Welcome to the big leagues, Casey Mize. David Bote’s been awaiting your arrival
Mize is one of the most-anticipated pitching prospects in MoTown since Justin Verlander first towed the rubber, but that doesn’t change the fact that for now, he’s still experiencing the learning curve. Minor league hitters don’t have the same patience, or pure power, as David Bote. The Cubs infielder took a Mize hanging breaking ball 455 feet to left field, past the Tigers bullpen, and into the Detroit night.
You see that slight jog from the Detroit outfield as they watch an absolute rocket launch over their heads, similar to the fireworks that would surely be going off at Wrigley Field right now had this game been held with fans at the Friendly Confines? That’s the ultimate insult to Mize — of no fault of their own, of course — and it’s a learning experience for a rookie pitcher the Tigers hope is on his way to several Cy Young-caliber seasons.
Mize has the stuff to become everything the Tigers expect from him, and more
Detroit took Mize first overall out of Auburn in 2018, and have been ever so cautious with him since. A couple of bombs off the bats of the Chicago White Sox, and now Bote, are a small price to pay for his rapid development into an MLB-caliber starter.
This blast from Bote reached rarified air, for him. It’s the second-longest home run of his career, the furthest going an astounding 469 feet against the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2019.