Hard Work and Perseverance Pay Off for Former Tigers Top Draft Pick
The call has finally come for Detroit Tigers starter Casey Mize. The years of practice, throwing bullpens, changing grips, minor league starts and megatons of perseverance have paid off for the No. 1 overall selection in 2018 by the Tigers.
In 2024, Mize pitched in 22 games, 20 of those were starts, but when it came time to decide who was pitching well enough down the stretch and into the playoffs, he was left out of the mix.
Manager A.J. Hinch had to make the hard call of selecting Jackson Jobe over Mize to assist in this epic playoff run. "I know it didn't sit well with him," Hinch said on Saturday morning to Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press (paid subscription required).
It’s never easy when someone tells you that you are not needed or that you are not good enough, but for a guy who has always been at the top of his class, it is a tremendously hard pill to swallow.
"It was tough,” Mize said. “It was bittersweet because we were doing something magical and amazing, and I was so happy, but I just wanted to be a part of it.”
It is a team game, but being left off the team roster makes it hard to bask in any of the team’s success. Some may say that is selfish thinking, but this is what drives great athletes — they want to be the reason for success, not just part of it.
“I kind of felt like an outsider in a way,” he said. “I never want to feel that way again,” Mize said. “I just never want to feel like I'm not capable of helping a team when it matters the most. So, it drove me this whole offseason to put myself in a position to be able to be a part of a roster like that when you're doing something really special.”
Sometimes desperation leads to necessary change, sending Mize back to the drawing board.
“He's completely revamped his arsenal,” Tarik Skubal said. “He's throwing a lot of new pitches and getting guys out; and it's been impressive. It's not easy to go into an offseason and just kind of scrap everything and rework it. So, it's a credit to the work that he's put in trying to become the best version of himself.”
It is one thing to make changes, but it is up to the athlete, both mentally and physically, to implement those changes and perform. This is what makes this such a great story. It's not as if the Tigers had multiple openings in their starting rotation; something impressive had to be accomplished to break through.
Mize came out this spring looking like a different pitcher. Success after change breeds confidence, and Mize has seemingly taken off. In 16.0 innings pitched, he has allowed two earned runs on eight hits while walking seven and striking out 17. He is carrying a WHIP of 0.94, and batters are hitting .145 against him.
From the beginning, he took the ball and did not allow Hinch or general manager Jeff Greenberg to make a different decision. He flat out won the job.
“He came in determined,” Hinch said. “He came having had a really good offseason. His stuff has trended up. … I'm really proud of the work he did leading into this, and then the camp that he had.”
These are the joys of coaching — challenging a player with unused potential to step back and reevaluate his career path. The player dives in headfirst and demands better of himself. The diligence, attention to detail, and mind-numbing offseason work pay off and the player visibly changes as a human.
“He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders from time to time because he expects so much out of himself,” Hinch said. “You know, he's a fighter. He will grind. He will push. He will power through things. Everything matters to him. He had a certain intensity, a kind of edge to him this spring.”
Mize now has more tools in the shed. Starting pitchers cannot get by on two pitches alone. Thus, the third and even fourth pitch must be developed to get through the order the second and third times.
“Foundationally, I still am who I am,” Mize said Saturday afternoon. “I believe in my fastball, renewed confidence in my split and doing some different things with some sliders, obviously, but my mechanics are pretty much the same.”
The addition of a revamped slider has changed Mize’s game. In his start against the Tampa Bay Rays on March 12, Mize threw his slider 30% of the time for a proStuff+ rating of 113 and a whiff rate of 42.9%. Add that to his 95-97 mph fastball and his 126 proStuff+ splitter, and we are talking about a different pitcher.
“I think you'll see a more well-rounded (pitcher),” Mize said. “If I am missing a pitch, one day, I can go somewhere else. Whereas in the past, maybe I felt like I haven't been able to do that.”
This change in Mize and the emergence of Jobe have created a pitching rotation that is the envy of all MLB.
“Tarik is gonna lead us, so that gets us off to a pretty good start,” Mize said. “Jack's just steady… Reese is probably one of the most underrated pitchers in the game. Jackson is probably the most exciting pitching prospect in the game. And if I do my thing, I might be able to round out this rotation and really take us to the next level of rotations.”
Could there be a better spot for Jobe (Mize 2.0) to follow in the footsteps of Mize as his career develops? Not likely.
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I am a lifelong sports fan with a deep passion for Wisconsin sports. Born and raised in Milwaukee, I have always lived in this sports-crazed city and state. With over 25 years of experience coaching baseball and football, as well as a background in business, I have gained invaluable life lessons from my time playing these sports through college. I love engaging in daily banter with fellow sports enthusiasts, approaching each game as if it were a life-or-death experience, because for many fans, it truly can feel that way. Having previously written for OnMilwaukee.com, I’ve been sitting in the bullpen, waiting for the call to once again share my old-school views on the daily sports grind.