Once upon a time, the Detroit Tigers had a nearly flawless draft class. While that was 42 years ago, the impact the draft class of 1976 had on the Detroit Tigers organization cannot be understated enough. Strangely, it’s the player who they weren’t able to sign who may have had the biggest impact.
Coming off a disastrous 1975 season that saw the team go 57-102, the Tigers had the second overall pick in the June 1976 draft. After Arizona State left-hander Floyd Bannister went first, the Tigers took high school left-hander Pat Underwood.