MLB projects Kayson Cunningham to Tigers

Photo by Roberto Machado NoaLightRocket via With the MLB Draft just over a week away, mock draft season is full go. The latest to take a swing at predicting each team picks is. Here, they ran through the traditional first round and the supplemental first round to make 43 total selections. That includes two for the Detroit Tigers, who pick 24th and 34th overall this projects the Tigers to take high school shortstop Kayson Cunningham with their first pick. We covered him briefly in a previous article, but this is a great player to have available this late in the draft. Hes consistently rated in the top 15 on draft lists with much of his value coming from an arguably bestinclass hit tool. The lefty has slightly below average power currently with a little room to add strength. More importantly, Cunningham is considered a lock to stay up the middle at either shortstop or second base depending on much he slows down in his , there are some risks attached here Donny Sands Jersey. Firstly, his premium hit tool can be undermined by a tendency to chase against pitchers who cant throw the ball past him. He hasnt been tested enough by high school pitching to be burned by this yet, but expanding the zone in pro ball will lead to a lot of weak contact. Additionally, he is already 19 years old, making him one of the oldest high schoolers available. That usually negatively impacts how datadriven scouting models rate players and might explain why hes projected to slide a little on draft day. Regardless, Cunningham is a very talented hitter and a Harrisstyle pick, for sure. Cunningham is committed to the University of Tennessee, but it isnt expected to be a roadblock for a firstround staff also mentions a few other names that might be of interest to Detroit, all high schoolers. Slater de Brun is the lefty centerfielder we covered earlier. Sean Gamble is either a second baseman or a center fielder with wellrounded tools across the board. Josh Hammond is a powerarmed third baseman who recently converted from full time pitching; theres big power and the potential for hit tool improvement as he hones his focus . Finally, theres Xavier Neyens, a pretty typical powerfirst third baseman with hit tool risk but a good eye. All four are premium high school talents whose ordinal rankings depend on your personal favorite flavor of predicting the 24th overall pick wasnt volatile enough, MLB also takes a stab at the Tigers plan with the 34th pick. Here, they mention yet another high schooler with Jaden Fauske. Fauske is a lefty outfielder from Illinois who quit catching to focus on slugging Dustin Garneau Jersey. Its a balanced offensive game with good swing decisions, solid bat control, and plus raw power in his3, 200lbs frame. Some scouts wonder if hes fast enough to try center field, which would make him a very exciting prospect, but realistically he projects to the corner outfield. If Fauske hits as projected, that wont hurt his prospects still over a week out from the draft next Sunday, so everything is very fluid. Things are starting to take shape a little bit, though. To nobodys surprise, Scott Harris and the Tigers are primarily connected to high school athletes they can work with early and mold into highupside starters. Its a draft philosophy thats worked for them and seems likely to work again.