The Detroit Tigers had high hopes for Casey Mize after selecting him with the first overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. He was to be a part of their homegrown starting rotation, a key piece in bringing the Tigers back to relevance. After rocketing through the system and making his debut in 2020, Detroit was hoping that he would take the next step forward this season.
That was not the case to begin the 2021 campaign. Mize had a strong first two outings, but struggled for the rest of April. Overall, he ended the month with a 5.06 ERA and a 1.388 WHiP in his 26.2 innings, striking out 20 batters with ten walks. While some rough spots were to be expected, the Tigers were hoping for a better showing than what they received.
Casey Mize starting to show his promise for Detroit Tigers
Then the calendar flipped to May. While the Tigers as a whole have struggled, Mize has been excellent. He has posted a 1.73 ERA and a 0.846 WHiP in his 26 innings heading into Friday, striking out 20 batters with ten walks. Even his outing against the mighty Yankees on Friday night was impressive, as he allowed just one run on five hits, striking out seven over five innings.
The difference is that Mize has done much better at inducing weaker contact. In April, opponents had produced a .267/.351/.485 batting line in 115 plate appearances, hitting five homers, five doubles, and a triple. Although Mize does have strong ground ball tendencies, he was also getting hit hard when he made a mistake up in the zone.
That has not been the case in May. Prior to his outing on Friday, Mize had allowed a meager .141/.253/.188 batting line over 99 plate appearances, with opponents producing just one homer and one double. The ground ball tendencies have remained, and although opponents had been putting the ball in the air more against him, the contact has been much weaker.
This does not mean that Mize has arrived. There will still be bumps in the road, as is the case with any young pitcher. For the Tigers, however, this is a sign of progress, a glimpse at the pitcher that they had envisioned when he was selected with that first overall pick.
Casey Mize has been dominating during the month of May for the Detroit Tigers. This may be the step forward they had been hoping for.