The Tigers have signed competitive balance pick Corey Knebel for the full slot value of $1,433,400, tweets Jim Callis of Baseball America. Callis adds that Knebel's fastball can reach as high as 98 mph, and he also features a hard curveball. The right-handed reliever out of University of Texas is advised by Excel Sports Management.
Knebel ranked as the draft's 47th-best prospect according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. Baseball America had a similar line of thinking, ranking Knebel 48th on the Top 500. ESPN's Keith Law wasn't as big of a fan, but Knebel still cracked his Top 100, ranking 95th. Mayo calls Knebel the best Longhorns closer since Huston Street and adds that he has the "give me the ball" mentality you want to see out of a high leverage reliever.
The Tigers acquired the 39th pick in the draft when they swapped competitive balance picks with the Marlins in last season's Anibal Sanchez trade.
