The Spring Training Issue Tigers Star Casey Mize Has to Fix Now

Last season felt like a breakthrough for Detroit Tigers starter Casey Mize.

The former first-round pick was named an American League All-Star for the first time. He went 14-6 with a 3.87 ERA, as he struck out 139 and walked 36 in 149 innings. He was an integral part of the Tigers’ fantastic start to the season and their rally to a playoff berth, along with beating the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Wild Card series.

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Entering this season, there is less pressure on Mize. Tarik Skubal is at the top of the rotation, along with Jack Flaherty, Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez. He fits in as a fifth starter in a stacked deck. Mize has talent, for sure. And four years removed from Tommy John surgery, which stole his 2023 season and required a significant ramp-up in 2024, he has some peace of mind.

It’s not all on him. Try telling that to his pitching mechanics.

Casey Mize Has a Problem

Some pitchers are happy to discuss whatever is working or not working. Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer, for example, has a firm grasp on how his body works, knows when things are out of whack and can explain it succinctly.

For Mize, mechanics are the issue this spring, as he told MLB.com. But the issue has an underlying issue that is making it more difficult to fix. For all the things that Mize has dealt with in his career, how he pitches hasn’t been one of them.

“That's [mechanics] never been my issue,” Mize said. “This is why it's frustrating that it's happening now. But there's a silver lining: History will probably tell you that it's not going to continue. But I've got to get to work, for sure.”

Mize is 0-2 with a 7.15 ERA in four spring training games with three starts. He’s struck out six and walked seven in 11.1 innings. Most pitchers and managers will tell anyone that spring training numbers don’t matter much. What matters is what they see on tape. What Mize sees on tape is a bit troubling. Worse, he only has a couple of weeks to fix it before it seeps into the regular season.

Detroit can buy him a bit of time if the problems persist. The Tigers could slot him at the end of the rotation, and he wouldn’t be needed to throw until March 31, Detroit’s fifth game of the season. That’s more than two weeks to fix an issue Mize has never dealt with before.

But, given everything he’s overcome to get to this point, it’s not worth betting against him fixing it.