Cypress Ranch High's (Cypress, Texas) 2018 pitching staff featured senior Madden (a top-three-rounds talent who opted to attend Texas) and juniors J.J. Goss (a 2019 supplemental first-round pick by the Rays) and Matt Thompson (a 2019 second-rounder by the White Sox). Madden should go higher than either of them in 2021 because his stuff and command have continually improved in college. The Big 12 Conference pitcher of the year, he could become the first Longhorns hurler selected in the first 10 picks since Kevin Garner in 1987.
Madden topped out at 95 mph in high school and now operates at 93-96 with sink and bore on his fastball after reaching 99 mph during the fall. His best offering at Cypress Ranch was his slider, which has gained velocity and arrives in the mid-80s with late bite. His fading low-80s changeup gives him a solid third offering and he also can mix in an upper-70s curveball with depth but less consistency than his slider.
Madden added 35 pounds to his 6-foot-3 frame in college and the extra strength has helped him not only to improve his pitches but also to repeat his sound delivery more consistently. He walked just four batters in four starts last spring and scouts love the way he attacks hitters. He has the ingredients to become a frontline starter.
The rise of Reese Olson, Keider Montero, Jackson Jobe, Sawyer Gipson-Long and Brant Hurter in the Tigers system overshadowed Madden, who spent the entire 2023 season at Double-A Erie and overcame a middling first half to put together a sneaky strong year that backed up the club's faith in the former supplemental first-round pick as a starter. The University of Texas product finished second to Hurter among Eastern League pitchers in ERA (3.43), third in strikeouts (146), fifth in opponents' average against (.233) and seventh in WHIP (1.28), all while having his innings watched (he tossed six or more innings in just three of 25 starts). It wasn’t flashy, but it put Madden squarely in Detroit’s long-term pitching pipeline.
Madden has gotten back to his roots as a fastball-slider dominant arm at Triple-A Toledo in 2024, with mixed results. His fastball sits 93-95 mph, topping out around 98, and though the pitch comes with some carry, hitters have feasted on it at the Minors' top level. His 82-85 mph slider is better at getting whiffs with snappy glove-side action. Those two pitches alone account for 75-80 percent of his usage at Triple-A this summer, but he'll also mix in an 82-85 mph changeup, upper-70s curveball and upper-80s cutter for different looks.
Given his age and proximity, Madden has a decent floor as a two-pitch reliever, but the Tigers want to keep getting him starting opportunities before completely changing his role. The former Longhorn is Rule 5-eligible this winter and could force Detroit's hand if he's able to finish the year on a stronger note.
The Tigers have a history of using first-round Draft picks on college pitchers with upside, from 2018 top overall pick Casey Mize to 2017 College World Series hero Alex Faedo. Madden was slightly different, but the Tigers were opportunistic when the former University of Texas star fell out of the traditional first round and into the Competitive Balance picks in 2021. While some clubs saw a reliever’s arsenal, the Tigers thought he had a chance to make it as a starter. Madden’s first pro season seemed to reward that faith, with 7.1 hits and 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings between High-A West Michigan (19 starts) and Double-A Erie (seven).
While Madden’s strength is a combination of mid-90s fastballs and mid-80s sliders, his arsenal has evolved under Tigers director of pitching Gabe Ribas. He has worked in more high fastballs to change hitters’ eye level after entering pro ball with a reputation for pounding the bottom of the strike zone. He also mixed in his changeup more often. When his pitches are on, he can get swings-and-misses in the strike zone in addition to getting hitters to chase off the outside corner. After off-and-on strike-zone issues during the summer, including his first couple Double-A starts, he allowed one walk in each of his final five outings in Erie in 2022, posting a 35-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 25 2/3 innings. Scouts seem split on whether he can make it as a starter; how the changeup progresses could be a factor.
Madden will get a chance to build on that progress at the front of the Erie rotation this year. The Tigers have enough pitching depth to be patient with the 23-year-old as he refines his game, but a strong SeaWolves stint likely would put him in a strong position among Detroit's internal rotation answers.
Madden hadn’t faced a hitter since pitching in the College World Series for Texas until the Tigers invited their supplemental first-round pick to Minor League minicamp in February. His first matchup with live hitting was Riley Greene, whom he sent down swinging and missing on three straight pitches. Neither Spencer Torkelson nor Ryan Kreidler could do anything against him either. It was an impressive arrival for the reigning Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year, who fell to the Tigers near the end of the first round and signed for a $2.5 million bonus.
One of the critiques on Madden going into the Draft was that he thrived pitching down in the zone in college, creating question of whether he could successfully change eye levels on hitters in the pros. He seems to have taken that to heart and was more willing to challenge hitters with high fastballs in Spring Training. If he can do that consistently, it should set up his mid-80s slider as an effective swing-and-miss pitch with late bite. He has shown progress with an upper-70s curveball as a potential third pitch, and also throws a fading low-80s changeup.
The Tigers have had success bringing college pitchers through their system quickly with Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal. There’s enough pitching depth in Detroit to give Madden more time, and he could benefit greatly from working with new pitching director Gabe Ribas. There’s enough in his arsenal to make a solid Major League starter if he can adapt to pro hitters.
Cypress Ranch High's (Cypress, Texas) 2018 pitching staff featured senior Madden (a top-three-rounds talent who opted to attend Texas) and juniors J.J. Goss (a 2019 supplemental first-round pick by the Rays) and Matt Thompson (a 2019 second-rounder by the White Sox). Madden just went higher than both of them in 2021 because his stuff and command have continually improved in college. The Big 12 Conference pitcher of the year, he was taken 32nd overall by the Tigers in July and signed for above slot at $2.5 million.
Madden topped out at 95 mph in high school and now operates at 93-96 with sink and bore on his fastball after reaching 99 mph during the fall. His best offering at Cypress Ranch was his slider, which has gained velocity and arrives in the mid-80s with late bite. His fading low-80s changeup gives him a solid third offering and he also can mix in an upper-70s curveball with depth but less consistency than his slider.
Madden added 35 pounds to his 6-foot-3 frame in college and the extra strength has helped him not only to improve his pitches but also to repeat his sound delivery more consistently. The right-hander likely would have gone even higher in previous Drafts, but the modern game’s emphasis on pitching up in the zone (whereas Madden usually thrives at the bottom) likely hurt his stock. He still very much has the ceiling of a good Major League starter, and Detroit is happy to add him to its pitching mix.
How this works:
This section shows two different ways to evaluate pitch movement.
On the left, “Total Movement” shows the real-world movement of a pitch, including the forces of gravity, which affects every pitch thrown.
Since gravity requires time, and slower pitches aren't 'better' just because they have more time to move, a pitch's movement is compared to other pitches of the same pitch type, within +/- 2 MPH and +/- 0.5 feet of extension/release.
On the right, Induced Movement (or IVB) is reported without gravity, and attempts to isolate movement created by the pitcher's ability to spin and manipulate the ball.
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
Team
Avg HR Trot
Actual HR
xHR
HR-xHR
Doubters
Mostly Gone
No Doubters
No Doubter %
2024
25.6
2
1.7
0
2
1
1
50.0
Player
25.6
2
1.7
0
2
1
1
50.0
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
HR
2024
2
2
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
2
2
1
1
2
2
1
1
2
2
1
4
2
3
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
Player
2
2
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
2
2
1
1
2
2
1
1
2
2
1
4
2
3
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift:
three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of
their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about
how positioning is defined here