DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers have made Casey Mize the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, giving the right-handed college ace a central role in the team's ongoing rebuilding.
Former Tigers manager Jim Leyland presented the selection on behalf of the team at the MLB Network studios in Secaucus, N.J., on Monday night.
"It means a ton," Mize said during an interview on MLB Network immediately after being selected. "I'm very thankful that the Tigers thought enough to take me with the first selection. I can't describe this feeling right now."
Known for his pinpoint control, the 21-year-old native of Springville, Ala.