KC Royals: Notable picks by divisional opponents in 2019 MLB Draft
By Cullen Jekel
Detroit Tigers
Round 1, Pick No. 5: Riley Greene, Outfielder, Hagerty (Fl.) High School
Detroit just missed on a ready-made college bat as Vanderbilt’s J.J. Bleday went fourth overall to the Miami Marlins, who will end up trading him for peanuts just as he’s about to break out, as the Marlins are wont to do.
Instead of taking the next best available college outfielder, Arizona State’s Hunter Bishop, the Tigers went the high school route, taking 18-year-old Riley Greene. Greene stands 6-foot-2, weighing 185 pounds, and he rocked Florida high school pitching last season, as he launched eight homers, 11 doubles and three triples to go along with his .554 on-base percentage.
Previously, he had been committed to the Florida Gators, but just days after the draft, signed with the Tigers for a signing bonus just north of $6 million.
"I usually try to find the gaps or put balls over the shortstop's head. I just got the right pitch."
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 21, 2018
Riley Greene put his team on the board early with this two-run shot in the first inning in the @UABaseball #UAAllAmerica Game last night. More: https://t.co/NeQON234v8 pic.twitter.com/KONqdwruT9
Incredibly, Detroit then did not take another high school player until the penultimate round of the draft, when they selected LSU-commit Cade Doughty in the 39th round.
In rounds two through six, Detroit went with college bats, landing two third basemen, a shortstop, left fielder, and catcher. Third-round pick Andre Lipcius out of Tennessee exploded his junior season with the Volunteers.
In his first two years on campus, he hit a combined eight home runs. In 2019 alone, he launched 17. While his average dropped from .315 to .308, his on-base percentage remained .399 as his slugging percentage increased over 100 points to .586. He also struck out just two more times than he walked while stealing ten bases.
For the rebuilding Tigers, Lipcius could reach the Major League squad sometime next year or 2021 as he’s decided to forego his senior season in Knoxville to begin his professional career.