The Detroit Tigers, picking first in the 2018 MLB Draft, needed to seize this opportunity to speed up the rebuild that was begun last July. The theme of the Tigers draft would be defined by upside, which is vastly different then previous drafts for the Tiger front office. Looking over the first five picks, you can see nothing but opportunity with the players selected, starting with top overall prospect Casey Mize. If the Tigers strike gold with Mize and one or two of these other picks, look out.<\/p>\n
1.1 – Casey Mize, RHP – Auburn<\/strong> Casey Mize's Stuff.<\/p>\n All from yesterday. pic.twitter.com\/LxYLlKMKW9<\/a><\/p>\n — Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 25, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nMize was the consensus top prospect across most major websites and most predicted he would end up being selected by the Tigers. Mize boasts an above average fastball that can hit 97 mile per hour, but relies on his 70 grade (rated by MLB.com) splitter. He also features a cutter and a slider and has the makings to be a top of the rotation starter. On the year in the best league in college baseball, he has pitched to 10-6 record, with 156 strikeouts, and a solid 3.30 ERA while leading Auburn to a #2 seed in the College World Series (CWS) playoffs. What really stands out is that Mize has the ability to go late into games and can pile up the strikeouts, which are two things you should watch for if you end up snagging him in your league. Some outlets feel he is major league ready, but to my eye, I think a year or two of seasoning in the higher minor leagues will do him some good. He does appear to be a fast track candidate though and I would expect the Tigers to treat him similarly to Alex Faedo<\/a>, who they started in High A this year after being shut down last season due to his run in the CWS. He easily lands as a top 5 Tigers prospect in the Midseason update coming in July.<\/p>\n\n