Detroit Tigers select Texas Tech 2B Jace Jung with No. 12 overall pick in 2022 MLB draft
Looking for a quick boost at 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 No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft on Sunday night in Los Angeles.
Jung hit .335 with 14 homers and 18 doubles in 61 games for Texas Tech in 2022. That followed a 2021 season in which he hit 21 homers with a .337 average in just 56 games for the Red Raiders. The San Antonio native also has baseball bloodlines; his brother, Josh, was the No. 8 pick by the Texas Rangers (also out of Texas Tech) in 2019. Josh Jung entered this season as the No. 29 prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.
The pick comes on the same day that the Tigers’ most recent first-round college hitter, first baseman Spencer Torkelson, was demoted to Triple-A Toledo. Torkelson, the No. 1 pick out of Arizona State in 2020, was hitting .197 in 83 games this season.
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The Tigers entered 2022 with hopes of contending for a spot in MLB’s newly expanded postseason, but injuries to the rotation and a league-worst 3.13 runs per game have scuttled that plan. In addition to Torkelson’s struggles, free agent signing Javier Baez (six years, $140 million) has sputtered to the All-Star break with just nine homers and a .213/.251/.375 slash line.
Sunday’s pick follows last year’s top pick of Oklahoma high school pitcher Jackson Jobe at No. 3 overall. The 19-year-old righty has 43 strikeouts and 18 walks with a 5.09 ERA in 13 starts for Low-A Lakeland this year.
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This year’s selection is the lowest first-round pick for the franchise since taking college pitcher Alex Faedo from Florida at No. 18 in 2017.
The Tigers have 18 more picks in this year’s draft, including a second-rounder (No. 51 overall) later Sunday night.
The team does not have its own pick in the Competitive Balance Round B (No. 71 overall), as that was dealt to Tampa Bay in as part of the package for outfielder Austin Meadows. The Tigers also forfeited their third-round pick when they signed left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez last winter.
The MLB draft continues in LA with Rounds 3-10 at 2 p.m. Monday and finishes with Rounds 11-20 at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers select 2B Jace Jung with No. 12 pick in 2022 MLB draft
