The second day of the 2026 MLB draft is underway, and this is where the Tigers can get some good value. Remember, Tarik Skubal went in the ninth round, and Kerry Carpenter was a 19th-rounder, so some of these guys have a chance to make big impacts in Detroit.
It’s rare to see players picked in the first 10 rounds not sign, but the second half of the draft is a bit different. Slot values go away, and teams are allowed to offer $150,000 that doesn’t work against the bonus pool. Anything over that number comes out of any underslot-signing savings in the first 10 rounds. Usually, you’ll see a Hail Mary type pick in the final four or five rounds, and those players don’t always end up being signed.
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For a refresher, Detroit selected Coastal Carolina right-handed pitcher Cameron Flukey in the first round, Kansas shortstop Tyson LeBlanc in the second round, Florida Gulf Coast two-way Evan Dempsey as a right-handed pitcher in the competitive balance round B and high school shortstop Dominic Pellegrin (Holy Cross HS, LA) in the fourth round. The Tigers did not have a third-round pick due to the signing of Framber Valdez.
Round 5, Pick 158: RHP Declan Dahl, Louisiana Tech
A 6-foot-3, 200-pound right-hander out of Louisiana Tech, Declan Dahl is an interesting developmental pickup for Detroit.
He spent two seasons with Seminole State (Okla.) at the JUCO level, compiling a 13-6 record, 3.36 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over 128.2 innings and 26 appearances (21 starts). Dahl threw four complete games in that time and had a 10.00 K/9 over that time, too.
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His JUCO success set him up for a Division I opportunity at LA Tech, and he finished the 2026 season as the Conference USA Newcomer of the Year, as well as earning First All-Conference honors. Declan had a 7-4 record and 2.75 ERA over 15 starts and 81.1 innings, with 102 strikeouts and only 23 walks. His 4.40 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranked 53rd overall last season.
Dahl is a flyball pitcher, seeing 47.8% of batted balls go in the air. He maintained a 10.1% home-run-to-flyball rate, which is right where it should be. He has a three-pitch mix: a 91-93 mph fastball that tops out around 95 mph, a 79-83 mph slider and an 80-84 mph changeup.
He has a low release point, which helps the secondary stuff but might be limiting his velocity. The changeup is his best pitch when he can control it, sinking and drawing swing-and-miss. Dahl’s slider gets left over the plate a bit more often than one would like to see, but the arm slot helps all three pitches force batters to chase.
Round 6, Pick 187: SS Maddox Molony Oregon
MLB Pipeline describes the 21-year-old, right-handed hitting shortstop as the best prospect in the Pacific Northwest. An Oregon native, Molony was a freshman All-American with a .969 OPS, and matched those numbers as a sophomore as well, hitting 15 homers and 10 steals. Molony struggled in the Cape Cod League, which helped him slide a bit.
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Molony boasts low in-zone whiff rates and good bat speed, but may have some trouble translating his developing average power in games. His pull-heavy approach and underwhelming junior year didn’t help his draft standing, seeing him drop several rounds from his earlier projections.
He’s not particularly fast for a shortstop, but he has a good glove and plenty of arm strength. If the power continues to build, he could slide over to the corner.
Round 7, Pick 216: 1B Brady Ballinger, Kansas
Brady Ballinger entered the 2026 season as one of the faces of the Jayhawks’ program, but a down year as a junior hurt his draft stock. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Las Vegas native spent his freshman season with the College of Southern Nevada before transferring to Kansas. He broke out as a Third Team All-American in 2025 with a .353/.495/.670 (1.164 OPS) slash line, 16 home runs and 56 RBI with a .317 ISO and 165 wRC+.
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Ballinger moved from first base to left field ahead of the 2026 season and saw his numbers dip to .283 with seven homers and 42 RBIs. Still, his bat is where all the value lies. He has a good eye, walking (101) more times than he struck out (94) over two seasons at Kansas. Ballinger has a high leg kick in his load, with power to all fields.
“He has a high handset and uses an extreme barrel tip above his head and towards the pitcher in his load… firing an uphill swing through the zone,” Baseball America wrote in its scouting report. “That operation has worked for him in the past, but it requires excellent timing and pitch recognition. His contact and batted-ball angles regressed in 2026, but Ballinger still shows a solid understanding of the zone and on-base skills.”
Ballinger didn’t look great in the outfield in pre-draft workouts, but he is more athletic than his frame suggests on paper. Still, Detroit should keep him at first base until he eventually moves to designated hitter.
Round 8, Pick 246: 3B Robert Omidi, St. Martin Secondary School (Ontario, Canada)
A left-handed high school bat with speed and strength, Omidi clocked exit velos in the upper-90s in batting practice at the 2025 PG National Showcase. He has an open stance with higher hands and a bat waggle. There’s good strength in his hands and a strong bat path, which result in good bat speed, barrel feel and leverage, according to PG scouts.
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Defensively, Omidi has “fine” lateral movement and throws accurately from short. He was clocked at 83 mph on infield throws, but that number should be up a bit a year later, which could allow him to stick at third. He worked at third at the draft combine.
Signing Omidi may require some overslot money, especially with an SEC commitment under his belt to Kentucky.
Round 9, Pick 276: RHP Kenneth “KJ” Ward, Park University-Gilbert (Arizona)
KJ Ward is a 6-foot-5 right-hander out of the NAIA level who has some top-end velocity. He came back from Tommy John surgery in 2024, throwing in the upper-90s and touching triple digits somewhat regularly in 2026. He’s more likely to sit in the mid-90s, but Detroit should be able to develop his mechanics and get some of that high heat more consistently. Most likely a relief prospect but has closer level potential if the Tigers can get him sorted.
Round 10, Pick 306: RHP Jack Turner, New Mexico State
Jack Turner is a really good development story. He started in Division II ball at Felician University before transferring to Suffolk County Community College to play at the JUCO level for two seasons. There, he ate up innings as a freshman at Suffolk, throwing 55.1 innings over 10 relief appearances. He maintained a 3.09 ERA and struck out 72 batters (11.71 K/9). He transitioned to a starting role in 2024, finishing the year with a 7-3 record over 12 starts (14 appearances) and 81.2 innings. His ERA continued to drop, reaching 2.42 and he was ranked second among all NJCAA DIII pitchers with 119 strikeouts. He also had five complete games and two shutouts while allowing zero home runs, earning him a NJCAA Division III First Team All-American nod and the opportunity to play Division I ball with New Mexico State.
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Turner moved into the top spot of the weekend rotation for New Mexico State in 2025 before suffering a season-ending injury, finishing the season with 54.1 innings and 39 strikeouts. His ERA climbed to 5.96, however, and didn’t come back down in his senior year in 2026. Turner split time as a starter and reliever, making half of his 14 appearances out of the bullpen. He logged 58.1 innings and raised his strikeout rate from 15.0% to 21.7%, but his walk rate climbed from 9.2% to 11.7%, too.
Turner showed off good stuff in the MLB Draft League, holding a 4.50 ERA over a combined 18 innings, while striking out 22 and walking 11. The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder has a fastball that averages 94-95 mph and gets up to 97 mph with some funk in his low-three-quarters delivery. He often pairs a good sweeper with his sinker, and he also uses an 82-85 mph slider with 2700+ rpm and a low-80s changeup with spin in the 1600s. That arm slot produces a lot of horizontal movement on his sinker and sweeper, and as a result, Turner is a ground-ball pitcher who saw just under 60% of batted balls in play against him on the ground. He had a high home-run-to-flyball ratio of 20.5% in 2025, but that dropped dramatically to 7.1% last season. There is a lot to work with metrically but plenty of issues to clean up as well.
Round 11, Pick 336: 1B Will Adams, Hoover HS (AL)
LSU commit Will Adams is a 6-foot-2, 203-pound left-handed bat with “one of the prettiest left-handed swings” in the high school class, according to MLB Pipeline. A 55-grade hit tool and 50-grade power bodes well, and some scouts believe he can tap into more raw power as he matures.
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At the MLB Draft Combine, Adams had an average exit velocity of 100.1 mph, with the top 10% of his swings averaging 108.5 mph. An average launch angle of 12.6% suggests more low-liners than lifted barrels. Changing the swing could lead to more home runs quickly. He can handle a fastball and has good hand speed, but the misses come against good spin, according to Baseball America.
Defensively, he could stay at first base or land at a corner outfield spot. Above-average arm could land him in right field fairly easily. Adams’ speed is fine for now, but expect him to slow down once he’s fully developed.
Adams is going to get more than the $150,000 allotted for Rounds 11-20, but Detroit probably wouldn’t have picked him if they didn’t have the money to sign him.
Round 12, Pick 366: OF Tyler West, Salt Lake CC
Tyler West is a speedy outfielder from JUCO Salt Lake Community College with a commitment to Texas A&M. Being a rising redshirt sophomore with an SEC commitment, this could take some of that extra money Detroit has lying around, but it’s a great pickup based on the profile.
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West stole 24 bases last season while slashing .397/.482/.562 (1.044 OPS) from the left side. In the fall, he hit .452 with a wood bat and stole 23 bases. He can cover ground in center field and should stick there. Some scouts have said he has 80-grade speed potential. West shows off quick hands in the box and can leg out an extra base on plenty of balls hit into the outfield.
Round 13, Pick 396: RHP Jett Johnston, Auburn
Right-hander Jett Johnston has spent the last three years in the SEC, starting with Texas A&M as a freshman and then pitching regularly out of the bullpen for the Auburn Tigers.
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As a junior, Johnston held a 5.25 ERA over 24 innings in 15 appearances. He struck out 31 and walked just six while holding batters to a .260 average. His WHIP has been 1.33 consistently over 35.1 innings the last two seasons, and his metrics improved greatly from 2025 to 2026.
Johnston finished 2026 with a 28.7% strikeout rate and a 5.6% walk rate, which means he doesn’t miss the zone much. His FIP also dropped each year, settling at 3.68 last season. A two-way athlete until this year, Johnston still has room to develop.
His arsenal features a 93-95 mph fastball that’s touched 97, a sharp sweeper in the low-to-mid-80s, a short cutter in the upper 80s and a changeup at 87 mph.
Round 14, Pick 426: LHP Edwin Alicea, USF
Edwin Alicea is a 6-foot-5, 235-pound left-hander with starter potential. He spent much of the 2026 season as the Friday night starter for the University of South Florida (which is in Tampa; a.k.a. West Florida) and held a 5.23 ERA over 72.1 innings of work. He made nine appearances out of the bullpen but still averaged close to four innings an outing.
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Alicea held opposing bats to a .253 average, struck out 60 (18.2 K%) and walked 28 batters (8.5 BB%). More than half of balls in play were hit on the ground, and his line drive rate was 15.0%. Prior to USF, Alicea spent two seasons at DII Nova Southeastern, where he went 7-3 with a 4.46 ERA and 79 Ks over 68.2 IP.
He’s been effective in the Cape Cod League over the past two summers with a 1.83 ERA, 20 strikeouts and six walks over 19.2 innings. He recently committed to play for Georgia next season, but with three seasons under his belt should be signable.
Alicea has a fastball in the mid 90s with good sink and run. He also throws a slider in the high 70s and a mid-80s changeup at a three-quarters release that makes him tough in left-on-left matchups.
Round 15, Pick 456: RHP Dustin Dunwoody, Royal HS (CA)
The first high-school arm selected by Detroit this year is Dustin Dunwoody, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound right-hander ranked No. 199 overall in the 2026 high school class by Baseball America. The California native is committed to play at USC after switching from Arizona earlier this season. We’ll see if the Tigers have the bonus pool money to lock him up, but they should have a pretty good idea by now. This has certainly been a very different draft for them when the first prep arm arrives in round 15.
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Dunwoody throws from a 3/4 to high 3/4 arm slot with a fastball in the low-90s but can touch 95-96 mph when he reaches back. Ther’s video of a 2-seam fastball with heavy run in upper-80s as well. He also has an 82-85 mph slider with spin between 2,700 and 2,900 rpm. He is developing a kick-change in the mid-80s, too.
Swing-and-miss ability on the slider is to be determined. He’s drawn plenty of whiffs at the prep level, but some scouts describe him as a thrower instead of a pitcher at the moment. That’s common for a prep pitcher, and depending on the cost this looks like a really good bet as long as the Tigers actually ink him to a deal.
Round 16, Pick 486: RHP Michael Lane, Deleware State
Michael Lane is a three-year pitcher out of Deleware State with a 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame. He’s committed to play at Liberty but shouldn’t be too difficult a sign for Detroit.
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He has made 21 starts over the past two seasons after working primarily out of the bullpen as a freshman. The ERA has gone up and down, starting at 7.01 in 2024, dropping to 2.48 over 40 innings in 2025 and climbing back up to 7.24 over 73.1 innings last season. Lane has a career strikeout rate of 25.1% and has lowered his walk rate each season — 18.2% to 14.8% to 8.9%. However, less walks have come with more hits. Opponents batted .301 against him this year after hitting just .199 in 2025.
He has a legitimate four-pitch mix. Lane’s fastball sits between 92-95 mph with some ride. His circle changeup is his best secondary, sitting 86-87 mph with 16 inches of horizontal movement. The curveball is solid, too, in the low-80s with two-plane movement. He also mixes in a cutter, which could help keep him a starter if it develops, but the few looks we have saw it’s decidedly a fourth pitch still in development.
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