How Detroit Tigers' Casey Mize overcame 'tough thoughts' for first MLB All-Star appearance

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Casey Mize is one of the calmest players on the Detroit Tigers.
But it's easy to imagine the frantic tone in his voice when he called clubhouse manager Dan Ross.
He had an urgent – and unusual – request.
"Dan, I need nice clothes," Mize said. "I don't own any."
And so Ross sent Mize to State and Liberty in Birmingham — 20 miles north of Comerica Park. There, he picked out a light gray suit and a black T-shirt off the rack. A few days later, the 28-year-old showcased his new outfit: Mize made a decked-out appearane for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game Red Carpet Show in Atlanta on July 15, just hours before the All-Star Game.
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"Normally, that's not my thing," said Mize, a late All-Star replacement. "I don't own nice clothes or enjoy the camera or spotlight. But it was cool for my wife and me to be able to do that."
After years of physical setbacks, mental hurdles and frustrating underperformance, Mize – the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2018 – has emerged from those dark days. His journey to his first All-Star Game in his five seasons has given him a newfound perspective about his life – both on and off the field – which he detailed in the American League clubhouse in July.
"I'm proud to be where I am now," Mize said. "If you asked me when I was 21 how many of these I would be at, I would say a lot more than one at this stage in my career. If you asked me again when I was 25, I might say zero."
Entering the All-Star break this season, Mize had a 3.15 ERA in 16 starts, up from a sub-3.00 ERA through his first 15.
"I'm really proud that I was able to work through some things and perform at the level that I always knew I was capable of," said Mize, whose ERA hit 3.50 through 19 starts entering Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. "To put my belief on the field feels good, and to get rewarded for it by being here and experiencing this is pretty special."
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In the Tigers' clubhouse at Comerica Park, Mize is locker buddies with left-hander Tarik Skubal. Both former top prospects pitched for the AL team in the All-Star Game.
Skubal, twice sidelined by elbow surgery, has had a front-row seat to Mize's roller-coaster ride — from No. 1 overall pick to Tommy John surgery to All-Star.
"I'm proud of him," Skubal said. "Everything he has gone through, ups and downs, a lot of downs, injuries, coming back from injury and not performing the way he's expected to perform, the way he expects of himself, and then going into an offseason and revamping his arsenal, and coming into spring training with not really a spot on the roster. Every start that he's had, he's earned it, and he's earned this moment. I couldn't be happier for him, not only as a teammate, but also as a friend."
A sports psychologist
Barely two years after he was drafted, Mize was on the fast track to becoming a frontline starter for the Tigers.
Rising quickly through the Tigers' system, he made his MLB debut in 2020, then posted a 3.71 ERA across 30 starts in his first full season in 2021 — only to undergo Tommy John surgery in June 2022 to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
He didn't pitch again until 2024.
"I fought some thoughts," Mize said. "I feel like did a pretty good job of flushing those, but to say that I never had any doubts or never any fear of, 'My career is not going to be what I thought it was going to be.' That came into my head at times."
After elbow surgery, Mize found himself buying into negative thoughts.
He felt miserable.
His wife, Tali, helped him build a foundation for positivity by discovering their community at church. He also began meeting with a sports psychologist employed by the Tigers.
"I wanted to deal with those tough thoughts I was having about my career," Mize said. "I wanted to be able to combat those thoughts. I'm also a guy that's going to leave no stone unturned. I was like, 'I'm doing everything I can physically right now, so that when I'm back, I'm the best play I can be.' I wanted to do the same thing mentally."
He started the sessions in 2023.
The conversations became more frequent before spring training in 2024, as he prepared for his return to competition.
They still talk to this day.
"I've learned, the longer you sit on those thoughts, and the longer you let it build up, the more negatively it's going to impact you," Mize said. "I've worked through a lot of those thoughts. Now, I don't think that way anymore. I just take my career as it comes at me."
The Zack Wheeler model
For Mize, Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler is a symbol of hope.
Wheeler, now 35, was drafted No. 6 overall in 2009 and made his MLB debut in 2013. He had a 3.54 ERA across 32 starts in 2014, his first full season — only to undergo Tommy John surgery in March 2015. After the procedure, he didn't pitch again in the majors until 2017.
There are parallels to Mize's journey.
"In his first year back, he see-sawed a little bit," Mize said, "and then in his second year, he took off, and it's been domination ever since, and he's still going. That's always a guy I've kept an eye on, like this is still possible for me."
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In 2017, Wheeler returned from Tommy John surgery with a 5.21 ERA in 17 starts. In 2024, Mize made his return from Tommy John surgery with a 4.49 ERA in 22 games.
For Mize, the offseason between 2024 and 2025 became a chance to revamp the way he pitches. He was determined to make a big jump in his second year removed from elbow surgery, so he traveled to Driveline Baseball in Tampa, Florida, and Maven Baseball in Atlanta, to work on his pitch mix. He added breaking balls, boosted the velocity of his splitter and chased more whiffs.
"How can we get to be the best player I can be?" Mize said. "That was the mentality switch a little bit this offseason. How can I get better? Because I was tired of not being a contributor.'
The overhaul worked.
Mize became an All-Star for the first time at age 28 in his fifth MLB season.
Wheeler didn't make his first All-Star Game until 2021, his age-31 season and his seventh in MLB. From 2021-25 – over nearly nearly 900 innings and 144 starts (entering Sunday) – the Phillies ace owns a 2.90 ERA. He has established himself as one of MLB's best pitchers — if not the best — over a five-year span.
In 2025, Wheeler is earning $42 million.
Meanwhile, Mize is making $2.34 million in his second of three arbitration years. He is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2026 season.
"Maybe I won't make $45 (million) a year or whatever he's doing and logging 200-some innings every year," Mize said. "But if I look at his career, I'm like, 'There are some similarities here.' That guy gives me some hope."
'My good luck charm'
The combination of hope and diligence carried Mize all the way to the All-Star Game. Before taking the mound, he spent time on the red carpet.
Tali joined him.
Mize found his suit and shirt off the rack. But his wife faced a more complicated challenge. Pregnant with their first child, she spent an entire day at the mall searching for something to wear. Eventually, she gave up and ordered a dress that arrived just in time, thanks to overnight shipping.
"She looked amazing," Mize said.
Although Mize battled negative thoughts, the past few years have been full of positives: finding a church community, learning from a sports psychologist, returning from elbow surgery, developing as a pitcher, contributing to one of the best teams in baseball and earning his first All-Star appearance.
His perspective on the game has shifted.
"I was away from the game for so long, and I would've done anything to play and compete," Mize said. "I keep trying to remind myself that, 'You just gave up six runs to the Mariners. You would have loved to done that in 2023, just to literally be out there playing.' When I think of my career and the things I want to do, it's much more short-term than it used to be."
Above all, Mize is preparing for something entirely differnet: Becoming a girl dad.
"She's my good luck charm, I think — my little girl on the way," Mize said. "It's been a great year with great things happens and great things to look forward to. It's been wonderful."
Contact Evan Petzold at [e-mail] or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Casey Mize overcame 'tough thoughts' for 2025 MLB All-Star Game