​On Saturday, July 11, the Detroit Tigers will hold the No. 22 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. That selection will be the 62nd time the No. 22 slot has been used since the entry draft began in 1965. So, what can the Tigers expect from No. 22? For a pick coming from the lower third of the first round, the No. 22 slot has yielded a surprisingly high return in terms of major-league production: 43 of the 59 picks (through 2023) have reached the majors, a promotion rate of 72.9%.
For reference, the No. 22 selections have produced eight position players with at least 1,000 MLB games and 10 pitchers with at least 250 appearances. Overall, these picks have generated 69,614 plate appearances, 16,482 hits, 8,773 runs, and 1,859 homers. They’ve logged 15,863 innings, 870 wins, and 11,807 strikeouts. There have been 10 All-Stars (across 24 All-Star appearances), two players with 3,000 hits, one Hall of Famer, plus another pick whose off-field issues have kept him from Cooperstown, and another whose ongoing impact in the dugout makes him a likely future Hall of Famer. There’s even a No. 22 pick who lost his lunch and his job with the Tigers along the way.
Will the Tigers’ No. 22 pick reach any of these milestones? It’s too early to tell. In the meantime, here’s a look at some of the most notable No. 22 selections in MLB draft history.
Craig Biggio, drafted by the Houston Astros as a catcher out of Seton Hall in 1987, entered the majors behind the plate and earned an All-Star nod in his fourth season. By his fifth year, he transitioned to second base, where he flourished; he would become a fixture in the All-Star lineup, making five straight appearances from 1994 to 1999. Biggio spent 20 seasons with the Astros and finished with 3,060 hits, 291 home runs, 65.6 bWAR (ninth among MLB second basemen), five Silver Slugger awards, and four Gold Gloves. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in 2015.
Rafael Palmeiro was selected as an outfielder by the Chicago Cubs in 1985 and reached the majors the following year. He soon moved to first base, compiling more than 2,000 appearances at first but ultimately establishing himself as a premier hitter. Palmeiro earned three Gold Gloves as a first baseman (1997–1999), though the final Gold Glove came in a season when he played only 28 games at first and 128 at DH. Across 20 seasons with the Cubs, Texas Rangers, and Baltimore Orioles, Palmeiro totaled 71.9 bWAR—the most of any No. 22 pick—on the strength of 3,020 hits and 569 homers. Palmeiro belongs to the rare 3,000-hit, 500-homer club, alongside Hank Aaron, Miguel Cabrera, Willie Mays, Eddie Murray, Albert Pujols, and Alex Rodriguez. All of this underscores the potential upside of a No. 22 pick, even as outcomes vary widely from one player to the next.