Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila spoke to the media on Thursday in the dugout before his team’s matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays.
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Among the topics he touched on was the status of pitching prospect Casey Mize, who recently threw a no-hitter and is excelling in the Double-A Eastern League. Prospects Kyle Funkhouser and Beau Burrows could make an appearance in the Big Leagues this year, but what about Mize?
According to Avila, seeing Mize in a Tigers uniform this season doesn’t sound too promising.
“You’re going to go through that process,” Avila said. “That’s why, for us, there’s no reason (to rush him). I hear people say, ‘Bring up Casey Mize right now.’ Well, there’s really no purpose in doing that. All you’re going to do is retard the progress that he’s made already.”
“Casey Mize has performed very well in Erie and obviously we have been talking about his next promotion and when is that going to be,” he continued. “The next step logically is Toledo.”
Avila doesn’t like the idea of Mize getting experience at the MLB level when the team isn’t in contention.
“Quite frankly (Mize’s presence) is not going to make us into playoff contenders this year,” Avila said. “It just defeats the purpose. It’s just logic.”
