The Tigers didn’t have an opportunity to draft 90 other amateur baseball players in the 2012 First Year Player Draft, which launched yesterday.

So, they took Jake Thompson, a right handed high school pitcher out of Texas with their first opportunity. Thompson, a TCU commit who is expected to sign with the Tigers, is a 6’4′ player who, according to Mark Anderson of TigsTown, has a big body and classic frame, a fastball that reaches 94 mph, and a slider with plus potential.

I am not shocked with this selection at all, though I would have liked them to go with a middle infielder. It’s safe, and without a pick in the first 90 the team decided to stay in the safe zone, and right handers with big arms are their safe zone.