2026 MLB Draft Review: Detroit Tigers

The players

The big piece on this board was Cameron Flukey, one of the top college pitchers since his arrival at Coastal Carolina three years ago.

A high school product from New Jersey, Flukey could have gone pro early had he wanted to. Instead, he joined a deep CCU program and helped that program make it to the 2025 CWS Finals, ultimately won by LSU.

Flukey only made seven starts this season, missing significant time due to injury. But when healthy, he was able to showcase why he’s a legitimate top-tier pitching prospect. Mid-90s fastball with carry, as we documented in our Sun Belt preview from earlier in the year, plus a curveball and slider in the arsenal.

Detroit had two second-rounders, used on college players Tyson LeBlanc and Evan Dempsey. Both were proven college performers.

We’ll start with Dempsey, a two-way player who put up eye-popping strikeout numbers with Florida Gulf Coast. One year after he posted a sub-2.00 ERA with FGCU, Dempsey struck out 126 over 88 innings for the Eagles. Didn’t throw too hard in college, as he sat in the low-to-mid-90s. But he has good secondary stuff and may very well benefit from being a full-time pitcher now.

As for LeBlanc, the Kansas Jayhawk led the club in every notable statistical category: average (.341), runs scored (64), home runs (25), and even stolen bases (11). The power is legitimate, making him one of the more intriguing players taken by the Tigers, especially as a middle infielder.

LeBlanc was one of two Kansas draft picks from the 2026 MLB Draft. The other was Brady Ballinger, who looked like the best player on the club heading into the 2026 campaign. However, he didn’t perform as he did in 2025, as he batted just .283 with seven home runs this past season. It was a sharp departure from the .353 average and 16 home runs he hit as a sophomore.

Speaking of well-known college hitters with down 2026 seasons, the Tigers took a shot on another one, Maddox Molony, in the sixth round. Molony hit double-digit home runs during the 2024 and 2025 seasons, and did again in 2026. However, he hit just .233 in his junior season, when one would expect better in the hit department. This year, there was less slug and slightly more strikeouts.

Declan Dahl struck out 102 batters for Louisiana Tech this season. Has one of those flat approach angles, which can make his low-90s fastball a little bit tougher to catch up to. Also has a fleshed-out arsenal, with a changeup and breaking ball.

Aside from the big college players in the MLB Draft, Detroit snared Dominic Pellgrin and Will Adams, two notable high schoolers.

The Tigers went over-slot for Adams, as he signed for $1MM. A first baseman by trade, Lewis hit .518 with six home runs in two PG spring tourneys this year, per the organization itself.

And moving down the list here, one other name to watch is Jett Johnston. Johnston was buried down the Auburn depth chart but pitched well, as he struck out 31 over 24 innings. High-carry four-seamer that hit as high as the mid-90s, plus a changeup and sweeper.