Detroit -- When it came time Monday to cash in on their consolation prize from a bad 2017 season, the Tigers went with a player they steadily viewed as the top talent in 2018's big-league draft.
They made Auburn ace Casey Mize the first overall pick in baseball's annual June talent show.
The Tigers got a badly needed hitter with their second turn, No. 44 overall, when they snagged Georgia prep outfielder Parker Meadows, a 6-foot-4, left-handed batter with speed and power who can play center field or a corner spot.
"It's a relief to have it out of the way," Mize said just after midnight Monday, five hours after the Tigers had ended all the draft-day suspense by making him the first of some 1,500 players chosen by big-league teams through Wednesday.