The Detroit Tigers had the No. 1 pick in the MLB Draft twice in three years.
In 2018, they chose Casey Mize. In 2020, it was Spencer Torkelson.
And for years after those selections, it looked like the Tigers may have whiffed on both.
Not anymore.
Mize and Torkelson starred on Saturday against the Royals, just like they have all season. It looks like 2025 is the year both finally arrive as MLB stars.
Against the Royals, Mize made his longest start since 2021. He lasted 7.0 innings, allowing only four hits and just a home run with two outs in the sixth to Freddy Fermin with no one on base.
The outing lowered Mize’s season ERA to 2.22.’
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Torkelson gave Mize the lead with a towering blast out to left field.
It was a three-run shot for Torkelson. It was his seventh homer of the season, and it upped his RBI total to 21.
After the homer, Torkelson’s season average had risen to .289 with an OPS of 1.043.
Mize’s best season was 2021, when he stayed healthy and had a 3.71 ERA.
Tommy John surgery two years later slowed him down, and he wasn’t the same pitcher in 2024. But he looks back to his best self now.
Torkelson hit 31 homers in 2023, but then he regressed to 10 home runs and a .219 average last year.
He wasn’t even guaranteed a starting job this spring, but he got his chance and has seized his heart-of-the-order role.
The Tigers were already one of baseball’s most surprising teams in the second half of the 2024 season with a remarkable run to the playoffs, and that was with no key contributions from their two former No. 1 overall picks.
Now? Detroit is cooking and its top draftees are shining. Look out.
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