The 2023 Major League Baseball Draft, Scott Harris’ first as president of baseball operations for the Tigers, already has paid some pretty impressive dividends for Detroit.
Left-hander Andrew Sears was called up and made his major-league debut for the Tigers on Sunday, Aug. 23, in the series finale against the Royals in Kansas City, Mo.
That makes Sears the fifth player drafted by the Tigers in 2023 to make his MLB debut. That ties the Tigers for most players to debut from that draft, with the Colorado Rockies, New York Mets and Seattle Mariners.
And few teams have gotten more, already, from that draft than the Tigers, thanks largely to first-round pick Kevin McGonigle, who remains the heavy favorite to win American League Rookie of the Year in 2026.
McGonigle’s 5.7 WAR (per Baseball-Reference) is third-most for any player from that draft, behind Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes (15.8), the No. 1 overall selection that year who debuted in 2024, and Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford (11.9), who was taken No. 4 (right behind Max Clark to the Tigers at No. 3) and also debuted in 2024.
What 2023 MLB draft picks have debuted for the Tigers?
Here’s a look at Tigers’ picks from 2023 who’ve already made their major-league debut:
Six teams haven’t yet had a player from the 2023 MLB Draft make their major-league debut.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers getting early returns from ’23 draft class, Scott Harris’ first
Reporting by Tony Paul, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tony Paul, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
