By: Trevor Hooth
The day the Detroit Tigers have been waiting for since they finished with the worst record in baseball last season. They already got Victor Reyes out of the deal, and now it is time to pick the best available option. Nobody gets a choice before them.
Before the draft, there was an overwhelming consensus that Casey Mize would be the number one pick. He is the most polished and talented player according to a lot of experts. Though early on it seemed the imminent move was to reunite Florida Gator teammates Alex Faedo and Brady Singer as first rounders in back to back years.
The Detroit Tigers decided to go ahead and make Casey Mize the number one overall pick for 2018. Mize is a right-handed pitcher out of the University of Auburn. He stands at 6’3” and 208 pounds. This is his first time being drafted, quite the spot to be picked for his first time.
Things to like about him include his three pitch mix of a low to mid 90’s fastball, splitter, and slider. What makes it better is that he can control all of them. His best graded pitch is his splitter at 70, but his fastball and slider are not too far behind, sharing a grade of 60.
One of the key evaluation points for any prospective pitcher is his delivery. It should be repeatable and relatively smooth in order to avoid a nagging injury. Mize exemplifies this as well. It Is not a stretch to put him in the conversation of best pitching talent at the time of draft in recent memory.
Mize is 21 years old, and it looks like he will progress through the farm at a quick pace once he gets his feet under him. Do not be surprised to see him beat last year’s first rounder, Faedo, to a Detroit Tigers uniform. The thing about this Auburn product is that he is very accelerated in his development.
During the course of his college career, Mize collected an astounding 319 strikeouts with only 39 walks in just over 262 innings. His career ERA sat below three, and this guy is the real deal. He was a two-time All-American for Auburn, the second in the school’s history.
Although it was not a surprising selection, it was the right choice. Mize was clearly the best player out there, and it would have been a gamble to pick Singer or anyone else. Al Avila did the right thing by selecting Mize, and he will look good in a Tigers uniform for years to come.
Casey Mize was not the only selection from day one. With the 44th overall pick, the Tigers selected Parker Meadows, the younger brother of Pirates outfielder Austin. He is a great athlete that will be able to adapt to the pro ball.
He has an above average arm and an above average speed that will allow him to succeed defensively in the outfield. The main adjustments he will need to make are on the offensive side of the ball. Meadows has long arms that make his swing naturally a little longer. He will need to shorten his swing in order to find success.
Naturally, Parker Meadows can compare to his brother Austin. Granted, Austin is in the MLB and is close to the peak of his development. The good news for Parker is that he is scouted as having more athleticism than his older brother, giving him a higher ceiling if he can reach it.
Overall, it was not a bad day for the Tigers. They got, the well regarded, best player in the draft in Casey Mize, and they got a guy who has an upside higher than a top 100 prospect. There is not a lot to complain about from day one of the 2018 draft.
Trevor Hooth is a graduate of Millikin University, and currently an employee of the Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers Triple-A affiliate).