Auburn right-hander Casey Mize is one of a number of players in the broad mix to be the first overall pick in this year's MLB Rule 4 draft, and he has come out of the chute showing the stuff to justify that consideration. Mize had a good if imperfect start Friday night against Brigham Young, and Auburn coach Butch Thompson showed great restraint in pulling Mize before his pitch count got too high.
Mize showed five distinct pitches, including a fastball at 91-96 mph, a cutter, a slider, a splitter and a true changeup, three of which are clearly plus -- the fastball, cutter and the splitter. You don't see many amateurs who throw a splitter at all, because of the unproven belief that it can cause arm problems. (Mize did miss time last spring with forearm soreness, but it never morphed into elbow trouble.) Mize's splitter is one of the best pitches in the draft class this year, a 70-grade pitch when he hits it to go with 60s for the fastball and that cutter. He throws it at 88-91 mph and it is devastating against right-handed hitters.
He had less consistency with the mid-80s slider, although he threw some tight ones. A few backed up on him and the last hit he surrendered looked like it came on a slider he released early and left up. The changeup is new and could really help him by reducing his reliance on the splitter early in counts -- and if there really is a physical reason not to throw the splitter as much, the change gives him a way to reserve the splitter for times he needs a swing-and-miss.