Looking for a quick boost to the plate — though it’s too late for this year — the Detroit Tigers and general manager Al Avila selected Texas Tech second baseman Jace Jung with the 12 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft on Sunday night in Los Angeles. .
“I couldn’t be happier to be a Detroit Tiger,” Jung said.
Jung, a left-handed hitter, batted .335 with 14 home runs and 18 doubles in 61 games for Texas Tech in 2022. That followed a 2021 season in which he hit 21 home runs averaging .337 in 56 games for the Texas Tech. Red Raiders.
The 21-year-old earned 2021 Big 12 Player of the Year honors and was a consensus All-American.
The San Antonio native also has baseball bloodlines; his brother, Josh, was the No. 8 pick for the Texas Rangers (also out of Texas Tech) in 2019. Josh Jung, 24, entered baseball as the No. 29 prospect this season, according to MLB Pipeline.
Jace watched the draft with his parents, Jeff and Mary, in Lubbock, Texas.
“Just hitting and still practicing and everything,” he said. “Honestly, if there was a wall in front of me, I probably would have walked through it. I’m grateful there wasn’t, but I was excited.”
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Some scouts believed Jung, who is represented by Scott Boras’ agency, would not be available for the Tigers at No. 12.
“We were a little worried he was going ahead of us,” said Scott Pleis, director of amateur scouting for the Tigers. “We were super happy when he came to us. He’s a guy we’ve been talking about for a long time, long spring, long summer. It just happened, we were lucky and he got us.”
Three surprise top-10 picks forced Jung’s downfall. Those picks were college pitchers: Kumar Rocker (Frontier League) to the Rangers at No. 3, Cade Horton of Oklahoma to the Chicago Cubs at No. 7, and Gabriel Hughes of Gonzaga at No. 10 to the Colorado Rockies.
The New York Mets selected Georgia Tech wide receiver Kevin Parada, a player the Tigers liked, 11th overall. Oklahoma prep shortstop Jackson Holliday, the son of Matt Holliday, became No. 1 overall for the Baltimore Orioles.
The Tigers have also shown a lot of interest in Virginia Tech outfielder Gavin Cross (No. 9 Kansas City Royals) and Campbell shortstop Zach Neto (No. 13 Los Angeles Angels).
“There are a few that got off the board a little faster than we thought, and a few that stuck around a little longer,” Pleis said. “But overall I think they were all in the same range, and they’re all very good players. … There are always a few surprises anyway, but it went pretty much the way it did. imagined it.”
Jung’s pick comes the same day the Tigers’ newest first-round college hitter, first baseman Spencer Torkelson, was demoted to Triple-A Toledo. Torkelson, Arizona State’s 2020 No. 1 pick, was hitting .197 in 83 games this season.
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The Tigers entered 2022 hoping to compete for a spot in MLB’s newly expanded playoffs, but injuries to the starting rotation and a league-worst 3.13 runs per game scuttled that plan.
Adding to Torkelson’s struggles, free agent signing Javier Báez (six-year-old, $140 million) spat until the All-Star break with just nine homers and a .213/.251/ slash line. .375.
At 6-foot, 205 pounds, the biggest question about Jung is whether he can stay at second base. His defense is below average, so his body development will indicate whether he should move to first base or left field.
The Tigers plan to keep Jung at second base.
“Absolutely,” Pleis said. “Second base.”
His offense, however, should carry him into the major leagues.
Jung has a superb approach to home plate, knows the strike zone, can hit with two strikes and sends the ball in all areas of the field. More importantly, he is a threat of power without sacrificing contact.
“It makes me work harder and get better,” Jung said of his defense. “If people want to doubt me, I’m going to keep working hard and improving every day. Take that extra glove, show them I can play a little defensively.”
Jung’s addition at No. 12 follows last year’s first pick of Oklahoma high school pitcher Jackson Jobe at No. 3 overall. The 19-year-old right-hander has 43 strikeouts and 18 walks with a 5.09 ERA in 13 starts for Low-A Lakeland this season.
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This year’s selection is the franchise’s lowest first-round pick since taking Florida college pitcher Alex Faedo to 18th overall in 2017.
The Tigers have 17 more picks on Days 2 and 3 of the draft. They remained in the Big 12 for their second round, selecting Oklahoma shortstop Peyton Graham at No. 51 overall.
The team didn’t have a pick of its own in Competitive Balance Round B (No. 71 overall) as that was dealt to the Tampa Bay Rays as part of outfielder Austin Meadows’ package in April. The Tigers also lost their third-round pick when they signed left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez last winter.
The MLB draft continues in Los Angeles with rounds 3-10 at 2 p.m. Monday and concludes with rounds 11-20 at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
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