Detroit’s Casey Mize is on the List
Brent Maguire@bmags94 – MLB.com
The season is young, but there are already plenty of pitchers who put themselves on the radar.
Whether they are young pitchers showing a new level, veterans adding a new wrinkle to their profile or healthy pitchers regaining their previous form, no shortage of starters impressed in their first starts of the new season.
Here are 10 pitchers who excelled in their season debuts.
Mackenzie Gore, Nationals
6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 13 K (March 27 vs. PHI)
Could this be the year that Gore puts it all together? The 26-year-old has long been a household baseball name and we saw Gore tap into his potential last year, when he had a 3.90 ERA and 3.53 FIP in 166 1/3 innings. What Gore did on Opening Day this year, however, was the best version we’ve seen of the talented young lefty. Gore joined Bob Gibson (1967) as the only pitchers in AL/NL history with 13 strikeouts and no walks in a scoreless outing on Opening Day. Gore dominated with a new slider that produced six strikeouts and whiffs on eight of 10 swings.
MacKenzie Gore’s record-setting 13th strikeout
Jesús Luzardo, Phillies
5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 11 K (March 29 at WSH)
The Phillies didn’t exactly need another talented starting pitcher last offseason, but they acquired Luzardo from the Marlins anyway. After an injury-riddled 2024 season, Luzardo looked much closer to his ‘23 form (3.58 ERA and 208 strikeouts) in his first outing with the Phillies. The 27-year-old lefty punched out 11 Nationals hitters in just five innings and generated whiffs on 18 of 43 swings against him. Luzardo’s fastball velocity was up 1.7 mph and he produced five strikeouts on both his slider and new sweeper.
Jesús Luzardo strikes out 11 batters in Phillies win
Shane Baz, Rays
6 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 K (April 1 vs. PIT)
Baz dazzled in his first start of the season and his first start against the team (Pittsburgh) that drafted him 12th overall in the 2017 Draft. After years of top prospect status (he ranked as high as No. 12 by MLB Pipeline before the 2022 season), Baz had only thrown 119 2/3 big league innings before this year due to Tommy John surgery that wiped out the entire ’23 season. In his ’25 opener, we saw exactly why Baz has been hyped for so long. The 25-year-old averaged 97.1 mph on his four-seamer but his vicious mid-80s curveball was his standout pitch and responsible for eight of his 10 strikeouts.
Shane Baz’s dominant start vs. Pirates
Casey Mize, Tigers
5 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K (April 1 at SEA)
Could this be the beginning of a long-awaited breakout for the No. 1 pick in the 2018 Draft? Coming into this season, Mize had a 4.36 ERA and 4.60 FIP in 291 innings across parts of four seasons with the Tigers, which included him missing the entire 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery and back surgery. The soon-to-be 28-year-old dominated in his first start against the Mariners, throwing at least 5 2/3 scoreless innings for just the third time in his career. Mize generated whiffs at an excellent 42.8 percent rate and garned plenty of swings and misses on his four-seamer (five), splitter (five) and slider (four).
Casey Mize’s stellar outing vs. Mariners
Dustin May, Dodgers
5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 6 K (April 1 vs. ATL)
What a journey it’s been for May. A slew of injuries — which includes Tommy John surgery in 2021, flexor tendon surgery in ‘23 and a life-threatening esophagus surgery last year — limited May to just 191 2/3 big league innings before this year. Making his first appearance since May 17, 2023, May dazzled against the Braves, allowing just one unearned run across five innings and flashing his usual electric array of stuff. May mainly relied on his 3,000-plus RPM sweeper and spent the rest of his time throwing three variations of a mid-90s fastball (four-seamer, sinker and cutter). The Dodgers have an embarrassment of riches in the rotation and if May can remain healthy, their starters could be the best in baseball.
