Going into Sunday night, Ty Madden was considered a top prospect on the board for the 2021 MLB draft. The Texas starting pitcher was one of the best in the country, leading the Longhorns to Omaha.
In ESPN’s final mock draft, Madden was projected to go No. 11 overall to the Washington Nationals. After throwing 113.2 innings with a 2.45 ERA and 10.8 K/9, he finished as a D1Baseball All-American.
Madden slid into the competitive balance portion of the first round, the Detroit Tigers ended his long wait at pick No. 32. He becomes the first Texas player in the first round of the MLB draft since Corey Knebel in 2013.
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— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) July 12, 2021
Detroit has now taken three college starting pitchers in the first round over the past five seasons. Alex Faedo came out of Florida (2018), while Casey Mize (Auburn) was the No. 1 overall pick in 2019.
College pitchers have a history of making it to the majors quicker thanks to their progressed development. According to MLB.com, Madden is a 55 overall prospect out of 80. His fastball and slider are rated the highest at 60.
Madden will officially join the Tigers’ organization this summer.
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