Detroit Tigers Sign Fifth-Round Pick to Under-Slot Deal
The Detroit Tigers have signed fifth-round pick Jack Penney to an under-slot deal, per a report by MLB Pipeline.
Penney is the highest Tigers draft pick that has agreed to a contract as of this writing. The Tigers, like the rest of baseball, must have all of its draft selection under contract by 5 p.m. eastern on Aug. 1, two days after the MLB trade deadline.
Penney is a shortstop who hits from the left side and fields from the right who played for Notre Dame. He inked a contract worth $397,500, which is below the slot for the No. 147 selection, which was $462,300.
He played in 52 games for the Irish last season as he slashed .269/.406/.492 with 11 doubles, three triples, nine home runs and 37 RBI. His overall numbers were up a bit from 2023, when he batted .241/.347/.453 with four doubles, one triple, 10 home runs and 27 RBI.
One thing he did improve on last season was taking walks. He drew 39 walks against 34 strikeouts in his final season with Notre Dame.
Penney is the second Tigers selection in the Top 10 rounds to agree to a contract. Eighth-round pick Ethan Sloan, a pitcher from Regis University in Colorado, agreed to a $270,500 deal per MLB.com’s draft tracker.
The Tigers have 19 more selections to sign, led by their first-round pick Bryce Rainer, a shortstop from Harvard-Westlake High School in California.
The Tigers’ complete list of selections from the 2024 MLB Draft are below.
(Round, player, school, position, bat/throw)
Round 1: Bryce Rainer, Harvard-Westlake HS (CA), SS, L/R
Round 2: Owen Hall, Edmond North HS (OK), P, R/R
CB-B: Ethan Schiefelbein, Corona Senior HS (CA), P, L/L
Round 3: Josh Randall, University of San Diego, P, R/R
Round 4: Michael Massey, Wake Forest, P, R/R
Round 5: Jack Penney, Notre Dame, SS, L/R
Round 6: Woody Hadeen, University of California – Irvine, SS, S/R
Round 7: Jackson Strong, Canisius College, OF, L/L
Round 8: Ethan Sloan, Regis University, P, L/L
Round 9: Zach Swanson, Toutle Lake HS (WA), P, R/R
Round 10: R.J. Sales, UNC Wilmington, P, R/R
Round 11: Micah Ashman, Utah, P, L/L
Round 12: Jude Warwick, Downers Grove North HS (IL), SS, L/R
Round 13: Lucas Elissalt, Chipola College, P, R/R
Round 14: Preston Howey, St. Mary's College, P, R/R
Round 15: Zach MacDonald, Miami University (OH), OF, R/R
Round 16: Anson Seibert, Blue Valley Southwest HS (KS), P, L/R
Round 17: Gabriel Rosado, Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy (PR), C, L/R
Round 18: Bryce Alewine, Southern Union St JC (AL), P, R/R
Round 19: Chase Davis, Leon HS (FL), P, L/L
Round 20: Dawson Price, Eastern Oklahoma St JC (OK), P, R/R
