Tigers sign 2 former high draft picks to minors deals

Detroit — The Tigers on Thursday signed a pair of once-promising prospects whose careers, both still at the tender age of 25, have hit a wall.

Super utility player Niko Goodrum, who made his major-league debut in September with the Twins, was a second-round draft pick out of high school in 2010.

Right-handed relief pitcher Kevin Comer, who finished the season with Houston’s Triple-A affiliate in Fresno, was a first-round pick of the Blue Jays in 2011.

Both were signed to minor-league contracts and likely willl get invited to the Tigers’ major-league camp in the spring.

Goodrum, whose best asset is speed, went 1 for 17 in his short stay with the Twins. He was a .250 hitter through eight minor league seasons. He played first, second, third and all three outfield positions in Triple-A Rochester last season.

Comer’s statistics through six minor-league seasons are underwhelming (4.28 ERA, 1.40 WHIP), but he finished 2017 strong at Triple A. In the hitter-friendly PSL, he posted a 3.68 ERA with 74 strikeouts, 28 walks in 63.2 innings.

The Tigers on Monday signed right-handed pitcher Mark Montgomery to a minor-league contract.

chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com

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