Member-only story
Can Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal End Detroit’s Long Draft Drought?
The hapless Tigers began a new era on Monday, calling up their top three prospects in the hopes of finally producing some major-league talent.

For the Detroit Tigers — baseball’s worst franchise — the future has arrived.
Al Avila needs it to be a bright one.
The Tigers general manager rolled the dice on Monday, calling up three of the franchise’s top prospects, including a pair of pitchers ranked in MLB’s top 100. Third baseman Isaac Paredes made his major-league debut that night in a loss to the White Sox and 51st-rated Tarik Skubal started on Tuesday, giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk in two innings.
Wednesday, though, is the day Tigers fans have been waiting a long time to see — the debut of Casey Mize. Ranked #8 by MLB.com, Mize is expected to be the anchor of the next great Detroit rotation, joining prospects like Skubal, Matt Manning (#26 overall), and Alex Faedo.
If one of the four hits it big or 27-year-old Spencer Turnbull continues to take steps forward, they could finally end an embarrassing run of draft flops in Detroit.