Back In The Bigs, Rondon Goes From 'Embarrassment' To 'Model Citizen'

By Will Burchfield
Twitter: Burchie_kid

There were a number of things said about Bruce Rondon toward the end of last season, none of which befit a pitcher with a heavenly arm.

"Pampered wannabe superstar," one writer declared.

"An embarrassment to the game of baseball," said ESPN's Eduardo Perez, after it was suggested that Rondon had willingly, petulantly, scaled back his velocity on the mound.

"Unforgivable," Tigers' radio man Jim Price said of the same accusation.

"It's kind of an unwritten rule, you never quit on your teammates and when you quit on yourself, you kind of quit on your teammates," said reliever Alex Wilson. "From a clubhouse standpoint, it's probably better to let him go on home and try to figure things out a little bit."

That, of course, is exactly what the Tigers did. With about two weeks left in the season, Brad Ausmus called reporters into his office and made the following announcement.

"Bruce Rondon, because of his effort level, has been sent home. And other than saying that (GM) Al Avila and myself completely agreed on it, there will be no other details or comment."

Seven months later, the Tigers are back to talking about Rondon – only it's like they're referring to a different person.

"He's definitely matured since the end of last year," said Ausmus before Wednesday's game against Miami. "There's no question he seems to have better focus, and at this point when he's called upon to pitch he takes the ball and doesn't complain. He's been a model citizen so far."

Rondon's bullpen mate, Shane Greene, agreed.

"Everybody knows his electrifying stuff is there, but I think that his work ethic is night-and-day different," he said. "And I think it's showing in his performance."

Rondon, for so long the Tigers' closer of the future, hasn't quite fulfilled that vision through a sporadic MLB career. But the 25-year-old flamethrower is finally beginning to show signs of realizing his vast potential, and that has more to do with his attitude than his arm.

The burly right-hander has never been doubted for his ability. He has a fastball that consistently hits 100 mph and the off-speed pitches to complement it. Before spring training in 2013, former Tigers' GM Dave Dombrowski – expecting Rondon to secure the closer's role – said, "He has that mentality, that golden arm."

Rondon failed to make the opening day roster that season, and then scuffled through an up-and-down year spent between Triple-A Toledo and Detroit. He missed all of 2014 after tearing his UCL and needing Tommy John surgery. With fans hoping he would make the full-time leap to the majors in 2015, Rondon delivered more of the same: electrifying stuff undone by erratic command.

When things went badly for him, especially in Detroit, Rondon unraveled.  Through 35 games with the Tigers, he gave up 31 hits and 19 walks in 31 innings, while pitching to a 5.81 ERA. Rondon's inability to handle his own lack of success, manifested in his sour attitude, eventually resulted in his dismissal from the team.

The Tigers' brass, beginning with Avila and Ausmus, hoped it would be the best thing for him. In theory, it gave Rondon a chance to reflect, an opportunity to re-evaluate his approach to the game. When the 2016 season began, perhaps he'd be a rejuvenated, re-motivated pitcher.

Whether or not the forced hiatus helped is unclear – that's a question best asked of Rondon. What's undeniable, though, is the change in his disposition and the improvement in his results.

"It seems like his attitude's changed a little bit, for the good," said fellow reliever, Kyle Ryan. "Everybody knows about last year and it's not an easy fix, especially when you throw 100 (mph) and can basically do what you want. When you throw that hard it's a gift, its definitely a gift from above, and I think he's using it to his ability now and I think it's for the better."

Since being called up to Detroit on June 19, Rondon has given up just two hits in seven innings while striking out seven and walking two. It remains to be seen if he can maintain that type of command, but the early returns are promising. Moreover, Rondon has embraced any role to which he's been assigned, settling in as a bridge reliever between the starters and the backend of the bullpen.

For now, those type of lower-leverage situations are best for Rondon. He is in an ongoing process of regaining the manager's trust, with an eye toward inheriting a bigger role down the line. So far, so good.

"He is proving his worth since he's been back," Ausmus said.

The caveat above all this – aside from small sample sizes – is that Rondon has yet to encounter adversity in his current stint with the Tigers. He has yet to face the struggles that will inevitably come. If his improved attitude holds up when the chips are down, we can draw more definitive conclusions.

Until then, though, we can only judge Rondon on what he's shown so far – and that it stands in stark contrast to what he's shown in the past.

"I think after last year, the labels he had had assigned to him, I think he probably realized that they're not important, and he just has to pitch," Ausmus said.