"Greg Smith holds a secure spot in Tigers history. As the team's scouting director in 2004, he used aggressive foresight to draft Justin Verlander, then employed a bold move to sign him.

As the Tigers came off their 119-loss season in 2003, they had the second overall pick in '04. Verlander was a junior right-hander at Old Dominion. The other players atop Smith's draft list were pitchers Jeff Niemann and Homer Bailey, and infielder Stephen Drew. All have become big leaguers.

But, said Smith this past week, "I was committed to take Justin. I was going to sell my house and yours that we should take him. I felt there was more in the tank than what he'd shown. He was a little rough, a little unrefined. The stats weren't dominating. The outings weren't consistent. But the stuff was electric. He had an extra gear that you just don't see often.""