It is now the midway point in the 2026 season. Scott Harris is in the midst of his fourth season as the Tigers’ President of Baseball Operations, and he just completed his fourth draft, in which Cameron Flukey was selected in the first round out of Coastal Carolina University. The inaugural Scott Harris draft class is now in their third full season of professional baseball, which makes it a great time to see where everybody stands.
This was the first draft that was partially chosen by a draft lottery. The Tigers finished 66-96 the year prior and landed the third overall pick despite having the sixth-highest odds to do so. Headliners of this draft class were Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews from Louisiana State, Wyatt Langford from the University of Florida, and high schoolers Max Clark and Wyatt Jenkins.
In this draft class, 21 players were selected, 19 of them signed with the Tigers. Bradley Stewart and Ethan Farris decided to fulfill their commitments to Eastern Kentucky and Texas State. Out of the 19 players that signed, nine of them were pitchers and ten were position players. The Tigers signed seven players out of high school, the most since 2007, when 44 selections were made. The previous season, the Tigers drafted no players out of high school.
Max Clark (1st round)
Just like 2021, the Tigers drafted a high-schooler with the third overall selection. He was named the Gatorade Male Athlete of the Year, an award previously given out to LeBron James, Bobby Witt Jr., and Cooper Flagg. Clark received a signing bonus of $7,697,500 and forwent his commitment to Vanderbilt University. He currently sits as the No. 13-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline and sits atop the TMLR rankings. In 81 games with Triple-A Toledo, Clark has hit .264 with eight home runs and 20 stolen bases. There is no pressure, with Clark still being 21-years-old and plenty of time to develop.
Kevin McGonigle (1st round competitive balance A)
Just three years ago, Kevin McGonigle was a senior at Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, approximately a half hour away from Philadelphia, where McGonigle played in his first All-Star game. The 21-year-old has quickly grown to be a superstar not only in the city of Detroit, but in baseball as a whole. McGonigle, in his rookie season, has hit eight home runs, driven in 34 runs, swiped 11 stolen bases without being caught stealing, and has triple-slashed .283/.392/.420 while splitting time between third base and shortstop. His WAR, according to Baseball Reference, is seventh in the league. In April, following just a few weeks of big league play, McGonigle signed an 8-year, $150 million contract to buy out his arbitration and first three free agent years to solidify his spot in the Motor City. McGonigle is currently on pace to win the American League Rookie of the Year, which will earn the Tigers an extra first-round pick in next year’s draft due to the MLB’s prospect promotion incentive program.
Max Anderson (2nd round)
Anderson, 24, was selected out of the University of Nebraska, signing for $1,429,650, nearly half a million dollars under slot value. He’s been a steady contributor to the farm system in his three seasons in the organization. He mostly plays second base, with an expansion to third base as of last season. So far in Toledo, he has triple-slashed .308/.362/.507 with nine home runs in 54 games. The former Cornhusker doesn’t strike out too often, only punching out 12.8% of the time, but his lack of walks is concerning. He hits fastballs and sliders well, but shows struggles against curveballs and sweepers. Anderson has proven to be a solid pick to this point and can very well make his major league debut this season.
Paul Wilson (3rd round)
Wilson was selected out of Lakeridge High School with the 76th overall pick in the 2023 draft. This was the first-ever pitcher selection made by Scott Harris in his role with the Tigers. Taking Max Anderson in the third round out of college allowed the Tigers to pay Wilson approximately $750,000 over slot to sway him from his Oregon State commitment, a school that has produced two of the last nine first overall picks. Wilson missed most of 2025 and the beginning half of this season after undergoing left UCL reconstruction. Much of his time on the mound has been plagued by a lack of control and walks, but his stuff plays well when thrown in the strike zone. In 53.1 innings pitched in his career, Wilson has a 6.24 ERA, 52 walks, 10 hit-by-pitches, and 61 strikeouts. The 21-year-old’s main objective is to get a feel for the strike zone and remain healthy during the second half of the 2026 season.
Carson Rucker (4th round)
The former Tennessee baseball commit has played the hot corner for Lakeland the last two seasons after missing most of 2024 due to surgery on his left labrum. Rucker, who turns 22 next month, was the fourth prep player taken in the draft by the Tigers. Last season, Rucker had issues hitting for extra bases. This season, his extra-base power has improved with seven home runs after hitting just a solo blast the year prior, but his strikeout numbers have soared. Rucker has more strikeouts this season in 290 plate appearances than in 429 plate appearances in 2025. On the bright side, his walk rate is 16.6%. Rucker hits the ball hard, but needs to cut back on the swing-and-miss, which happens 40.6% of the time.
Jaden Hamm (5th round)
Selected out of Middle Tennessee State, Hamm was the first collegiate pitcher selected by the Tigers in 2023. He came out blazing in 2024, striking out 122 batters in 99 innings with a 2.64 ERA in West Michigan. In 2025, Hamm struggled in 20 starts and 88 innings, giving up more walks and hits as part of growing pains afflicted to his promotion to Erie. His fastball was never a force, sitting in the low-90s to mid-90s, but last season his fastball sat in the high-80s to low 90s. This season, Jaden Hamm has yet to pitch due to a right shoulder strain. A 2026 return is unknown, as is his return to success.
Bennett Lee (6th round)
Lee was the lead backstop for the No. 3-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons in 2023. So far, Lee has simply been a farmhand. He’s .159 in 580 at-bats in his minor league career, but his defense and pitch-calling abilities have landed him a job in Erie catching alongside Thayron Liranzo. Lee may not be a force behind the plate, but his arm is a force to be reckoned with. In West Michigan last year, Lee caught base-stealers 41% of the time. This season in Erie, he’s caught base-stealers 33% of the time, but pitchers are only allowed one disengagement in Double-A compared to two disengagements in the major leagues. Bennett Lee does not have a major league bat, but his catching and pitch-calling abilities assist the development of pitchers in Double-A.
John Peck (7th round)
Turning 24 on Saturday, Peck has been a successful seventh-round pick at this point. He was invited to spring training down in Lakeland, Florida as a non-roster invitee earlier this season. In 58 games with the SeaWolves, Peck triple-slashed .285/.328/.511 with ten home runs and 17 doubles. He earned a promotion to Toledo in the third week of June alongside Brett Callahan, but tweaked his leg running to first base in his second game. Peck hit a single, a double, and a home run in those two games. He grades out as a scrappy utility man in the home stretch of his journey to the MLB.
Jatnk Diaz (8th round)
Diaz signed with the Tigers after being ineligible to pitch his senior year of high school due to a technicality. He was originally committed to East Stroudsburg University, a Division II school located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Diaz was topping out at 97 MPH on draft day, but has fallen to the low 90s. He threw 64 innings between the Florida Complex League and the Lakeland Flying Tigers. This season in Lakeland, Diaz has thrown 26.1 innings, striking out 26 batters and walking 19, holding an ERA of 9.23. His four-seam fastball has a very high hard-hit rate at 41.18%. Aside from his fastball, which has been a favorite to opposing batters, his slider has a 29.5% whiff rate, and his changeup generates whiffs 35.7% of the time. Diaz’s slider has a stuff+ score of 124 according to Prospect Savant, a score that’s average is 100. What’s killing Diaz in Lakeland is his horrendous strike-throwing rating. He only throws strikes 55.3% of the time and only throws pitches in the strike zone at a 46.2% clip. Diaz has the tools to be a successful pitcher, but lacks execution.
Hayden Minton (9th round)
Minton started his college career with Missouri State, transferred to Johnson County Community College before returning to Missouri State, where he was drafted. The 25-year-old right-hander has been a reliable arm for three seasons. Minton has a career 3.97 ERA in 261 innings thrown and has just been promoted to Erie, where he has a 3.07 ERA in 14.2 innings pitched. A major issue plaguing Minton is his high walk numbers. In 2026, Minton has walked 10.2% of batters faced, fueling his high FIP that stands at 5.34. The key to future success all relies on the limitation of base runners via walks.
Andrew Sears (10th round)
The former Connecticut Husky has had a very successful minor league career thus far, sitting at No. 10 on the TMLR prospect ranking. Sears was left off the Tigers’ spring training roster due to a left elbow fracture that had left him sidelined until the middle of May, when he began rehab assignments. In five starts with Erie, Sears has thrown 19.1 innings, punched out 22 hitters, and walked six. The 23-year-old southpaw is a fierce competitor on the mound, showcasing an energy resembling Max Scherzer. Sears’ fastball-slider combo has carved up minor league baseball the last few seasons and isn’t far off from reaching Detroit.
Jim Jarvis (11th round)
Jarvis is the second player in this draft to reach the major leagues, but not for the Tigers. Reigning from the University of Alabama, Jarvis was acquired by the Atlanta Braves at the 2025 deadline in exchange for Rafael Montero. The 25-year-old was called up in early May before being optioned a week later. Jarvis was later recalled on July 2nd and hit his first major league home run on the ninth. He’s hit .300 in ten games at shortstop, but Scott Harris won’t reap the benefits.
Andrew Dunford (12th round)Â
No longer in the organization, Dunford was drafted out of Houston County High School. A right elbow sprain in 2024 later turned into right elbow reconstruction. Dunford pitched a total of 4.1 innings with the Tigers organization before being released in April and later being signed by the Houston Astros organization.
Brett Callahan (13th round)Â
Callahan may have been taken late, but he has raised his ceiling potential year-after-year. Drafted out of St. Joseph’s University, once home to Jamie Moyer, Callahan earned a promotion to Toledo alongside draft-mate John Peck after progressing through Lakeland in 2024, West Michigan in 2025, and Erie in 2026. So far in Toledo, Callahan has triple-slashed .338/.387/.441 in 17 games with one home run, 12 runs batted in, and seven stolen bases. At 24-years-old, Callahan can make great strides toward a major league promotion this season or even next spring training.
David Smith (14th round)
Just like Andrew Sears, David Smith was a Connecticut Husky. Smith is no longer in the organization, having been released in February, alter signing with the Lancaster Stormers of the Atlantic league. In 183 minor league games, Smith hit .204 with six home runs whilst playing second base and the outfield.
Brady Cerkowynk (15th round)
Cerkowynk was the only player drafted out of a junior college by the Tigers in 2023. He signed for $397,500 and played in just two games in 2023 for the FCL Tigers. In 2024, Cerkowynk underwent right UCL reconstruction and missed the entire season. He returned for 24 games in 2025, until being released this April and being picked up by the Washington Nationals, where he is rostered on their A-ball club.
Donye Evans (16th round)
Evans was drafted from Charlotte after starting his collegiate career at Vanderbilt. The 24-year-old has spent all of this season in Lakeland following a complete absence in 2025 due to right UCL reconstruction. So far with the Flying Tigers, Evans has pitched in 21 innings, struck out 21 batters while posting a 1.29 ERA. Evans does have a sizable age gap between himself and opposing batters, but he’s made the most of it, attaining a 35.7% whiff rate from his opponents. Evans very well can see himself in West Michigan at some point this season at the conclusion of rookie ball.
Bradley Stewart (17th round)
Stewart did not sign, fulfilling his commitment to Eastern Kentucky, now at the University of Georgia.
Ethan Farris (18th round)
Farris chose to fulfill his commitment to Texas State, where he just came off a season with a 1.109 OPS.
Blake Pivaroff (19th round)
Just like Spencer Torkelson, Blake Pivaroff reigned from Arizona State. Pivaroff missed a chunk of 2024, pitching only 18.1 innings of 2.95 ERA baseball due to a right elbow sprain. He was released from the organization the following March.
Johnathan Rogers (20th round)
Rogers was selected in the final round of the draft out of Tupelo High School in Tupelo, Mississippi. The 21-year-old right-hander has spent all four seasons of his professional career pitching for the Florida Complex League Tigers. He’s thrown 71 innings in his career, and he holds a 3.93 ERA. Rogers was released from the organization in February, but was re-signed in May to eat up innings.
Just after three years, Scott Harris’s first draft in Detroit is already a success due to the selection of Kevin McGonigle. Top organizational prospects Max Clark and Max Anderson can join in on the fun any moment now. Andrew Sears appears to be on a big league pathway, along with position players John Peck and Brett Callahan. Paul Wilson is still young enough to figure things out without being overly rushed, and the verdict is still out on Jaden Hamm.
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Ashley Couturier 
Rogelio Castillo