Kicking off Day 2 of the 2023 MLB Draft, the Detroit Tigers picked left-handed pitcher Paul Wilson out of Lakeridge High School in Oregon with the 76th overall pick in the third round.
Wilson is ranked No. 51 overall among draft prospects on MLB.com, but he fell out of the first two rounds (and competitive balance round) to the Tigers on Monday. His slot value is set at $945,100, but Detroit could use some of the money saved with Max Clark (No. 3 overall) and possibly Max Anderson (No. 45) to woo Wilson away from Oregon State.
At 6 feet-3 inches tall and 205 pounds, Wilson has a standard pitcher’s frame and sits comfortably at 93-95 mph with his fastball, which has some good carry and comes from the left side. His go-to breaking pitch looks like a true curve and has received grades of 55 from MLB.com on the 20 to 80 scale. There’s some upside to his changeup as well.
Wilson has MLB bloodlines. His father, Trevor, played in the majors for eight seasons with the Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants before coaching in the minors.
Detroit went with position players in the first three rounds of the draft, but taking Wilson gives Tigers fans a look at what Scott Harris’ philosophy is with pitching prospects. It seems like Detroit’s new president prefers high school talent over college players so far, but we’re still working with a small sample size.
Like most high school players, Wilson’s career will depend on development. Reports had him topping out at 97 mph in 2022, but he’s slowed down a bit as he’s seeking some more consistency in his motion. Locating his fastball will be the first step at the lower levels of the minors.
The Tigers have 17 more picks in the draft. Follow along live at MLB.com.