Casey Mize Could Take The Next Step In 2021
4 years agoDetroit Tigers starting pitcher Casey Mize is ranked No. 11 on MLB Pipeline's top-100 prospect list and is the third-best pitching prospect in all of baseball, but he had an ugly 6.99 ERA in seven starts in his first big-league showing in 2020. Mize gets elite movement on his splitter -- 5.3 inches more vertical movement than an average splitter -- and allowed him to get more strikeouts with that pitch (10) than any of his other offerings. But opponents had a .313 average against the pitch, and he used his slider/cutter more often. If Mize pitches on more of a vertical profile to give his fastball and splitter more deception along the same plane and lives more on the edges of the strike zone, he could be much more unhittable. The No. 1 overall pick in 2018 will compete for a starting rotation spot in spring training, and if he wins one, he could be an excellent value as a late-round pick at just 23 years old.
Source: MLB.com - David Adler
Source: MLB.com - David Adler