Mize, fellow Tigers prospects, wow during BP

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Cameron Maybin had heard about the Tigers' collection of pitching prospects before he signed last week. He didn't know the names until he was introduced to Tarik Skubal for a round of batting practice Monday morning on the back fields at Tigertown.

"Oh, that was the left-hander," Maybin asked, shaking his head at the pitches he saw.

Maybin, mercifully, was watching from outside the cage when Skubal unleashed a nasty sequence of pitches. The high fastball on Dawel Lugo drew a swing and a miss. The next pitch was a fastball down and in that sent Lugo dancing out of the way. Skubal, who is the 46th-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, followed it up with a nasty slider that Lugo swung over.

On the opposite field, Matt Manning, who ranks as the 24th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, was dishing out an unfriendly mix of fastballs and breaking balls on another group of Tigers hitters. Catcher Jake Rogers was Manning's primary catcher for parts of two seasons at Double-A Erie and knew the stuff, but that didn't help much.

The display was impressive enough that Victor Reyes drew a small cheer from teammates when he connected for a drive out to right field late in the session.

A day later, Casey Mize, who checks in as the No. 7 prospect by MLB Pipeline, and Alex Faedo went to work on hitters Tuesday. Mize threw a heavy dose of fastballs. Faedo threw a few of his trademark sliders, but he focused most of his work on his fastball-changeup combination, the latter pitch being a third offering against left-handed hitters that he's trying to solidify before the season.

"I was excited to get back out there and throw against hitters, even though they're on my team," Faedo said. "Felt strong, felt I located the ball."

Add in Joey Wentz, the prospect acquired from Atlanta in the Shane Greene trade last July, and this is the future on display for the Tigers: Three prospects from MLB Pipeline's Top 100 list, plus two other first-round picks, all teammates last summer from Double-A Erie. They're in Spring Training together, and they're making an impression.

"I saw some really good arms and some really big people," manager Ron Gardenhire said, "and it's kind of fun to watch."

For some, this isn't their first big league camp. Mize and Faedo were non-roster invitees last year and in 2018, respectively, after they were top picks the previous summer. For others, it's a learning experience, and it helps to go through it together.

"It's easier for me knowing quite a few guys here from the same team," said Wentz, whose Monday session was cut short due to forearm tightness. "It was a little more than four weeks [in Erie last summer], but it's a great group of guys, super-nice guys. And they work hard, so it's fun to be a part of."

Said Mize: "We had a really good group. I think it's positive that we're all here learning from [the big leaguers], and that the Tigers saw this would be a positive thing for us and allowed us to be here and learn."

They've brought some of that enthusiasm into camp with them. Manning and Faedo were teammates in Erie since the summer of 2018, and throwing partners for much of that time. As they finished playing catch before a workout last week, they ran into each other for a flying chest bump. Even in a camp that Gardenhire likes to keep loose, it was a rare sight.

"We're always trying to do something, mess around, try to keep it light a little bit, have fun," Faedo said. "We do a good job at locking in on throwing, but then after, it's like, 'Hey, good job.'"