Casey Mize Bio
Casey Arthur Mize (born May 1, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. Mize was the first overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft after a standout collegiate career at Auburn University, and he earned his first Major League All-Star selection in 2025.
Early Life and Background
Casey Mize was born in Springville, Alabama, and raised in the surrounding region where he attended Springville High School. He compiled a 19–2 record during his high school career and emerged as one of the state s top pitching prospects, attracting scholarship offers from major college programs.
Mize enrolled at Auburn University and joined the Auburn Tigers baseball program. He made an immediate impact as a freshman, appearing in 16 games with seven starts and recording 59 strikeouts. His progressive development at Auburn set the stage for national recognition and professional interest.
Path to Baseball
At Auburn, Mize refined a low-90s fastball and a sharp secondary arsenal while increasing his strikeout rates and command. He spent a summer in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Wareham Gatemen, a common proving ground for prospects facing top collegiate competition, and he pitched for the United States collegiate national team following his strong sophomore campaign.
Mize entered the 2018 season as Auburn s opening day starter and threw a no-hitter on March 9, 2018, a signature performance among his 17 starts that year. He finished the 2018 collegiate season with 156 strikeouts, earning status as a consensus top draft prospect and leading to his selection at the top of the 2018 MLB draft.
Casey Mize Career
Early Career (2018–2019)
The Detroit Tigers selected Casey Mize with the first overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft and signed him on June 25, 2018, with a reported signing bonus. He began his professional career with the Gulf Coast Tigers before a brief promotion to the Lakeland Flying Tigers. An innings limit curtailed his 2018 season after five professional starts, a standard precaution for college arms making the jump to pro baseball.
In 2019 Mize opened with Lakeland as the High–A Opening Day starter and was promoted to the Erie SeaWolves of Double–A after a dominant early stretch. In his first start for Erie he tossed a no-hitter, striking out seven on 98 pitches in a 1–0 victory, a standout minor-league performance that reinforced his status as an elite prospect. Shoulder inflammation later in 2019 led to a short injured list stint, but his rapid ascent positioned him for a major-league debut the following season.
Major League Breakthrough (2020–2025)
Casey Mize was promoted to the Detroit Tigers and made his major-league debut on August 19, 2020, against the Chicago White Sox. In that first start he delivered 4 1/3 innings, striking out seven batters and recording a no-decision. During the shortened 2020 campaign he appeared in seven games and showed glimpses of his swing-and-miss repertoire despite a higher earned run average as he adjusted to big-league hitting.
Named to the Tigers rotation to begin the 2021 season, Mize recorded his first major-league win on April 12, 2021, throwing seven scoreless innings against the Houston Astros. He made 30 starts in 2021 and finished with a 7–9 record and a 3.71 ERA while striking out 118 batters in over 150 innings, establishing himself as a regular member of the starting staff.
In 2022 Mize began the season as the Tigers No. 2 starter but suffered a right elbow sprain in April that led to placement on the 60-day injured list. It was later determined he required Tommy John surgery, which ended his 2022 season and contributed to his absence from professional games in 2023 as he recovered from the procedure.
After rehabilitation, Mize returned to the Tigers rotation for Opening Day of the 2024 season and served as the team s No. 5 starter. He made 16 starts before a left hamstring strain in July resulted in a stint on the injured list; he was transferred to the 60-day injured list and later activated in late August. In 2024 he finished the season with a 2–6 record, a 4.49 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 102 1/3 innings.
In January 2025 Mize and the Tigers avoided arbitration with a one-year, $2.34 million contract. He opened 2025 as the fifth starter and was briefly placed on the injured list in May with a hamstring strain before returning later that month. Mize earned his first Major League All-Star selection in 2025 as a replacement, and he compiled a 14–6 record with a 3.87 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 149 innings that season.
Detroit Tigers Era (2020–Present)
All of Casey Mize s major-league service has been with the Detroit Tigers. After debuting in 2020 he became a fixture of the Tigers starting rotation when healthy, contributing through both developmental seasons and recovery from major surgery. Detroit management entrusted Mize with regular rotation innings once he returned to full health, and his 2025 All-Star nod marked a career milestone within the Tigers organization.
Contract arrangements in the period following his return reflect the club s approach to arbitration and short-term deals while Mize re-established his durability and production. His role in the rotation has varied with team roster decisions, but he has consistently been used as a starting pitcher when available.
Pitching Style and Strengths
Casey Mize throws a four-seam fastball that sits in the mid-90s with a two-seam variant and a high-quality splitter as his primary offspeed offering. He also uses a slider and an occasional curveball to change eye levels and sequences. Mize s strengths include strikeout ability, pitch sequencing, and the capacity to generate weak contact when his splitter and fastball are working in tandem.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones in Mize s career include being the 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick, pitching a no-hitter for Auburn in 2018, throwing a no-hitter in his first start for Erie in 2019, making his major-league debut in 2020, returning from Tommy John surgery, and earning a 2025 Major League All-Star selection.
Casey Mize Career Wins
Across his major-league career through June 29, 2026, Casey Mize has compiled a 26–30 win–loss record with 433 strikeouts and a 3.99 earned run average. Those totals reflect his time in the Detroit Tigers rotation from his debut in 2020 through the 2026 season segment covered in available statistics.
Major League Highlights
Mize s Major League highlights include a seven-inning scoreless outing for his first career win in 2021, a stretch of effective mid-2025 starts that led to his All-Star selection, and multiple starts in which his splitter produced high swing-and-miss rates. His 2025 season stands out as a full-season performance that combined wins, innings and strikeouts at a near-all-star level.
Other Wins & Perfromances
Before reaching the majors, Mize recorded standout performances in college and the minors, most notably a no-hitter for Auburn on March 9, 2018, and a no-hitter in his first start for the Erie SeaWolves in Double–A in 2019. Those outings remain prominent achievements on his résumé and were influential in his rapid professional advancement.
Casey Mize Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
There is no public record in the provided sources of a multi-generation professional baseball lineage for Mize. He emerged as a top amateur prospect through high school and collegiate competition in Alabama and on national amateur stages.
Personal Life
Casey Mize married his wife, Tali, in 2019. The couple resides in Nashville, Tennessee. Public coverage of his personal life centers on his marriage and residence; other family details have not been included in the available verified material.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season served as a breakout return year for Mize after injury and surgery, culminating in his first All-Star selection. He posted a 14–6 record with a 3.87 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 149 innings, demonstrating improved command and increased effectiveness of his splitter. The season reinforced his standing as a frontline rotation option when healthy and provided momentum for subsequent contract and roster discussions.
Detroit s use of Mize in 2025 balanced conservative workload management with reliance on his ability to produce quality starts. His selection to the All-Star Game reflected both raw statistics and his role in the Tigers rotation during a season in which he avoided major setbacks after midseason hamstring issues.