Bullpen, Defense, Lineup, Rotation: Where Tigers Stand As Spring Training Approaches
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - Spring training for the Detroit Tigers starts a week from Saturday, with the first pitchers and catchers workout on Feb. 20 and the first full squad workout on Feb. 24.
Coming off another American League Central Division title, the Tigers will face high expectations as always, but even general manager Dave Dombrowski has admitted the team has more unknowns this season than it has had in recent years.
The following is a look at how it could all come together - or not.
Bullpen
Closer Joe Nathan made a reasonable point last season when he noted that bullpens always have question marks, but the Tigers have more than most. Nathan, whom the team had expected to be its most reliable piece in 2014, had one of the worst seasons of his career, turning in a 4.81 ERA. The Tigers are hoping he returns to form this season - he had an ERA of 1.39 in 2013 - but given that he's 40 years old, that may or may not actually happen. However, he did improve throughout the 2014 season after he and the staff identified and worked to correct a flaw in his delivery.
Joakim Soria should be a solid piece in the pen as well, but injury limited him to only 13 appearances for Detroit after he was traded there. Bruce Rondon has been touted as an important piece to the relief staff as well, but he missed all of last season after requiring Tommy John surgery. How Soria and Rondon comes back will play a significant role in how strong the group is.
Taking the spot of left-handed reliever Phil Coke will likely be veteran Tom Gorzelanny, whom the Tigers acquired this offseason. Gorzelanny recorded an ERA of 0.86 over 23 appearances in 2014. Other lefty possibilities will be Ian Krol, Blaine Hardy and maybe, if Detroit wants to move them away from starting duties, Kyle Lobstein or Kyle Ryan.
Newcomers competing for reliever spots include Josh Zeid, whom the Tigers picked up from the Astros, and Alex Wilson, whom the Tigers got in the Cespedes trade.
The Tigers did not make any particularly splashy additions to the bullpen, instead trusting that the staff they compiled last season - and a few low-key additions that could provide upgrades - will simply be better this year.
Defense
Defense has not been a strength for the Tigers, who have in recent years put their proverbial eggs in the baskets of starting pitching and offense. With the return of shortstop Jose Iglesias and the addition of Cespedes, however, Detroit could look much better in this area than it did last year.
Iglesias is coming back from missing the entire 2014 season with stress fractures in both shins. His inability to play meant the Tigers had a revolving door at the position, starting with Alex Gonzalez, including Danny Worth, and eventually vacillating between Eugenio Suarez and Andrew Romine. The Tigers acquired Iglesias at the trade deadline in 2013, and in his 46 games for Detroit he made a memorable impression, delivering web gems on a regular basis. Going into 2015, the job is essentially his if he is healthy.
Cespedes, whom the Tigers received for starting pitcher Rick Porcello, should be a significant upgrade in the outfield. How the Tigers fare in center field will be another question.
The team traded away Austin Jackson at the deadline in 2014, and Dombrowski said after the season that one of the team's top priorities would be signing someone to platoon with Rajai Davis or to be the full-time center fielder. The Tigers traded for 24-year-old Anthony Gose, but manager Brad Ausmus has not said whether he will use both or only Gose in that spot this season.
The starting catcher spot is also up in the air. While Alex Avila might look like a lock simply because he has held the job for years, the team evidently likes what it has seen from 24-year-old James McCann, who played 12 games for Detroit in 2014 after being called up in September. Avila is a free agent after this season, so the Tigers could gradually turn the job over to McCann this season if they want. Ausmus has said he will not make a decision until spring training, when he will pick a starter or perhaps use both. Either way, it sounds like McCann will have an increased role this season.
Lineup
Yet again, Detroit's lineup has the potential to be one of the most potent in baseball. The Tigers did their best to ensure that strength by re-signing designated hitter Victor Martinez, who turned in an average of .335 and smacked 32 home runs in 2014. First baseman Miguel Cabrera, a two-time MVP who hit .313 with 25 homers while battling injuries last season, will be back as well. The Tigers traded for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who should help replace the power lost by the departure of Torii Hunter. Outfielder J.D. Martinez, coming off a fantastic breakout season, also returns.
Fabulous production from the lineup is hardly guaranteed, however. Cabrera and Victor Martinez are both coming off surgery. Both could miss some time at the beginning of the season, and more than likely, neither will be back to form instantly upon arrival, so expecting them to be at full strength might be optimistic. J.D. Martinez, even with his revamped swing a large part of his success, cannot be expected to replicate his impressive production - a .315 batting average and 23 home runs - this season.
In short, depending largely on how Cabrera and Victor Martinez come back from injuries, the offense might not be as impressive as it is on paper. Then again, it seems unwise to bet against those two, who are not only dedicated to their craft but also renowned for their toughness.
Starting rotation
Putting off questions about who this group will include in 2016 and beyond, the Tigers could once again enjoy a solid rotation. If everything goes perfectly, it could be one of baseball's best.
Justin Verlander, who recorded sub-2.50 ERAs in 2011 and 2012, has struggled to match that standard the last two seasons. Verlander said this offseason, however, that he feels better now than he has in years, and doctors told him that not having enough time following surgery in January 2014 led to some of his problems last season. He probably will not return to Cy Young form, but he could still be very good.
David Price, also a former Cy Young Award winner, could be excellent this season. He pitched well if not consistently in 2014, when he was traded to the Tigers at the deadline. With an offseason and spring training to adjust and get comfortable with his new team - and with free agency on the horizon - Price looks primed for a fabulous season. Anibal Sanchez could rebound back from an injury-riddled season - he recorded a 3.43 ERA but only started 21 games - and serve as yet another strong piece of the rotation.
The Tigers will have two new starting members of the rotation in Shane Greene and Alfredo Simon. If the newcomers turn in seasons like they did in 2014, Detroit could be in good shape. Greene recorded a 3.78 ERA in 15 appearances. Simon, who pitched well as a reliever in 2012 and 2013, finished with a 3.44 ERA in 32 starts last year.
The sample size on Greene is so small that it is hard to know what to expect, though the Tigers are certainly believers. Simon pitched well as a starter last season, but that was his first full season as a starter. Prior to 2014, he was a very good reliever for two seasons, and in four seasons (albeit with limited appearances) before that, he never turned in an ERA below 4.90. He could just now be hitting his stride as a pitcher - or last season could have been a pleasant anomaly.
