Tigers Select Matt Manning In 2016 First-Year Player Draft
DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers tonight selected righthanded pitcher Matt Manning from Sheldon High School in Sacramento, Calif., with their first pick (ninth overall) in the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
In eight starts as a senior, Manning posted a 2-1 record with a 1.91 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 40.1 innings. Manning, who is 6-6 and 185 pounds, was named a 2016 Rawlings-Perfect Game first team All-American and was selected to play in the 2015 Perfect Game All-American Classic at Petco Park in San Diego, CA. Manning also played basketball in high school and averaged 26.0 points per game. He is committed to play baseball and basketball at Loyola Marymount University.
"The Tigers organization is excited to select Matt Manning this evening," Tigers Director, Amateur Scouting Scott Pleis said. "Matt is a hard throwing righthanded pitcher that also features a curve ball and a changeup. We're very excited to have the opportunity to add him to our organization."
Manning is rated as the second-best righthanded pitching prospect and the 11th-best prospect overall in the MLB Draft by MLB.com.
The 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft continues on Friday at 1 p.m. with rounds 3-10 and concludes on Saturday at 12 p.m. with rounds 11-40.