DETROIT — As Casey Mize walked down the stairs and into the Detroit Tigers’ dugout after the sixth inning on Thursday, manager A.J. Hinch greeted him with a fist bump, signaling that Mize was expected to return for another inning. However, when the seventh inning arrived, Hinch chose to send in Shelby Miller instead. This decision came after Hinch, in consultation with pitching coach Chris Fetter, decided to make a change. With the Tigers now ahead by one run, Miller was warmed up and ready to pitch, and Hinch wanted Mize to finish his outing on a high note. Having held the Washington Nationals to just one run over six innings, Mize needed a performance like this.
Hinch expressed his hope that Thursday’s performance would help build Casey Mize’s confidence. “He had to work through some challenges with less than his best stuff but was still effective at getting outs,” Hinch noted.
Mize, the top pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, had struggled badly in his previous four starts, allowing 14 earned runs over 15 1/3 innings, with his secondary pitches proving ineffective and his once-impressive fastball lacking its former life.
On Thursday, Mize managed to keep the Nationals under control. Although his stuff was still not ideal, his improved command allowed him to work effectively both glove side and arm side, disrupting hitters’ timing.
“It’s easier when everything is working,” Mize said afterward. “It’s more challenging when things aren’t clicking. So having a solid performance despite not having your best stuff is rewarding.”
In the broader context, Mize is still in the process of rediscovering his form in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. It’s not unusual for pitchers recovering from such surgery to have difficulties, especially with secondary pitches. However, considering that Mize had his surgery on June 15, 2022, and is nearly two years removed from the procedure, one might question if his current struggles are still just a matter of rust and recovery.
Hinch remarked, “It’s hard to gauge how much of his performance can still be attributed to the time off. He’s still working on finding the right feel for his pitches. Pitching at this level is challenging, and it’s difficult to determine how much of his struggle is due to rust.”
Central to Mize’s efforts to reestablish himself as a strong major-league starter are his putaway pitches. When Mize was selected as the top pick out of Auburn, scouts praised his fastball command and a slider that could strike out batters. However, his splitter was especially notable—it was the dominant pitch that earned him a $7.5 million signing bonus.
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