The newest future Detroit Tiger has joined the organization, as Scott Harris and co selected RHP Cameron Flukey with the 22nd pick of the MLB Draft. Flukey just finished his third year with Coastal Carolina with 31 strikeouts in 24 innings, having missed most of the season with a preseason stress fracture in his rib. He looked strong during his return, routinely touching 98 mph on his fastball and commanding his two breaking balls.
Flukey is a 6’6 lanky righty from Coastal Carolina, a Sun Belt D1 program, with room to add some weight to his frame as he matures in professional baseball. He’s primarily known for his riding upper-90s fastball and upper-70s curve that both register as average or plus on most scouting outlets. There’s concern over changeup development and command, but he is coming off an injury; those two feel-and-rep traits should improve as he moves past that issue.
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MLB Pipeline rated Flukey as the 15th best player in the class, while FanGraphs had him as 34th, but in a meaty middle tier of player that lasts from 15th to 44th, so this aligns reasonably well with industry expectations. For an organization fairly short on good starting pitching, Flukey provides a well-needed injection of stuff and upside. If everything breaks right, this could be a middle to top of the rotation starter. Before his injury kept teams from seeing him at full strength, he was a pre-season contender for a top-10 pick. The rib issue shouldn’t be a long-term indicator, so getting that top-10 upside at a discount is a nice bonus for Detroit.
Expect to see Flukey stay on the backfields for the rest of 2026 as he adjusts to professional life and continues to fill out, then heading to the Low A Lakeland Flying Tigers for 2027 like Malachi Witherspoon, last year’s 2nd round pick. He is a seasoned strike thrower, so he should move rapidly once the Tigers are confident in any adjustments they’re going to make. For now, we’ll have to wait and see how his stuff translates to pro ball and if he’s able to develop the kick change he’s working on. He’ll likely take full advantage of his high-octane fastball and strong breaker early on, but the rest will need to improve to get him into the upper levels quickly.
