The Detroit Tigers are off to an 8-5 start in 2020 and as I have said before, their best starting pitcher, Casey Mize, has yet to take the mound.
Mize, who is the No. 1 pitching prospect in the organization (No. 2 in MLB), continues to work out with the rest of the taxi-squad players in Toledo, while the Tigers’ current starting rotation continues to be one of the worst in baseball. (6.24 ERA through 13 games is No. 29 out of 30 MLB teams) *The one bright spot has been Spencer Turnbull, who is 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA in his first three starts.
So, when could we see Mize make his MLB debut? To be honest, anyone’s guess is as good as mine at this point but the next opportunity is coming soon. (Unless COVID-19 prevents it)
This coming Thursday, the Tigers are scheduled to play a makeup doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals and the Tigers will need another starting pitcher for that day. Granted, the Cardinals are still dealing with players testing positive for COVID-19, so there is a chance the doubleheader never happens.
If the doubleheader goes on as scheduled, the Tigers could look to call up Mize to make his debut or they could elect to go with Rony Garcia, who is 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA in two starts this season.
Though the decision, in my opinion, is pretty easy considering the Tigers are off to a hot start, it is worth noting that calling up Mize would mean dropping a player from the 40-man roster and whether or not GM Al Avila is willing to do that at this point is unknown.
Should the Tigers bring up Casey Mize and then let him roll for the rest of the season? Absolutely. Will the Tigers make the decision to allow Mize to do his thing at the Major League Baseball level in 2020? I have absolutely no idea.
