I’ve learned in the past trying to cover the draft in a post or two turns those posts into gigantic, runaway posts thousands of words long. So after tackling Castellanos by himself the other day - in a mere 1,200 words or so - I figured in the second post I’d just tackle the Tigers’ next five picks.

1st (supplemental), Chance Ruffin, RHP, University of Texas VIDEO (Slot bonus: ~$725K)

Ruffin is the son of former big leaguer, Bruce Ruffin, and that always seems to play well for prospects. I get that, really. They’re probably familiar with a major league training regimen, the lifestyle, what it takes to succeed, et cetera. But let’s be honest. It’s not like you start 0-1 on batters because of it or anything. You have to bring big league stuff and Ruffin looks like he can do that. Depending on who you listen to, his best pitch is either a slider that’s usually within an mph or two of 80 or a fastball that sits at 90-93 mph with good movement. He can hump it up to 95 if he feels the need and according to Baseball America, uses an average curveball to try to neutralize lefties.

That sounds like pretty good stuff, but the common element praised in the reports I read is his aggressiveness and demeanor on the mound. He was a starter early in his college career and made the move to closer this year when the team lost Tiger draft pick, Austin Wood. That could be part of the reason he’s developed three pitches. Anyway, the stuff and approach rolled into one package has made him one of the most dominant closers in the nation this year. He held opponents to 39 hits in 61.2 innings, striking out 96 batters against just 18 walks. That sounds like great control, but he did plunk seven more batters and MLB.com’s report says he relies too much on hitters going out of the strike zone.

If you endeavor to catch him in the College World Series, that may be something to keep an eye on. I'd expect that once Texas is out of the CWS and Ruffin signs, he will fit the mold of a relief prospect the Tigers start off in Lakeland.

2nd, Drew Smyly, LHP, University of Arkansas VIDEO (Slot: ~$525K)

The Tigers seemed to step out of their comfort zone a little bit with this lefty Razorback. At 6’3”, he’s the tall pitcher they like, but they have usually gone where the radar gun took them in the past and that doesn’t seem to be the main thing about Smyly. He was impressive as Arkansas’ best starter with a 2.56 ERA, 78 hits allowed in 98.1 innings, and 108 strikeouts to 33 walks but it wasn’t a blazing fastball that got it done. Baseball America loves his pitching IQ, with Jim Callis in his draft chat saying he thought Smyly was one of the best left-handed starting pitchers in the draft.

Again, though, the stuff has to be there as well. His fastball isn't overpowering, but he can get it up to 93 mph and that's certainly enough from the left side. It sounds as if what he does with the pitch - locating, alternating speed - is the secret, though. That and the fact that he can also mix in a cutter, a curve and a changeup seemed to be the source of him being very effective for Arkansas.

Smyly is a draft eligible sophomore, so I suppose signing isn't a given but the Tigers don't let players taken this high slip away. He's probably unlikely to go much higher than this in the future and he's well aware injuries happen (he red-shirted). Once he signs, he seems like a good bet to start for West Michigan due to the reports of his refined approach as a pitcher.

3rd, 100, Robbie Brantly, C, UC-Riverside VIDEO (Slot: ~$350K)

Like Smyly, Brantly is a draft eligible sophomore and he falls in line with a common strategy of the Tigers. They like guys who perform well in the wood bat, college summer leagues and Brantly was a stud in the Northwoods League. His .346/.411/.516 line as a catcher was good enough for them to name him that league's top prospect last summer.

He continued to hit for average with good discipline when he returned to Riverside, but power doesn't seem to be a particularly big part of his game. If he continues to walk anywhere near as often as he strikes out and spray the ball around, the Tigers will live with that. They will also like it if he lives up to the review of his defensive game provided by BA. I would say they rave about his defense, and if that holds we all know that could allow him to move quickly through the system.

4th, Cole Green, RHP, University of Texas VIDEO (Slot: ~$225K)

The Tigers looked to the Longhorns again, and I don't know what's going on but it sounds like they went with another guy who is more of a pitcher than a thrower. I'm kind of kidding with the incredulity, but this does seem to be a bit of a different approach for the Tigers. He is on the smallish side for a starter (6'0", 210 lbs) and is a ground ball pitcher who gets those results with a high 80s, low 90s sinker. He also works in a changeup and a slider, and throws strikes because he only walked 24 in 106 innings. In that time, he struck out 71 and gave up 83 hits.

His future role is uncertain, but as always I hope the Tigers let him run his course as a starter. After all, he doesn't seem like the kind of pitcher who's going to change his game and effectiveness by moving to a relief role. His pitchability seems like it could land him in West Michigan, but Connecticut is probably the likelier assignment.

I would like to add one more thing. I looked at Green's video, and I'm not a mechanics guy but he certainly seems to be upright at the end of his delivery, doesn't he? I don't know if that's a problem or what it deprives him of compared to reaching more toward the ground. I seem to remember reading about pitchers needing a big follow-through to take the stress of pitching off their arm. Okay, I know there's too many people on the internet who seem like they're pretending to know this stuff already, so I'll get back to looking at picks.

5th, Alex Burgos, LHP, State JC of Florida (Slot: ~$160K)

Okay, seriously, is Chadd just messing with us? Burgos is 5'11", 180 pounds and pumps strikes with a fastball in the high 80s. He's known as a polished pitcher and reportedly was another player who benefited from his work in the Northwoods League. In addition to the fastball, he makes good use of his secondary pitches. Reports of what pitches those are precisely are a little conflicting. BA has him throwing a cutter and a curve.

Thoughts:

After making the big splash with Castellanos, the Tigers seem to be making an effort to crank up the system's baseball IQ. These seems to be a refined group of college players who may not blow scouts away but know what they're doing on the mound or on the field. The next post is likely to cover more like ten or twenty picks since there's generally less to say about the players taken later in the draft.

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