15-07-2025
Detroit Tigers draft power-hitting C Michael Oliveto with No. 34 pick in 2025 MLB Draft
The Detroit Tigers selected catcher Michel Oliveto from Hauppauge High School in New York on Sunday, July 13, in Atlanta with the No. 34 overall pick of the 2025 MLB Draft, in the Competitive Balance Round A.
Oliveto is a 6-foot-3 catcher from Smithtown, New York, who attended high school on Long Island. MLB teams were reportedly impressed by his hitting, showing signs of major-league power at an event in Jupiter, Florida, in the fall.
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'Nobody was on him until the fall,' ESPN analyst Kiley McDaniel said. 'He went to an event in Jupiter, hit against a bunch of good pitching. Immediately, all the SEC and ACC teams line up.'
Oliveto didn't opt for any of the baseball powerhouse schools, though, instead committing to Yale. Potentially related: He is a Rubik's Cube whiz.
Oliveto didn't hit especially well for power during his senior season. MLB Pipeline ranked him ranked 219th, with doubts about his power-hitting ability . In the spring, when MLB teams tested his bat speed and athleticism at the combine, the evidence was not necessarily there to indicate he could continue it.
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'They're like, 'We have no evidence this guy can hit velo except for that event in Jupiter, but it looked so good, we're just gonna take a shot at it,'' McDaniel said. 'I don't think anybody really thinks he's got a great chance of being a catcher, but there's a chance he might just be a right fielder, but this is a potential .260 with 30 homers. It's just – you gotta guess. There's a big error bar here. Anything could happen."
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Oliveto is the second Competitive Balance Round A pick selected by Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris. In 2023, Harris selected shortstop Kevin McGonigle at No. 37 overall out of high school in Pennsylvania. McGonigle is the franchise's top prospect.
With their first pick in the 2025 draft, at No. 24 overall, the Tigers selected Florida high school shortstop Jordan Yost, a late-blooming left-handed hitter committed to the University of Florida, where his brother plays.
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FOLLOW ALONG: 2025 MLB Draft tracker: Every player drafted in first round on Day 1
The Tigers' next pick comes in the second round, at No. 62 overall.
The No. 34 pick comes with a recommended bonus slot value of $2,827,300, though teams can exceed that to sign picks as long as they do not exceed their total bonus pool. (The Tigers' first-round slot, at No. 24, featured a slot value of $3,726,300.) If the Tigers sign the No. 32 pick for less than slot, those savings can be applied to picks later in the draft. The Tigers have $10,990,800 to spend on their 21 draft picks this year, the 17th-most in baseball.
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Teams are allowed to exceed the allotment for picks by 5% before paying a 75% fine on the overage. No MLB team has exceeded the 5% limit since the slots were created.
Day 1 of the draft features the first three rounds, with Day 2 on Monday, July 14, featuring Rounds 4-20, beginning at 11:30 a.m. on
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers pick Michael Oliveto in 2025 MLB Draft at No. 34 overall
