
Tyson LeBlanc was a Juco (Junior College) transfer from LSU Eunice. During his 2026 season, he slashed .341/.425/.706 with 25 home runs and 12 doubles. He featured a 12% walk rate (average) and a 16% strikeout rate, a tic better than average for a BIG 12 player. Summer 2025, LeBlanc played in the Northwoods league — a high-talent collegiate development league, and slashed .345/.415/.505 with 5 home runs and 7 doubles in 173 plate appearances, with more walks (18) than strikeouts (16).
LeBlanc begins his swing with an open stance and his bat resting on his right shoulder. His stride is a bit closed off and leads into a very small toe tap load into a rotational swing. He does a great job of staying in his legs, and his swing plane stays through the hitting zone with some loft at the end. Going under-the-hood to look at his hit tool more in depth, LeBlanc features a squeaky clean 10% in-zone miss rate and 16% overall miss rate. The chase, however, is a bit high at 27% — the culprit seemingly being breaking balls on which he features a 30% overall miss rate. He has present bat speed and the ability to catch up to velocity, hitting .309 against pitches 92 MPH and above. One thing to note is that in college, the best pitchers generally start on Friday nights. On Friday nights, he is hitting .221 with a 25% strikeout rate. He has shown the ability to use all fields, and has power to all fields. Speaking of power, he features a 90th percentile exit velocity of 104.9 MPH, which is average for an NCAA player.
As for the run tool, he runs average rates down the line and will snag the occasional bag as he has the instincts on the bases to do so. His range is average at shortstop and he gets to what he needs to get to. His actions and hands say that he is better suited for second base, where his plus arm will profile nicely. I see him as an everyday player for a non-contending club in the big leagues, or a role player for a contending club.
Summary of Grades (Present/Future):
Hit – 40/45
Power – 50/50
Run – 50/50
Field – 45/50
Arm – 60/60
Overall – 45
Round CB-B, Pick 69: Evan Dempsey
Draft Age: 20
School/Commit: Florida Gulf Coast University
Position: RHP
Bat/Throw: L/R
Height/Weight: 6’2”/205
Dempsey pitched for Florida Gulf Coast University for three seasons, 2024-2026. He put up impressive numbers in 2025, featuring a 1.97 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 68.2 innings pitched. His 2026 season was the most innings he’s pitched in a season, posting a 3.15 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 88.2 innings pitched. Even more impressive were his 7% walk rate and 34.1% strikeout rate, holding opponents to a .209 average.
He begins his delivery with a full wind up starting behind his head, and goes into a high leg kick with a long arm path in the back and out front. He pitches from a low 3/4 arm slot with slight first base falloff at the end. His delivery is easy and repeatable, being that he is a two-way player he is an above-average athlete with good body control.
Dempsey’s arsenal features a fastball that sits 92 MPH and has touched 95. He rides it at the top of the zone well, as it features a 28% miss rate and a 32% chase rate, often inducing swing-and-miss underneath. His fastball and the way he commands it does a great job of setting up his high-spin secondary. His big, looping, 3000+ RPM curveball sits 76 MPH with bite — inducing a 43% miss rate. He features a low-80s slider that has sweeping action and about 5 MPH velocity separation from his curveball, with just a tic tighter spin. He induced a 45% miss rate and a 35% chase rate on his slider in 2026, both above average. Less frequently used is his changeup that sits low 80s. The movement features quite a bit of fade, some even featuring late diving action. If he could get a better feel for his changeup and do a better job of commanding it, the late movement appears as if it has the potential to be nasty.
Control and command wise, he is a strike-thrower who executes in two-strike counts. He held opponents to just a .106 batting average and .160 on-base percentage in two-strike counts in 2026. I am impressed. I see Dempsey as having a lane to middle-of-the-rotation potential if he is able to add a tic of velocity to his fastball and work on the feel for his changeup.
Summary of Grades (Present/Future):
Fastball – 50/50
Slider – 55/60
Curve – 50/55
Change – 40/50
Command – 50/50
Control – 50/50
Overall – 50
Round 4, Pick 125: Dominic Pellegrin
Draft Age: 19
School/Commit: Holy Cross HS/Tulane
Position: SS
Bat/Throw: R/R
Height/Weight: 6’1”, 175
Pellegrin is a right-handed hitting prep shortstop out of Louisiana with a very projectable frame and room to add strength. Since he is a prep bat, the data I dug up is from a combination of summer events — the 2026 MLB Draft league, Future Stars series, and PG National events.
He begins his swing with a balanced stance, holding his bat a bit away from his body. He has a unique exaggerated leg-kick load, and a simple, handsy, on-plane swing that is direct to the ball. He slashed .375/.569/.525 in the draft league with 2 doubles, 13 walks, and 13 strikeouts in 58 plate appearances. He is a very pull-oriented hitter who will take his walks. He has shown his ability to catch up to velocity, hitting .364 with a 13% overall miss rate on pitches 92 MPH and above. Now for the concerning part — he has an alarming overall miss rate north of 50% on breaking pitches and really seems to struggle with same-side spin. Power wise, his 90th percentile exit velocity is 99.4 MPH, which is average for a high school hitter.
Pellegrin is a plus runner who has instincts to steal bases — he had 11 steals in 13 attempts in the draft league. He shows good actions at shortstop — a quick first step with quick release and soft hands. Defensively he is very polished and won’t have a problem sticking at shortstop. Both his range and his arm flash strong average. He maintained a fielding percentage of .950 and above throughout his high school career.
It is very difficult to project tools on high school players when there is not a lot of data available — unless you have seen them a handful of times in-person, and I most certainly have not. That said, Pellegrin strikes me as an impactful defender at a premium position (shortstop) — something that is valued in baseball. Based on the information available, both his hit tool and power flash fringe. I see him as a platoon-type player whose lane to the big leagues is his defense.
Summary of Grades (Present/Future):
Hit – 35/45
Power – 35/45
Run – 55/55
Field – 55/65
Arm – 55/55
Overall – 45
**The grades in this article are MY opinions based on video and analytics — opinions of publications and others may vary!!**
Rogelio Castillo 
Chris Brown