To say the Detroit Tigers need pitching depth is an understatement. Of course, with the MLB Draft, teams rarely draft strictly for immediate need. The board, the player, the fit and the development plan all come first. But for an organization that has dealt with a long list of pitching injuries, it still makes sense to keep backfilling the system with young arms.
The Tigers leaned heavily into college pitching in the 2025 draft, especially after using their first two picks on high school bats. Detroit took Malachi Witherspoon from Oklahoma, Ben Jacobs from Arizona State and Caleb Leys from Maine in rounds two through four, giving them three college arms with starter traits and some developmental upside. Witherspoon brings the biggest raw stuff of that group, Jacobs gives them a left-handed starter with a solid pitch mix, and Leys is another lefty who came back strong after Tommy John surgery. Last season, I thought before the draft, that Jacobs would be a good fit.
After that, Detroit kept adding college and junior college arms, including Grayson Grinsell, Cale Wetwiska, Cash Kuiper, Charlie Christensen, Joe Ruzicka and Joey Wimpelberg. The common theme was pretty simple, the Tigers targeted pitchers with something their development staff could work with, whether that was extension, fastball shape, a changeup, spin, command or athleticism. It was not a flashy group across the board, but it gave Detroit more pitching depth in the lower minors and several arms who could move quicker if the organization finds the right role for them.
With that in mind, the 2026 draft class has several pitchers worth following. Some are established college names, some are high school arms with projection, and others are the type of pitchers who could rise quickly with a strong spring. Here are a few arms I like early in the process.
RHP Jack Radel|University of Norte Dame
Ht: 6’5″Â |Â Wt: 250 |Â B-T: R-R| Age 21
MLB Pipeline Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Cutter: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 50
Radel’s fastball velocity has been a steady increase since he was signed out of South Dakota, touching 98. He pounds the strike zone and with his arm slot and his ability to throw four different pitches, and his strong work ethic, which has seen him adding muscle to his 6’5″ frame. He is projected for potentially late in the first round but there’s a lot to like for someone I think that could help out Detroit quickly based on his extension and high arm angle.
RHP Jason DeCaro|University of North Carolina
Ht:Â 6’5″Â |Â Wt:Â 198Â |Â B-T: R-R| Age 20
MLB Pipeline Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45
One of the more polished college starters available. DeCaro has been on scouting radars since arriving at North Carolina and has continued to refine his command and pitch mix. What stands out most is his ability to work deep into games while limiting damage. He may not have the loudest raw stuff in the class, but there is considerable value in a pitcher who consistently throws strikes and competes. The Tigers like guys who control the strike zone so this makes sense, maybe for the middle rounds. He is one of the younger college arms in the class.Â
RHP Cal Randall|UCLA
Ht:Â 6’3″Â |Â Wt:Â 190Â |Â B-T: R-R|Age 21
Recently, ESPN has UCLA ranked number one with the most draft prospects, and Randall comes up for a reason. Fastball can touch 100, with really good extension and as Baseball America noted: “His changeup is a legitimate separator with fade and tumble, while a high leg kick with a crossfire, three-quarters release adds deception.” The Tigers could use an hard throwing reliever who can throw up to three really good pitches with a slider to boot that sits around the mid 80’s and finished with a K per 9 of 16.5. Comes from the California powerhouse De La Salle in Concord, California, an area that the Tigers scout very well. If he is there in the middle rounds, I think he would be able to climb through the system quickly.
LHP Mason Edwards| USC
Ht.: 6’2″ | Wt.: 190|B-T: L-L| Age 20 (turns 21 right after the draft)
MLB Pipeline Scouting grades:Â Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50
Edwards, like Randall, is a Southern California kid who ended up going to USC. His delivery is high 3/4, compact, and he comes down the plain with a bit of head jerk but can touch 95 with his fastball. He has really good command and with a plus curve to use to change up eye levels, another mid-round talent that would fit well with the Tigers recent string of lefties they have drafted. Plus, he fills up the strikezone, 169 strikeouts in 95.2 innings of work but could that be the level of the competition in the Big Ten? Hard to say but the fact his command and secondaries play up well, I think, could play up well for Detroit.
RHP Eric Segura | Oregon State
Ht:Â 6’2″Â |Â Wt:Â 197Â |Â B-T: R-R| Age 21
His release and extension play up with what Detroit wants to do but there is questions about having second secondaries for swing and miss stuff, according to Baseball America. Personally, I like Segura because I think based on his abilites to get ground balls and if he can get slider fixed, that would be a good mix to go with his fastball and a developing changeup. This would be a later round idea:
RHP Duncan Marsten|Wake Forest
Ht:Â 6’3″Â |Â Wt:Â 195Â |Â B-T: R-R| Age 21
MLB Pipeline Scouting grades:Â Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Cutter: 55 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40
Marsten went to the same school as Jack Flaherty, Harvard-Westlake High School in Southern California (notice a theme, here?) and was a teammate of Tigers shortstop Bryce Rainer. He is pitching at Wake Forest, which is noted for having an advance pitching training center. The Tigers did select Michael Massey from there two years ago and has yet to make his debut but based on a few scouting reports, the draft-eligible sophomore owns a 3.83 ERA in 51.2 inningsled by a fastball that sits 95.5 mph and has reached 99. The pitch plays especially well because of his elite extension and has produced a 38% CSW rate. He rounds out the arsenal with a sinker, an 86 mph gyro slider and an 87 mph changeup. He already had Tommy John surgery his freshman year so that might take some pressure off the Tigers
Ht:Â 6’7″Â |Â Wt:Â 205Â |Â B-T:Â L-R
RHP Jensen Hirschkorn|Kingsburg High School (CA)
Ht:Â 6’7″Â |Â Wt:Â 205Â |Â B-T:Â L-R
MLB Pipeline Scouting Grades: Â Fastball: 65 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 50
The Tigers recent track history with high school arms isnt favorable but watching Hirschkorn. his delivery and the way he finishes is smooth, reachig for velocity easy. Pipeline mentioned the product of Northern Calfornia hasnt seen a pick in the first rounds since, well, Matt Manning went 9th overall in the 2016 draft. Would Detroit go after Jensen at pick number 22? I dont think so but then again Detroit has beem a mystery to a certain degree for draft tells. They like guys from certain parts of the county but Hirschkorn’s stuff is plus and if he falls past the first round and he is there at 61, should be worth some consideration. The command and control is there at a young age with a fastball that can touch the upper 90’s and everything has movement. He is committed to LSU, which has NIL money that can pursue him to stick to his commitment. He also can hoop, like Matt Manning.
Honorable mentions:
LHP Cody New| Cal Bapisit
RHP Dylan Vigue| University of Georgia
LHP Hudson Barrett| Oklahoma State
RHP Hudson DeVaughan| Moorseville High School (Indiana)
LHP Ethan McElvain |University of Arkansas.
RHP Kaiden McCarthy|Vermont Academy, Chester, Vt.
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