Chances seemed greater that the Tigers might go for infield help in Thursday’s Rule 5 draft, but they instead went for a right-handed reliever, Reed Garrett, grabbing him from the Rangers with Detroit’s fifth-overall pick as the Winter Meetings wrapped up in Las Vegas.
Garrett, 25, pitched in 51 games at Double A and Triple A in 2018 and had strong combined numbers: 2.04 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, with 61 strikeouts in 61.2 innings, and 20 walks.
He is a power pitcher with a fastball that can run 95-100, with a curveball and slider, as well as a split-finger fourth pitch.