Casey Mize will be in the Detroit Tigers' starting rotation to begin the 2021 season, manager AJ Hinch announced on Friday, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck.
The 2018 No. 1 overall pick allowed 13 earned runs in 14 innings throughout spring training but appeared to secure his spot after striking out nine hitters in four innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday.
"Honestly, I was driven tonight, for sure," Mize said after Thursday's performance. "I really felt like I had something to prove and I needed to go have a good outing."
The 23-year-old has been destined to become a regular in Detroit's major-league rotation since the team drafted him in 2018. Mize was 8-4 with a 2.71 ERA in the minors before making his major-league debut in 2020. His minor-league dominance didn't carry over to the bigs, though, as he posted an unimpressive 6.99 ERA and 6.47 FIP in seven starts.
However, Mize's spring numbers and poor performance last season didn't stop Hinch from making the decision to start the season with the youngster in the rotation.
"He's made a lot of major-league hitters look bad this spring," Hinch said Thursday. "There's going to be some growing pains, and if we expect him to be perfect, then we're setting him up for failure."
Mize joins Tarik Skubal, Julio Teheran, and Opening Day starter Matthew Boyd in a Tigers rotation that is also expected to include Jose Urena.
Michael Fulmer, who was an option for the rotation, will begin the season in the bullpen, Hinch said.
