Friday was Matt Manning’s day. Saturday was for Casey Mize.
Mize threw more than 20 pitches in front of pitcher coach Rick Anderson and bullpen coach AJ Sager and others in the Detroit Tigers’ bullpen.
When Manning launched a bullpen session from the mound at Comerica Park on Friday, Mize was leaving the field with left-handed ace Matthew Boyd after running between the poles.
Manning, one of the team’s best prospects, returned to the field with a long pitch on Saturday, but before doing so, he made a quick stop in the bullpen.
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Through the open door, he saw the end of Mize’s first bullpen camp session.
Mize, also a top prospect, pitched alongside veteran left-hander Hector Santiago, who is at camp vying for a spot in the bullpen.
The 23-year-old Mize is expected to be online for a debut in 2020. Last season, he went through Lakeland’s A-class and pitched a no-hit game at Double-A Erie in his first professional season. But, and this is a great but, he missed more than a month mid-season with a shoulder ailment.
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Due to that injury, the coronavirus pandemic that threatens the season, and the unusual launch schedule of their young pitchers, the Tigers may prefer to err on the side of caution when pressing them.
But Mize, like Manning and probably left-handed Tarik Skubal, was ready to start the 2020 minor league season at Triple-A Toledo. However, last week, the Minor Baseball League canceled its season, and now the Tigers are in a dilemma: As they try to protect some of these pitchers, they’re left with Major League Baseball action as the only option to advance in. its development.
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Tigers take precedence over how they would like to see things unfold, but injuries always have their way of forcing a hand. For now, Mize’s first two days of camping, including staying with Boyd, a positive influence, to what otherwise seemed like a productive bullpen session on Saturday afternoon, were a good step to show he is ready.
Contact Anthony Fenech at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @anthonyfenech. Read more about the Detroit Tigers and subscribe to our Tigers newsletter.
