For The Tigers, Francisco Rodriguez More Than Just A Closer

By Will Burchfield
Twitter: Burchie_kid
Before the Tigers traded for Francisco Rodriguez in the offseason, they conducted a little background check.

They were told the veteran closer was a tremendous asset for his former team, the Milwaukee Brewers. There were were told he was always willing to pitch, no questions asked. They were told he was a great presence among the younger guys in the bullpen.

"And he's been exactly as described," said Brad Ausmus.

Through half a season in Detroit, Rodriguez has gained a reputation as a reliable, low-maintenance closer. He has converted 21 of 23 save opportunities for the Tigers, largely in stress-free fashion. Excluding his meltdown in the first game of the season – a memory that grows more distant with the day – K-Rod has a 2.36 ERA and 29 strikeouts to just 18 hits over 26.2 innings.

"Obviously the closer is one of the most important pieces to a winning team, being able to close that ninth inning down with a one-run or three-run lead. He's been able to pitch some big games for us," said Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

For a team that's lacked just this sort of pitcher in recent seasons, Rodriguez has been everything the Tigers could have asked for.

Except he's been more.

K-Rod's value to the team transcends his performance on the mound. In a bullpen that seems to grow younger and greener each week, he has been a model of professionalism. And more than simply leading by example, Rodriguez has become a willing mentor.

"I definitely do enjoy that, I really have fun doing that, just passing along all the knowledge I've been gaining through my career. It's nice," he said.

In early June, the Tigers dispatched Shane Greene to the bullpen. A starter for almost all of his career, Greene suddenly found himself in a new situation, knowing his roster spot hinged on his ability to adapt. Fortunately, the friendly Rodriguez was there to help ease the transition.

"He's obviously been there, done that, and he's helped me with my routines and the mental aspect of what I need to be thinking out there compared to what I'd be thinking if I was starting," Greene said.

Nearly a month since that move, Greene has emerged as one of the most relied-upon arms in the Tigers' bullpen. He has paired his swing-and-miss stuff with a new sense of in-game urgency and gained Ausmus' trust as the team's primary set-up man. His altered outlook on the mound was gleaned in the K-Rod School of Relieving.

"In those late innings when it's crunch time, if a guy gets on base he can't score. So things like that he's been a lot of help," Greene said of Rodriguez.

K-Rod noted the challenge of making the switch from starting to relieving, and applauded Greene for learning on the fly.

"As a short reliever, the game goes a little faster," Rodriguez said. "There's a lot more pressure, so it's totally different. But he's making adjustments. It's not easy to do but he's doing it, and he's one of the reasons our bullpen has been well established since he got back there."

Entering June, the Tigers' relievers had an ERA north of 5.00. Since the turn of the month, that number checks in at 3.69. On top of Greene, Rodriguez pointed to Kyle Ryan and Bruce Rondon as key factors in the bullpen's turnaround.

And Ryan pointed right back to Rodriguez.

"He's by far got the most time in the bullpen," the 24-year-old Ryan said. "He's got a lot of knowledge and he knows a lot of English so it's easy to talk to him. He knows the game – the inside the outside, the dos the don'ts – and he'll get on you if you do something wrong, whether you know it or not. So it's always good to have someone like that down in the bullpen."

For the newly-transformed Rondon, the door remains open to become the Tigers' next closer. And to facilitate that process, Ausmus said, Rondon simply needs to follow the lead of their current one.

"I hope he does, because K-Rod is a role model. He's a throwback. You don't see many guys like him who would legitimately take the ball 5 or 6 days in a row if he thought he could and help the team…He's kind of a blue-collar, old-school type pitcher, and he's great with the other other pitchers down in the pen, he really is."

According to Ryan, the mentoring process between Rodriguez and Rondon has already begun.

"I think that's in the making right now. He's spending more and more time with K-Rod and I think it's helping him a lot," Ryan said.

To the Tigers, Rodriguez has been the closer they've lacked. To his teammates, he's been so much more.