“Tigers Roll the Dice: Select High School Shortstop and Two Teenage Pitchers in Bold MLB Draft Move”
On the first night of the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft, the Detroit Tigers selected three high school players.
With their first-round pick, the Tigers chose shortstop Bryce Rainer, 11th overall.
Rainer, a 19-year-old from Harvard-Westlake High School in California, had a .505 batting average and a 1.336 OPS, with four home runs and 22 RBI in 33 games. He was named a Baseball America and MaxPreps First Team All-American after his senior season and was the MaxPreps Freshman of the Year in 2021. He also played with Team USA’s 2023 18U National Team, recording hits in seven of his 13 plate appearances.
In the second round, the Tigers selected right-handed pitcher Owen Hall, 49th overall.
Hall, from Edmond North in Oklahoma, started nine games, achieving a 3-1 record with a 1.67 ERA and limiting opponents to a .118 batting average. He was named a 6A All-Star by the Oklahoma Baseball Coaches Association and a Perfect Game preseason All-American for the 2024 season.
With their pick in Competitive Balance Round B, the Tigers chose left-handed pitcher Ethan Schiefelbein, 72nd overall.
Schiefelbein, from Corona High School in California, had an 8-0 record with a 0.27 ERA, 83 strikeouts, and 11 walks in 52 innings over 10 games. He was also a MaxPreps All-American and a teammate of Rainer on Team USA’s 2023 18U National Team, where he posted a 1-0 record with a 0.78 ERA.
The MLB Draft continues Monday with rounds 3-10 and concludes Tuesday with rounds 11-20. Heading into the All-Star break, the Tigers have won eight of their last 10 games and hold a 47-50 record, their best at this point since 2016. They are 12 games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central and seven games back from a Wild Card spot.
