LAKELAND, FL – The Detroit Tigers completed their first two selections in the 2022 MLB Draft tonight, taking 2B Jace Jung from Texas Tech in the first round (12th overall) and SS Peyton Graham from the University of Oklahoma in the second round (51st overall).
Jung, 21, is a well-rounded lefthanded hitter who has put together one of the best careers in recent Big 12 Conference memory. Over his 136 games in parts of three seasons with the Red Raiders, Jung batted .328/.468/.647 with 39 home runs, 32 doubles and 147 RBI, with 126 walks compared to 102 strikeouts. Coming into the draft, he was ranked by Baseball America as having the second-best strikezone judgement among college hitters, and as the No. 5 college hitter overall.
In 2022, the native of San Antonio, TX ranked among the Big 12 Conference leaders in many offensive categories, including fourth in OPS (1.093) and runs (68), tied for sixth in home runs (14), ninth in batting average (.335), and 10th in RBI (57). Among many accolades, his 2022 campaign earned him First Team All-Big 12 honors and First Team All-America from Perfect Game. He was also outstanding in 2021, being named the Big 12 Player of the Year and an All-American by seven outlets. Jung stands at 6-0 and weighs 205 pounds.
Graham, 21, joins the Tigers after three seasons with the Sooners, over which he batted a combined .320/.415/.584 with 34 home runs, 36 doubles, 109 RBI and 49 stolen bases. He stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 185 pounds, and is a native of Waxahachie, TX. Coming into action today he was ranked by Baseball America as the second-best college athlete in the draft.
He had a standout 2022 season, following which he was named a First Team All-American by Baseball America, D1Baseball and the NCBWA, was a finalist for the Brooks Wallace Award for nation’s top shortstop, and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. Graham led Oklahoma with 20 home runs, four triples, 71 RBI, 75 runs scored and 34 stolen bases, all while batting .333. He became the first Oklahoma player to ever record 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a season, while also registering 29 multiple hit games and a team-best 21 multiple RBI contests.
The Tigers will continue their 2022 MLB Draft with eight picks (rounds 3-10) on Monday, and 10 (rounds 11-20) on Tuesday.
