2018 MLB Draft First Overall Pick Casey Mize Makes Pro Debut

Detroit Tigers Draft Pick, Pitcher Casey Mize

Selected as the first overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft in June, there was question whether pitcher Casey Mize would make his professional debut before the end of the season. Having thrown an already well-earned 115 innings at Auburn during the NCAA Season, left some wondering if the Tigers might shut down their hopeful future ace until 2019.

Detroit and Mize put all doubt and questions to bed as the officially listed 6'3, 220-pound hurler threw a 30-pitch side session at the facility of the organization's High-A affiliate the Lakeland Flying Tigers on Monday, June 24. Subsequent to that it was decided that Mize would be satisfactory to make his first pro start coming against the GCL Yankees East, suiting up for the GCL Tigers West club in the rookie-level, Gulf Coast League.

Mize was seamless in a short-stint start, throwing two scoreless innings, striking out four batters and allowing one walk. He began the game by striking out leadoff hitter, right fielder Ryder Green — the Yankees 2018 third-round draft pick.

The 21-year old continued a season in which he has sat down plenty of batters via strikes, as he collected 156 in 114.2 innings (12.24 K/9) while at the NCAA-level in 2018. What's more impressive was Mize's added ability to command the zone and limit his walks, only giving up 16 base on balls.

Combining both tremendous assets, he compiled an outstanding strikeout-to-walk ratio to the tune of 9.75 K-BB. His rate in 2017 was even more amazing — at 12.11 — as he sat down 109 and only saw nine batters make the slow trot to first.

"MLB Pipeline" ranked the righty as the top prospect in the Detroit Tigers minor league/farm system before he even played a game at the pro-level. Their farm system was seen as middle of the pack amongst the collective MLB organizations prior to the draft, but has recently received promising reviews as a result of it's selections — specifically Mize.

One week following the completion of the draft, "Bleacher Report" ranked Detroit's system ninth, having previously had it marked 15th. 

With this first outing fashioning as a tune-up of sorts for the top pick — having last pitched June 9th against the University of Florida — it appears likely Mize will return to Lakeland to join the Detroit Tigers team in the Florida State League. Where then only the two remaining Double-A and Triple-A levels would stand between he and the Major Leagues.

Day is done in official debut for #Tigers Casey Mize:
2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Mize will start for High-A Lakeland on Tuesday, July 31 working 3-4 innings, according to the team.@AuburnBaseball #WarEagle

— Emily Waldon (@EmilyCWaldon) July 26, 2018

It is possible that can be there in a hurry, as some pitchers have recently skipped over the AAA-level and jumped straight from AA to MLB. Featuring a fastball that can reach 96-97 mph and two other plus-pitches in a sharp slider and devastating drop off the table split-finger, in addition to tremendous command, the Alabama native has the profile of a prospect capable of rising through the minor leagues quickly and making his MLB-debut sooner than the projected 2020 estimated time of arrival that MLB Pipeline has projected.

Having signed a $7.5 million signing bonus, Mize will be expected to lead what Tigers front office and fans hope will be a wave of right-handed pitching prospects, all of whom rank in the top 100 prospects. Included amongst that group are three previous first round picks in Beau Burrows (2015), Alex Faedo (2016), and Matt Manning (2017), as well as international signing from Venezuela Frankin Perez (whom they acquired when they traded former ace Justin Verlander to the Houston Astros last June).