2021 MLB Draft: Tigers select RHP Ty Madden with No. 32 pick overall

With the 32nd pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, the Detroit Tigers have selected right-hander Ty Madden of the University of Texas. Considered by many to be one of the top 10 talents in the class, Madden suffered a draft day slip that saw the Tigers take him back in competitive balance lap A.

Madden has been a known prospect since his high school days, but he made the right move by joining the Longhorns rather than going pro in 2018. In college, his business exploded and he added an extra three miles an hour. at the top. of his fast ball speed. In the 2021 season, he pitched at a 2.45 ERA and maintained an impressive 10.85 strikeouts per nine innings.

It is perhaps an understatement to say that the choice was well received by the media.

The first thing most people notice about Madden is that he sheds heat. His fastball is somewhere between the low to mid-90s, but there’s plenty more in the tank when he wants it. It will hit around 98 miles per hour, no complaints for a starting pitcher. However, despite the high heat, his fastball is not considered the home ground for Madden’s arsenal. He is thrown from a very high arm lunge, which is beneficial for hitters with an uppercut swing, and he lacks the swing profile used by many MLB strike pitchers.

The trump card in Madden’s hand is his cursor. It was slurvy pitch when he entered college, but he refined it into a sharper offer and now he has the hard, downswing movement that tunnels well with his fastball and prompts hitters to swing in. the airs. FanGraphs and MLB Pipeline both see it as the best it has to offer and a potentially more pitch.

The increase in physicality is another way Madden has improved over his three years with the Longhorns. He added muscle to his 6-foot-3 body, which is part of the reason he liked increasing his fast ball speed. Additionally, sportier pitchers generally have an easier time repeating their deliveries, so there is reason to believe that he has a projectable command.

Joe Doyle from Landing gazebo compiled a full screening report on Madden ahead of the start of the 2021 season and identified areas for improvement needed are consistency in his shift and curve. Both have the characteristics of major league pitches – the curved ball is a steep downer and the change is fairly small on spin – but it has to convert those traits into results on the pitch more often.

Presumably, much of the money saved by Jackson Jobe’s editorial staff will go to Madden. He was to be selected around the tenth pick, and will rightly demand a signing bonus commensurate with his talent.