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2024 MLB Draft July 14th - July 16th - Tigers Draft SS Bryce Rainer 1st Round

Tigers' third-round pick celebrates MLB Draft with big league-quality hype video.
If you weren't excited for this pick before, you will be now.
MCBTB
 
PROSPECTS, PIPELINES AND PURPOSE.
Totally Tigers
 
The Detroit Tigers are signing UDFA first baseman Garrett Pennington from NC State University to a minor league contract. In the 2024 college season, Pennington slashed (.350/.435/.665) with a 1.101 OPS and 18 homers.
 
The Detroit Tigers have come to terms on a contract with their 3rd round draft pick RHP Josh Randall.
 
Bryce Rainer took questions from the media after being taken 11th-overall by the Detroit Tigers in last Sunday’s amateur draft, and there was a bit of Triston Casas in his answers. Much like the always-engaging Boston Red Sox slugger — Casas was likewise a first-round pick out of the prep ranks — Rainer came off as a combination of confident, refreshingly honest, and entertainingly quirky.

The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen led off the questioning by asking the 19-year-old shortstop out of Los Angeles’s Harvard-Westlake High School what it was like to hear his name called.

“I honestly don’t think there’s a word to explain how I felt,” Rainer replied. “If there is anything I could compare it to, I’d say it’s almost like a kid at Christmas… I’m still kind of in a state of shock, per se. It still doesn’t really feel real, but it’s been pretty cool.”

Rainer mentioned Santa Claus in his response, and regardless of how real old Kris Kringle truly is, the young infielder is indeed Detroit-bound. It’s not what he anticipated come draft day.

“I did not think it was going to be the Tigers,” admitted Rainer, whom Eric Longenhagen had projected to go the Chicago White Sox six picks earlier. “I’m going to be honest with you. We had some ideas. The draft’s crazy — crazy things happen — and time went on, getting phone calls, then it was ‘Tigers.’ I was like, ‘All right. Let’s go. Looks like I’m going to be a Tiger.’”

Fangraphs
 
Tigers sign top 2024 Draft pick Bryce Rainer.
Tigers official site

Tigers Agree To Deal With First-Round Pick Bryce Rainer.
MLBTR

Detroit Tigers sign No. 11 overall pick Bryce Rainer to over-slot $5.8 million bonus.
Freep
 
RHP Zach Swanson, their 9th rounder, is the last big piece left to sign. They've got most guys under slot so hopefully it won't be a problem. Oregon State commit.
Comp B pick Ethan Schiefelbein hasn't signed yet either. Wasn't expected to be a tough sign, whereas Swanson seems trickier, but still not a done deal with Schiefelbein either.
 
Tigers officially avoid breaking the bank by signing first-round pick Bryce Rainer.
Rainer's signing bonus is over slot value, but Detroit made the numbers work by signing some other draft picks to under-slot deals.
MCBTB
 
The Tigers announced that they have signed LHP Ethan Schiefelbein (No. 72 overall). Additionally, the Tigers signed 3 non-drafted free agents: catcher Hunter Dobbins, infielder Garrett Pennington and RHP Shay Timmer.
The Tigers had about $2.6m to sign Schiefelbein and 9th rounder Zach Swanson. Would assume $1.5-1.7m for Schiefelbein and $900K-1.1m for Swanson. The highest bonus ever for a 9th rounder in the bonus pool era is $800K
 
Supplemental second-rounder Ethan Schiefelbein signs w/Tigers for $1,797,500 (slot 72 = $1,093,600). California prep LHP, starred w/USABaseball, feel for four pitches, fastball in low 90s, slider sits around 80 mph & may be his best pitch.

This leaves the Tigers with about $860K to sign 9th rounder Zach Swanson and hand out any extra bonuses to unsigned players in rounds 11-20.
 
Tigers fans will love top draft pick already putting in work with Jackson Jobe.
Detroit sure does like drafting high school pitchers out of Oklahoma.
MCBTB
 
2025 MLB DRAFT: TOP 30 PREP PROSPECTS.
Prospects Live
 
Here are the 10 farm systems with the best infield prospects. Tigers here.
MLB.com
That's pretty encouraging. I wouldn't have thought that they would have been ranked that highly. Although, I don't put too much stock in kids right out of high school. It seems that they are such a long shot to have success. It still seems like they don't have much top end talent in the farm. Let's cross our fingers!
 
DEEPER DISCUSSIONS.
Totally Tigers

In the past, the Detroit Tigers primarily drafted college players. Under Scott Harris, they are drafting more younger players who have not yet reached college age.
 
In 2025, outfielder Cris Rodriguez from the Dominican Republic will be the Detroit Tigers’ biggest/highest ranked IFA signing ever.
Ranked #3 on MLB Pipelines Top International Free Agents for the 2025 Class.
 
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