Over the next six weeks, MLB-DI will take a look at each teams draft class, breaking down the best — and most questionable — over the past week.

Next up: The Detroit Tigers. Thanks to their free-agent maneuvers, the Tigers haven’t had many early picks the last couple of years. Did they take the quality over quantity approach?

To the jump!

The Decision Makers

General Manager: David Dombrowski

Director, Scouting: Scott Pleis

The Numbers

College: 29

Prep: 10

Pitchers: 22

Position Players: 17

LHP: 08

RHP: 14

Catchers: o3

Corner infielders: 02

Middle infielders: 05

Outfielders: 07

 The First Ten Rounds

Value Key:

Steal: Player was selected several rounds — or in the case of the first-round, several picks — earlier than his value indicated.

Solid: Player was taken later than his value indicated.

Average: Player was selected where his value indicated.

Slight-reach: Player was taken slightly earlier than his value indicated.

Reach: Player was drafted several rounds or picks earlier than his value indicated.

Analysis

Thompson was part of a very talented Rockwell squad that saw several players drafted, and at 6-4, 235 pounds, he certainly has the build to be a starter. My issue with the selection is while the fastball sits in the low 90′s, the slider is inconsistent, and there’s no third pitch in the repertoire. He’s intriguing — and the floor is back-end starter who eats innings — but he wasn’t a top 100 player for me.

Schotts can fly — and the bat is more advanced than one would expect from a two sport player who was unknown for most of the spring — but the arm probably means he’s moving to second base. The bat might play there, however, and he could be a double digit homer, 20 stolen base type.

Verhagen going before the fifth round really surprised me, he’s got one quality offering — a mid 90′s fastball — with an arm action that demands him moving to relief. If he can develop a slider he might be an interesting back-end bullpen guy, but as he is he’s more of a tenth or eleventh guy on a staff, at best.

One pick that does stand out to me on the positive side is Hudson Randall in the seventh round. No, he’s not ever going to put up numbers like he did as a junior where he walked negative 15 batters (ever so slight hyperbole), but he commands the fastball very well and the secondary stuff is just good enough to be No.4, No.5 starter who should advance quickly. When you are picking that late, getting safe arms like Randall is well done, indeed.

Final Thoughts

The Angels and Tigers drafts are tough to process, because the new rules made it impossible for either of these teams from drafting upper-echelon talents without sacrificing the rest of their draft. In reality, Thompson was probably as good as they could realistically do with their pick — even though better talents were definitely still on the board — without having to select guys who would sign for a song that were no were close to being top 300 talents. I can’t love it because the talent just isn’t there, but I can understand the thought process/continue to loathe these new rules. At least you have Miguel Cabrera.