Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | DET | RHP | 2 | 60 |
Grades Update: Nov 2020
| OFP | Role | FB | CT | SL | SPL | Ctr/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 70 | 55 | 50 | 55 | 70 | 60/55 |
Nov 2020 Report
Evaluator: James Chipman
Age: 24 yr
Height: 6-3
Weight: 220 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2018 Draft - Round 1
RuleV: On 40-man
Physical Description: Tall sturdy workhorse frame. Strong athletic build. Ideal pitchers body: broad shoulders; strong upper body and torso; high waist; long limbs and strong thick tree trunk legs. Impressive work ethic and moxy. Fierce competitor with imposing mound presence. Profile hangs some added risk due to mechanics and checkered injury history that includes: forearm soreness, elbow issues and PRP injections in '17; two separate IL stints due to shoulder inflammation in '19.
Delivery & Mechanics: Semi-windup; simple delivery. Quick tempo: exceptional arm-speed; high 3/4 slot with high effort delivery. Motions are fluid and athletic but inconsistent with high stress on forearm and elbow. Throws against his body; flys open more than you'd like to see. High slot and long levers generate steep downward plane; high leg kick and hand break yield moderate deception. Moves well off the mound and fields his position adequately.
Fastball: Average velocity: sits 92-95 t97. Modest arm-side run; sinks it low in the zone. Lacks significant life but velo manipulation, command and deception pad the overall quality. Holds velo deep into games. Fills the zone w/ FB; attacks all four quads. Inconsistent, but above-average command at its best. Grade: 55
Cutter: Solid average; sits 90-91 with short horizontal break. Reduced velocity and contrast movement play off FB nicely. Commanded exceptionally well and leaned on heavily when he doesn't have his best FB. Far more effective when it's used sporadically and thrown off FB. Grade: 50
Slider: Manipulates movement well showing two looks. Mid-80s breaker features sharp two-plane slurvy depth with late break. Higher velocity variant yields tilt with more traditional horizontal slider shape, darting away from right-handed batters. Grade: 55
Splitter: Lethal double-plus offering. Sits 85-88; has feel and maintains arm speed; nasty unpredictable late tumble and fade. Pounded low out of the zone as a chaser; eats bats eliciting weak contact when it's in the lower third. Legit put- away offering at the big league level. Grade: 70
Control and Command: Advanced feel for pitching. Challenges the opposition, routinely getting ahead in the count with quality strikes. Pitches backwards; sequences well; moves the ball around the zone. Confident strike thrower with plus control and above-average command. Ironically enough the aforementioned attributes have not carried over during his brief pro debut. Amateur and minor league track record are loud enough however to mitigate some of the concerns and give optimism that he'll right the ship. Control: 60 | Command: 55
Overall: Casey Mize is arguably Detroit's top pitching prospect and one of the better prospect arms in all of baseball. His advanced pitchability and deep well rounded arsenal of average or better pitches show top of the rotation promise. The injury history and mechanics give pause, adding reliever risk. Mize's work ethic, impressive arsenal and combination of polish and moxy are too great to ignore though. Overall there's impact frontline SP, with perennial All-Star potential during his prime years. Considering risk, there's mid-rotation or impact closer possibility if the mechanical deficiencies fail to shore up.
OFP: 60
Role: 70 - Impact Frontline SP
Risk: High
