​The Tigers are back at work in the 2026 MLB Draft on Sunday, continuing the momentum from four selections on the opening day of proceedings. Detroit has a full slate of picks ahead, beginning with No. 158 in the fifth round, one of 16 remaining selections the club will make as the draft progresses. Here is a running tally of Detroit’s Day 2 picks and how they are shaping the organization.
So far on Day 2, Detroit has added a right-handed college pitcher to its growing stable of arms. This addition comes after the club previously selected Cameron Flukey in the first round, who hails from Coastal Carolina, and Evan Dempsey, a competitive balance round B pick who pitched for Florida Gulf Coast. With the latest addition, the Tigers have now deployed three of their first five selections in this draft on right-handed pitching, signaling a clear emphasis on bolstering the pitching staff early in the process.
The newest member of Detroit’s pitching corps is a 6-foot-3 junior hailing from Texas. His journey to this point began at Seminole State College in Oklahoma, and he later transferred to Louisiana Tech, where he made a notable impact on the mound. This season, he appeared in 15 starts for the Bulldogs, pitching to a 2.75 ERA while posting a 7-4 record. He racked up 102 strikeouts over 81 1/3 innings, demonstrating a powerful capability to miss bats and a durable workload that should play nicely into the Tigers’ developmental plans. The combination of size, velocity potential, and a track record of strikeouts makes him an intriguing piece for Detroit’s developmental ladder as they aim to strengthen depth behind their more established arms.
Looking ahead, the Tigers will continue to monitor and evaluate talent across the remaining rounds, with an eye toward players who can contribute both in the near term and deeper into the organization’s pipeline. Detroit’s strategy this draft appears to be focused on adding high-upside arms who can be developed into major-league contributors, while also infusing versatility and a breadth of potential positions within the system. The organization will likely continue to weigh signs of projectability, competitive experience, and performance against tougher competition when projecting future roles for these young athletes.
As these selections unfold, Detroit’s front office will be focused on aligning its draft choices with the broader organizational goals, including strengthening the farm system, increasing pitching depth, and identifying players who can adapt to the Tigers’ strategic needs as they pursue both immediate impact and long-term success. The 2026 draft class, particularly Day 2, is shaping up to reflect an intentional build of pitching talent, with the Tigers looking to stockpile arms that can grow into reliable contributors in the years ahead.
This report about the Tigers’ Day 2 choices comes from ongoing coverage of the 2026 MLB Draft, with detailed notes on selections and player backgrounds. The article also notes that Andrew Graham is a freelance writer and that the original report appeared on The Detroit News, providing additional context for readers following Detroit’s draft activity.