Six Tiger pitchers compete for two starting spots
Written by Greg Piatt
Saturday February 27 2010
The Detroit Tigers begin their Grapefruit league schedule next week and the club will start looking to firm up its starting rotation.
Justin Verlander is the ace and Rick Porcello, who went 14-9 with a 3.96 ERA last year as a rookie, are the Tigers’ one and two starters. Max Scherzer, who was acquired in the Edwin Jackson trade with the Diamondbacks, is expected to be the third starter.
Beyond these three right-handed pitchers, the final two spots are open with possibly six pitchers competing for them. The performance of these six pitchers and Scherzer will determine whether the Tigers will make it to the playoffs.
Of the six, the Tigers are hoping Jeremy Bonderman, 27, can recapture his form after nearly a two-year layoff after having circulatory surgery. Reports from the Tigertown in Lakeland, FL, say he is throwing with the same velocity he had in 2006, when the club went to the World Series.
But Bonderman is still plagued by not having a third pitch. If he struggles as a starter, he will most likely be a long reliever. Bonderman is in the final year of his contract.
Nate Robertson, 32, is also in the final year of his contract and the lefthander should be looking to have a contract year. He was relegated to the bullpen for the first half of the season and had surgery to remove nodules from his left elbow in June.
The Tigers would like the lefthander in the rotation after he finished strong in September. However, he won’t capture a spot if he is the pitcher he was on 2008 and 2007 when he lost 11 and 13 games respectively.
Dontrelle Willis will also try and regain his form, his confidence and control, which have been lacking since he joined the Tigers in 2008. While manager Jim Leyland said on Friday that Willis, 28, looks like a different person, he would be a big surprise if the lefthander returns to solid pitching form. Willis is also in his final year of his contract.
A sleeper could be Armando Galarraga. The 28-year-old righthander was a big surprise in 2008, but collapsed last year after a couple of brilliant starts to open the season. Reports say that his slider has returned.
Eddie Bonine and Phil Coke are the dark horse candidates to become starters.
Coke, who came from the Yankees in the trade with Curtis Granderson, is expected to pitch out of the bullpen, but would be in the rotation if all or most of the four pitchers mentioned above can’t make the rotation.
The same is true with Bonine, who developed a knuckleball last year. Bonine always seems to pitch well when the Tigers need him. It would be a shame to lose him.
If Bonderman, Robertson, Willis and Galarraga pitch well in spring training expect at least one of them packaged off in a trade.
If that happens, Bonderman or Galarraga would be trade bait.
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