Flying Tigers' Mize magnificent again
Minor League hitters beware: for the most part, the leash is off Casey Mize, who can't seem to stop one-upping himself. The top Tigers prospect delivered a career-best seven scoreless innings Wednesday for Class A Advanced Lakeland. He faced one batter over the minimum, allowing one hit and one walk and striking
Minor League hitters beware: for the most part, the leash is off Casey Mize, who can't seem to stop one-upping himself.
The top Tigers prospect delivered a career-best seven scoreless innings Wednesday for Class A Advanced Lakeland. He faced one batter over the minimum, allowing one hit and one walk and striking out out six as the Flying Tigers walked off with a 1-0 win over the Palm Beach at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium.
All three of Mize's starts this season have proven to be the longest outings of his professional career. The Tigers kept a tight leash on the No. 1 overall pick following last year's Draft, as the right-hander never threw more than 52 pitches in a game and totaled 13 2/3 innings in five outings. He's already surpassed that mark, respectively hurling five, six and seven frames in his first three starts of 2019.
Flying Tigers pitching coach Jorge Cordova said the only difference between the first two outings and his third was a slightly higher pitch count. Mize threw a career-high 82, 53 for strikes.
"As a matter of fact, if his pitch count was a little bit higher, he would have went eight or nine innings today," Cordova said. "He was very effective. He was working ahead in the account. He was attacking the zone. He was using excellent sequences. The hitters couldn't figure him out. He was unpredictable."
Gameday box score
MLB.com's No. 16 overall prospect has turned in two scoreless efforts and gave up one earned run in the other for a 0.50 ERA.
Against Palm Beach, Chase Pinder led off the game with an infield single. Mize did not allow another knock the rest of the way and retired nine in a row before walking Zach Kirtley on four pitches -- the first free pass he's issued this season -- to begin the fourth inning. The Auburn product promptly induced a double-play grounder from Cardinals No. 30 prospectNick Dunn, set down the next 10 Cardinals and ended his start by fanning 22nd-ranked Luken Baker.
All night, Cordova said, Mize varied his attack. It also helps that he can consistently throw all four pitches in his repertoire for strikes.
"He went three times through the lineup and they didn't know what to expect because early in the game he was attacking with fastballs and then he was putting them away with off-speed pitches," the pitching coach said. "And then late in the game he was attacking the zone with the breaking balls and then finishing them out with fastballs up in the zone. ... When you do that, hitters don't know what to do; they don't know how to react. Obviously, his stuff is way, way above average, so it was easier for him to put away hitters tonight."
The 21-year-old ranks third in the Florida State League with 21 punchouts and second in ERA behind Fort Myers' Bryan Sammons, who sports a perfect 0.00 mark. His 18 innings top the circuit, as does his WHIP (0.39) and opponents' batting average (.105). If Mize's future outings mirror his first three, a ticket to Double-A Erie -- and perhaps beyond -- seems inevitable. But Cordova isn't privy as to when that time may come.
"That's the Detroit Tigers' decision," he said. "Obviously, with that stuff, it's going to play in the big leagues."
A former top pick making the big leagues isn't necessarily groundbreaking. But Cordova feels that the Springville, Alabama, native has a the makeup that helps him block out any expectations. His preparation before starts is commendable and he has an advanced knowledge of how to keep hitters off-balance.
"Casey's a well, well-matured kid. He knows what he wants," Cordova said. "He has the whole package to be a big league pitcher."
Mize participated in his first Spring Training this year and struck out two in two innings in a pair of appearances. After a layoff that dated back to Aug. 16, the right-hander told Cordova he was a little rusty and it showed -- he had difficulty locating his glove-side fastball [in to lefties, away to righties].
"But tonight he seemed like he was commanding that pitch really good, especially to lefties. They were having a really tough time when he was locating the fastball," Cordova said. "That's the difference, man. When you have a good feel for all four pitches and you can command your glove-side fastball, it's very tough for them to put a good swing against you."
![](https://milb.bamcontent.com/assets/images/2/7/0/221450270/cuts/milb_300_4_patq8fnk_timudjpz.jpg)
The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder's polished nature doesn't mean he's unwilling to seek guidance. Lately, he and Cordova have been working on keeping his upper body closed throughout his delivery.
"He has a tendency -- a little bit -- to fly open just a little bit too early in his delivery, which is normal for a young guy," Cordova said. "He is learning how to command, how to throw ball wherever he wants to throw the ball in any count. It's no major work we're doing because Casey is very smart about it. He has a pretty good idea of who he is."
Mize didn't factor in the decision Wednesday after exiting a scoreless game. Austin Athmann provided the lone offense by blasting a walk-off solo homer with two outs in the ninth.
Cardinals starter Perry DellaValle dueled Mize throughout. The right-hander scattered eight hits over eight scoreless innings, striking out eight and walking one.
Chris Bumbaca is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @BOOMbaca.
Dodgers greats Newcombe and Campanella made history as Minors teammates
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2006. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
15 prospects primed for a bounceback season from injury
A lot of players will be getting a fresh start heading into the 2025 season. Prospects who missed significant time due to injury have had upwards of six months between regular-season games to return to health. Now they'll be looking to re-establish their value and maybe even reach new heights.
Check out the newest Minor League team logos for 2025
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Here are 18 prospects who also starred on the gridiron
The two-time defending-champion Kansas City Chiefs are set to meet the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, and plenty of baseball prospects will be keeping a close eye. After all, many current Minor Leaguers played football at a high level before committing fully to the diamond. No, there aren't any
Did you know the Superdome was once home to a Minor League team?
On Sunday, one of the world’s most-watched sporting events will take place at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Believe it or not, decades before Super Bowl LIX came to town, the same building was home to a Minor League Baseball team for one season. The 1977 Triple-A New Orleans Pelicans
How a Black pitcher's brief PCL stint in 1916 generated a historic card
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2010. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
The Show Before the Show: Episode 489
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minors legend Jones still holds batting record
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2008. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers. Grover "Deacon" Jones spent more than a half-century in baseball, serving the game at almost every level and in
Hooks have a new look -- and more -- on the line for 20th season
In advance of a milestone season at Whataburger Field, the Corpus Christi Hooks are making a change. The Houston Astros' Double-A affiliate unveiled new logos and uniforms on Friday evening, marking the first time they have significantly altered their look since debuting in 2005. According to Hooks general manager Brady
Here's how Jackie Robinson fueled Montreal to a Minor League title in 1946
A version of this story originally appeared on MiLB.com in 2006. We present it here once more as Minor League Baseball celebrates Black History Month with stories of Black baseball pioneers.
They're due! MiLB's longest active title droughts
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
These players could earn teams extra Draft picks in 2025
Since the Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) was implemented under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, four players have earned their clubs extra Draft picks. The PPI rewards teams for promoting their best prospects to the big leagues at the start of the season, enabling them to earn a Draft pick if
Each team's best non-Top 100 prospect
There just isn't enough room to fit all the worthy talents on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list. We unveiled our latest rankings last Friday, and now we're going to spotlight the best prospect in each farm system who couldn't quite make the cut. We undertook the same exercise last
MiLB collaborates with Stand Up To Cancer
Minor League Baseball announced a new collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C), an organization that funds the development of new and promising cancer treatments to help patients today. Founded in 2008, SU2C raises awareness and funds research to detect and treat cancers with the aspiration to cure all patients.
These are the best tools on the new Top 100 Prospects list
Players featured on last year’s edition of the best tools among Top 100 prospects should look familiar to even casual baseball fans at this point. Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes (best fastball, slider) took the Major Leagues by storm as the NL Rookie of the Year, thanks to his hard-throwing ways
Answering your Top 100 Prospects list questions
MLB Pipeline released its new Top 100 Prospects list on Friday, and it was met with a bevy of questions and comments about fans' favorite prospects. To help make sense of all the inquiries, Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo took to Reddit and responded to fan questions in a Top 100 Prospect-focused
Here are every organization's Top 100 prospects for 2025
MLB Pipeline’s 2025 Top 100 Prospects list went live on Friday night, led by the newest Dodger, right-hander Roki Sasaki, Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony and Twins outfielder Walker Jenkins. There’s a lot of offensive firepower throughout the list, beyond those two outfielders at the top, but while the bats
Check out MLB Pipeline's 2025 Top 100 Prospects list
He was one of the most sought-after talents this offseason, and he hadn’t even played stateside ball yet. Now, he can add another bullet point to his already lengthy baseball resume. Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki tops MLB Pipeline’s 2025 preseason ranking of the Top 100 prospects, followed by Red Sox
The Show Before the Show: Episode 488
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Get ready to cheer for ... the Bathtub Donkeys?
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to The Baseball Traveler newsletter here.
These are MLB’s No. 1 prospects at each position
MLB Pipeline's 2025 rankings of the Top 10 prospects at each position are official and the 2025 Top 100 Prospects list will be revealed at 7 p.m. ET on Friday on MLB Network and MLB.com.