2018 MLB Draft

Since the Tigers have the #1 pick and other high picks....

1. Detroit Tigers – Casey Mize, RHP, Auburn
Mize is still the heavy favorite here, with the backup options appearing to be Georgia Tech C Joey Bartand Florida RHP Brady Singer, while Wisconsin prep CF Jarred Kelenichas faded from contention. Teams outside the top five picks don’t expect to get Mize’s MRI (he missed time last spring with an arm issue and some clubs were worried about his health as far back as high school), and it’s possible no one other than Detroit will get it. GM Al Avila saw the Mize/Singer matchup three weekends ago; saw Bart, Georgia prep CF Parker Meadows, and Wichita State 3B Alec Bohmtwo weekends ago; and Oregon State 2B Nick Madrigallast week. Mississippi prep RHP J.T. Ginnis a target in the second round, as are any of the leftover prep outfielders, like Pennsylvania prep CF Mike Siani.

Newest Fangraphs projection

1. Detroit Tigers: Casey Mize, RHP, Auburn

Yes, money could always be a factor, but if Mize's medicals hold up, there isn't a better option for the Tigers at 1-1. If Detroit does cut a deal, it could be with prep lefty Matthew Liberatore.

Any deal with him would be to free bonus money to sign players deeper in the draft.

A mock...

2018 MLB First Round Mock Draft: Auburn right-hander projected to go No. 1 to Tigers

Talk show transcript from yesterday........
========================
12:15
Jim in Chicago: If Casey Mize doesn’t go #1, where does he end up?


12:17
Kiley McDaniel: This seems to be the question of the moment. Detroit is seriously thinking about other options at 1-1, and the talk of this got around right after out mock came up. The specifics about what medicals Mize has shared, what Detroit has, what other teams have and what those medicals say is a little hazy and some of the answers are protected by HIPAA so we won’t get everything we would like to know pre draft.

12:18
Kiley McDaniel: What we do know is that Mize pitches like a 27 year old Japanese starter (lots of cutters and splitters), which is good in that he’s a finished product, good in the sense that he’s good in a unique way, not so good in the sense that he likely won’t get better. And he has enough of an injury history that we have to question (more than any other arm at the top of the draft) how teams may react to medical info that we will not be able to see.


12:18
Kiley McDaniel: So


12:19
Kiley McDaniel: If he doesn’t go 1-1, it would be due to projecting his health and once he slides past 1, it’s unclear where he would stop because we don’t know what the info would be that caused him to slide


12:19
Kiley McDaniel: BUT

12:28
Hinkie: If the Tigers end up passing on Casey Mize for a well below slot deal with somebody else, do the Giants jump all over Mize or will they also look for an underslot deal ? I guess this is a long way of asking … how possible is it Mize falls to the Phillies at 1-3 ???


12:31
Kiley McDaniel: Don’t know how things play out if Mize doesn’t go 1-1, but one team in the top 5 told me if the Tigers could be this on Mize and get off him for medicals, we’re probably not gonna like it either and there’s still plenty of good players to choose from. An exec in the top 10 told me if he’s 1-1 he just cuts Madrigal and takes him over retail priced Mize.

Out of the top 5, that gamble on a hypothetical Mize with a bad medical makes more sense with the top tier off the board. All speculative at this point and it is possible that this is all a smokescreen from Detroit but we’ve talked to some people that would know and they’re convinced the Tigers are at least heavily shopping around for alternative, at least one very plugged in person think they’ve already moved on from Mize.