>> **Best Pure Hitter**: The Tigers continued their trend of targeting hitterish prep bats at the top of the draft in 2025. Both SS Jordan Yost (1) and C Michael Oliveto (1S) have clean lefthanded swings and solid contact skills, though Yost might have the slight edge here with a chance to be an above-average pure hitter.
>>**Best Power Hitter**: Loyola Marymount 1B Beau Ankeney (14) has lots of physicality with a 6-foot-4, 235-pound frame and impressive top-end exit velocity data. He hit 22 home runs and 13 doubles last spring and has done a nice job getting the ball in the air to the pull side.
>>**Fastest Runner**: Yost (1) is a plus runner who would have the speed to move to center field if that ever becomes necessary in pro ball. Cal Baptist OF Nick Dumesnil (8) is also a plus runner who has the speed to play center field and be a solid defender or potentially slide to a corner where he could be an above-average or plus defender. Dumesnil also stole 27 bases in 33 attempts (81.8%) this spring.
>>**Best Defensive Player**: Dumesnil (8) might be the most advanced defender of the class currently, but there are a few interesting catchers who could become more impactful defenders with more development time, including Oliveto (1S), who is a standout athlete, and Edian Espinal (10), who played second base with Central Florida but was selected as a catcher in the draft.
>>**Best Fastball**: Oklahoma RHP Malachi Witherspoon (2) has a big fastball that sits in the upper 90s consistently and has been into the triple digits already. It was one of the harder fastballs in the 2025 class. Maine LHP Caleb Leys (4) is worth a mention, here as well. His fastball sits in the low 90s and will touch 96, but it could play up because he gets more than seven feet of extension.
Best Secondary Pitch: Witherspoon’s (2) hellacious slider is better in a vacuum than it is in game situations because his touch and feel for the pitch comes and goes. But the slider is a high-80s breaking ball with tremendous movement that both generates whiffs in the zone against lefties and righties and consistently induces ugly chases out of the zone, as well. It’s a plus pitch that could be a 70-grade offering with more command. Georgia high school RHP Ryan Hall (5) has a high-spin slider in the mid 80s that has above-average potential.
>>**Best Pro Debut**: Only six Tigers draftees made their pro debut after signing. Northeastern SS Jack Goodman (13) hit .333/.462/.524 with a home run, a triple and three doubles in 11 games with Low-A Lakeland. He looked advanced for the level with more walks than strikeouts, but he did have a few more errors than expected as a shortstop.
>>**Best Athlete**: Alabama State OF Kameron Douglas (20) was a two-way player in college with a fastball that got into the mid 90s but well below-average control. He had a breakout season as a hitter this spring when he homered 17 times and hit 16 doubles.
>>**Most Intriguing Background**: Yost (1) entered the 2025 season unranked but quickly jumped on draft radars early in Florida as one of the most notable risers or pop-up players in the class. He was expected to be a difficult sign out of his Florida commitment, and his older brother, Hayden, is a current member of the baseball team there.
Closest To The Majors: None of the Tigers’ top draftees scream quick mover, but Arizona State LHP Ben Jacobs (3) does have a track record of throwing high-quality strikes to go with a reliable three-pitch mix and an advanced ability to change speeds and mix and match
![[Carlos Collazo of Baseball America]Detroit Tigers 2025 MLB Draft Report Card](https://www.rawchili.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/soO6EpDlQ2ywU4nJNA37P5FkGSyIBbKb1kqvsb00kNw-1920x1024.jpeg)
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Paywall. What does it say?
>> **Best Pure Hitter**: The Tigers continued their trend of targeting hitterish prep bats at the top of the draft in 2025. Both SS Jordan Yost (1) and C Michael Oliveto (1S) have clean lefthanded swings and solid contact skills, though Yost might have the slight edge here with a chance to be an above-average pure hitter.
>>**Best Power Hitter**: Loyola Marymount 1B Beau Ankeney (14) has lots of physicality with a 6-foot-4, 235-pound frame and impressive top-end exit velocity data. He hit 22 home runs and 13 doubles last spring and has done a nice job getting the ball in the air to the pull side.
>>**Fastest Runner**: Yost (1) is a plus runner who would have the speed to move to center field if that ever becomes necessary in pro ball. Cal Baptist OF Nick Dumesnil (8) is also a plus runner who has the speed to play center field and be a solid defender or potentially slide to a corner where he could be an above-average or plus defender. Dumesnil also stole 27 bases in 33 attempts (81.8%) this spring.
>>**Best Defensive Player**: Dumesnil (8) might be the most advanced defender of the class currently, but there are a few interesting catchers who could become more impactful defenders with more development time, including Oliveto (1S), who is a standout athlete, and Edian Espinal (10), who played second base with Central Florida but was selected as a catcher in the draft.
>>**Best Fastball**: Oklahoma RHP Malachi Witherspoon (2) has a big fastball that sits in the upper 90s consistently and has been into the triple digits already. It was one of the harder fastballs in the 2025 class. Maine LHP Caleb Leys (4) is worth a mention, here as well. His fastball sits in the low 90s and will touch 96, but it could play up because he gets more than seven feet of extension.
Best Secondary Pitch: Witherspoon’s (2) hellacious slider is better in a vacuum than it is in game situations because his touch and feel for the pitch comes and goes. But the slider is a high-80s breaking ball with tremendous movement that both generates whiffs in the zone against lefties and righties and consistently induces ugly chases out of the zone, as well. It’s a plus pitch that could be a 70-grade offering with more command. Georgia high school RHP Ryan Hall (5) has a high-spin slider in the mid 80s that has above-average potential.
>>**Best Pro Debut**: Only six Tigers draftees made their pro debut after signing. Northeastern SS Jack Goodman (13) hit .333/.462/.524 with a home run, a triple and three doubles in 11 games with Low-A Lakeland. He looked advanced for the level with more walks than strikeouts, but he did have a few more errors than expected as a shortstop.
>>**Best Athlete**: Alabama State OF Kameron Douglas (20) was a two-way player in college with a fastball that got into the mid 90s but well below-average control. He had a breakout season as a hitter this spring when he homered 17 times and hit 16 doubles.
>>**Most Intriguing Background**: Yost (1) entered the 2025 season unranked but quickly jumped on draft radars early in Florida as one of the most notable risers or pop-up players in the class. He was expected to be a difficult sign out of his Florida commitment, and his older brother, Hayden, is a current member of the baseball team there.
Closest To The Majors: None of the Tigers’ top draftees scream quick mover, but Arizona State LHP Ben Jacobs (3) does have a track record of throwing high-quality strikes to go with a reliable three-pitch mix and an advanced ability to change speeds and mix and match