Tigers' Second Best Starting Pitcher Emerges from Veteran's Shadow

The Detroit Tigers thought they had signed their No. 2 starter but it turns out he may have already been in the rotation.

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch talks to reporters after Opening Day on March 26, 2026, at Petco Park in San Diego, California. | Evan Petzold / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When someone thinks of the Detroit Tigers, typically the first name that comes to mind is two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Tarik Skubal.

The Tigers then decided to beef up their starting rotation this offseason by adding both Framber Valdez and future Hall-of-Fame inductee Justin Verlander. But neither is the No. 2 to Skubal right now in the rotation.

Instead, it is Casey Mize who is actually giving Skubal a run for his money right now, as Mize has a lower ERA while holding opponents to a lower batting average.

Mize This Season

Apr 22, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Casey Mize (12) throws a pitch at Comerica Park | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Five starts into the new year, there isn't much more that manager AJ Hinch could want out of his starter.

Mize started out of the gate hot with a quality outing as he retired nine in six innings while allowing a lone run on the road against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The 28-year-old was then brought back to earth against the Twins as five of the eight earned runs he has on the year were in Minnesota, but he bounced back rather quickly.

In Mize's last three appearances, he has only allowed a pair of runs in 18.1 innings, both on the road and at Comerica Park. In that trio of games, he has 19 strikeouts and a pair of wins. He is absolutely on fire.

Casey Mize was nails vs MIL:

6.0 IP | 3 H | 1 ER | 3 BB | 7 K
28% Whiffs
34% CSW

His season ERA is down to 2.51. pic.twitter.com/MXORtb7Er7

— DataBase Hit (@DatabaseHit) April 23, 2026

Deeper Look at the Tigers Rotation

Mize and Skubal are the only two at this point that have a sub-3.00 ERA on the year, but none of the five starters, who have made more than one start, have an ERA above the 4.00 threshold. In fact, Keider Montero's 3.68 is the highest amongst the rotation.

• Tarik Skubal (36.1 innings): 2.72 ERA/ 0.99 WHIP/ 38 strikeouts/ 6 Walks/ .224 Opponent's BA
• Casey Mize (28.2 innings): 2.51ERA/ 1.15 WHIP/ 32 strikeouts/ 10 Walks/ .221 Opponent's BA
• Framber Valdez (34.1 innings): 3.41 ERA/ 1.31 WHIP/ 24 strikeouts/ 14 Walks/ .233 Opponent's BA
• Jack Flaherty (23.1 innings): 3.47 ERA/ 1.59 WHIP/ 24 strikeouts/ 20 Walks/ .202 Opponent's BA
• Keider Montero (22 innings): 3.68 ERA/ 0.91 WHIP/ 18 strikeouts/ 3 Walks/ .210 Opponent's BA

Apr 18, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) reacts after pitching out of a jam during the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

If there is one strength to this roster for the Tigers this year, it is quite easily their starting rotation.

Mize's last start came against the Milwaukee Brewers back on April 22. So, he won't be seen to finish out the team's current series against the Cincinnati Reds, but it seems likely that he will be used before the month is up.