Tigers draft Auburn right-hander Casey Mize with No. 1 pick
SECAUCUS, N.J. — Casey Mize went from undrafted three years ago all the way to No. 1.
The Detroit Tigers selected the Auburn right-hander with the first pick in the Major League Baseball draft Monday night. The announcement at MLB Network studios marked the second time the Tigers led off the draft, and first since they took Rice pitcher Matt Anderson in 1997.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Mize had long been linked to the Tigers, and this season he pitched his way to the top spot on the board. Mize wasn’t chosen by any organization out of high school three years ago, but developed into a potential big league ace while in college.
“It means a ton,” he said in an interview on MLB Network’s broadcast. “I can’t describe this feeling right now.”