Auburn RHP Mize could go first

NEW YORK» Casey Mize has dazzled scouts for months with his impressive arsenal of pitches.

The tantalizingly talented Auburn right-hander could find himself leading off the Major League Baseball draft on Monday night, with the Detroit Tigers ready to go on the clock with the No. 1 pick.

While Mize has long been the favorite to be the top selection, he’s not necessarily the type of no-doubt, surething prospect Stephen Strasburg (2009) and Bryce Harper (2010) were considered in their draft years. Florida righty Brady Singer and Georgia Tech catcher Joey Bart are also possibilities to have their names called first by commissioner Rob Manfred at MLB Network studios in Secaucus, N.J.

For the Tigers, it’s the first time they have the No. 1 pick since they took Rice pitcher Matt Anderson in 1997.

“I don’t know if there’s a can’t-miss,” Tigers general manager Al Avila recently told reporters. “From draft to draft, you try to say, ‘Who’s that can’t-miss?’ There’s been plenty of can’t-misses that have missed, as you all know, in the history of the draft, but there are good players in this draft.

“And there’s going to be players in this draft who are going to get to the big leagues, and there will be players in this draft who may end up being All-Stars or maybe even franchise players. And they come from all places in the draft.”

For a team in the market for a catcher, Bart looks like the best bet.

The Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year led the conference in hitting with a .359 average and topped the Yellow Jackets with a .632 slugging percentage, 79 hits, 16 home runs, 55 runs scored and a .471 on-base percentage. Bart had a 16-game hitting streak this season and has terrific power potential at the next level. He’s also one of the country’s best defensive catchers, with a .992 fielding percentage on the season while throwing out 12 of 33 be base stealers.