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2009 Player Profile: Fernando Rodney

Fernando Rodney #56

  • Height: 5′ 11″ | Weight: 220
  • 2008 Stats: 0-6, 4.91 ERA, 13 Saves

In a bottom-line business like major league baseball, fans tend to overlook stats such as 49 strikeouts in 40 innings or 13 saves from a late-inning reliever like Fernando Rodney. RodneyHead.jpgSix blown saves and an ERA a whisker under five are more glaring and more representative of Detroit’s bullpen woes in 2008. Yet despite that lackluster campaign, the Tigers expect big things from Rodney in ’09.

Though he spent April and May on the DL, the ’08 season wasn’t all bad for the senior-ranking Tiger in the bullpen; he assembled stretches of lights-out appearances, including June and July in which hitters produced a .183 average against him. Over that same timeframe he fanned 37 in 27.1 innings pitched. The key to success for Rodney is a breathtaking changeup that, when near the plate, is difficult for hitters to resist. Of course, a high-90s fastball makes the off-speed pitches that much more tantalizing.

With Todd Jones’ retirement, Brandon Lyon‘s arrival and Joel Zumaya’s (tentative) return, chances are that Rodney will begin 2009 as a setup man. If something goes wrong with Lyon or Zumaya and if Rodney can harness his pitches, develop consistency, and fortify his mental makeup, he could, in the end, be the Tigers’ answer at closer.

For a pitcher with Rodney’s track record, that’s an awful lot of ifs.

2009 Player Profile: Armando Galarraga

Armando Galarraga #58

  • Height: 6′ 4″ | Weight: 180
  • 2008 Stats: 13-7, 3.73

GalarragaHead.jpgOn April 15, 2008, the Tigers summoned Armando Galarraga from Toledo for what most presumed was a short-term stint for the rookie right-hander. He made his Tigers debut on April 16 in Cleveland – a period when the Tigers desperately needed wins – and tossed a gem: 6.2 innings pitched, one hit, two runs, no walks and six strikeouts. At that time, little did the Tigers know how significant Galarraga’s impact would be.

In 30 appearances (28 starts), he posted a 13-7 record with a 3.73 ERA in 178.2 IP — and became the de facto staff ace. For his effort, Galarraga ranked fifth in the American Rookie of the Year voting. His recipe for success in 2008 was simple: throw strikes early and often – nearly 70 percent of his first-pitch fastballs were strikes – and nibble at the outside corners. Another ingredient: dominate right-handed hitters; they batted a meager .174 off Galarraga – nearly 90 points less than lefty hitters.

If the Tigers’ pitching staff is to rebound collectively in 2009, it will depend on an encore performance by Galarraga. And if top-line starters Verlander and Bonderman return to form, the Tigers will boast a dynamic rotation that few A.L. Central teams can match.

2009 Player Profile: Edwin Jackson

Edwin Jackson #36

  • Height: 6′ 3″ | Weight: 210
  • 2008 Stats: 14-11, 4.42 ERA

EdwinJacksonHead.jpgWhen the Tigers traded Matt Joyce to the Tampa Bay Rays for Jackson, Detroit fans scratched their heads – and not only because Joyce appeared to have a future in the Tigers outfield. Jackson is an unknown quantity outside of the A.L. East and the Tigers have only faced the righthander four times since 2006 for a total of 16 innings (1-0, 3.38 ERA, 12 K). He became expendable in pitching-rich Tampa despite a pedestrian 2008 (14-11, 4.42) due mainly to the emergence of David Price, but from most accounts, the Tigers landed themselves a gem and a durable number-three man in the rotation.

The 25-year-old Jackson features a mid-90s fastball and a devastating slider – and batters hit just above .200 when facing the slider. In 2009, watch for Jackson to stick with his formula for success: working the lower half of the strike zone and the corners of the plate – up and away on lefties, high and tight on righties. And, if he can maintain his low rate of walks per nine innings (2.5), Jackson will pay rapid dividends for the Tigers.

2009 Player Profile: Jeremy Bonderman

Jeremy Bonderman #38

  • Height: 6′ 2″ | Weight: 220
  • 2008 Stats: 3-4, 4.29 ERA

It seems that every season baseball experts predict that it will be the year that Jeremy Bonderman finally emerges as an ace, discovers an effective third pitch, and challenges for the Cy Young Award.BondermanHead.jpg The 2008 season was no different but the lofty expectations quickly evaporated. Bonderman didn’t pitch after June 1 and had surgery in July to correct a pinched vein that returns blood from the arm to the heart. The good news is that Bonderman’s surgery was successful and he’s on track to return in 2009.

So, while the 26-year-old grapples with the nuances of an off-speed pitch, expect him to focus on what works: a nasty slider as his primary out pitch. In his 12 starts last season, Bonderman went to the slider more than half the time with two strikes – in contrast, he threw the changeup just 1% of the time in similar situations.

Coming off an arm injury, Bonderman may see expectations lowered for a change. But perhaps that’s just what he’ll need to flourish at last.

2009 Player Profile: Nate Robertson

The results of our most recent poll indicate that loyal Daily Fungo readers would prefer Dontrelle Willis (43%), Zach Miner (38%) or perhaps even Felipe Lira as the Tigers’ fifth starter over Nate Robertson (19%).

Nevertheless, we want to continue our series of player profiles today with The Nater for two reasons — actually three, I just thought of a third: First, he made more starts last season than either Miner or Willis. Second, I already had the profile written. Last, we’ll do our friend and avowed Nater Hater, Ian Casselberry, a favor and get it out of the way.

Nate Robertson #29

  • Height: 6′ 2″ | Weight: 225
  • 2008 Stats: 7-11, 6.35 ERA

RobertsonHead.jpgThe Tigers had no shortage of pitching frustrations in 2008 and one could argue that the most perplexing of all was Robertson. Once considered a core member of the rotation, the lefthander’s performance in ’08 raised questions about whether he could physically and mentally take his game to a higher level. In fact, Robertson’s season was so off-kilter that he found himself in the bullpen after a 5-8, 5.26 ERA first half.

Things improved little after the All Star Break and the 31-year-old enters 2009 as a major question mark. However, if any Tigers pitcher is likely to adopt the mantra of new pitching coach Rick Knapp – throw first-pitch strikes – it’s Robertson, who had above-league-average success in this area in ’08. (Nearly 60 percent of his initial offerings were strikes.)

A reversal of fortune for the Tigers in 2009 will be tied closely to Robertson’s ability to rediscover his command – especially his slider – and log quality starts. The club hopes an off-season exercise regimen designed to improve his flexibility will help him in the short and long term. Barring a Spring Training meltdown, expect him to return to the rotation in 2009 and to stay out of the bullpen.

Happy Birthday, Tram

TramRookie.jpg Happy 51st to perhaps the classiest guy ever to wear the D.

Today’s also the birthday of two former Tigers pitchers:

  • Bill Slayback, a member of the 1972 A.L. East Division champs, turns 61. A seventh-round pick in the 1968 draft, he pitched three years in Detroit posting a 6-9 record and 3.84 ERA in 42 appearances. In his rookie year of ’72, Slayback (who wore number 44) appeared in 23 games (13 starts, three complete games) and notched a 5-6 record.

  • Jack Billingham turns 65 today. He won 25 games for the Tigers from 1978-80 and he did so wearing number 41. Did you know that Billingham is a cousin of Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson? For a funny Billingham vs. Kirk Gibson nugget, revisit this post from last year.

2009 Player Profile: Justin Verlander

This is the first in a series of player profiles of the 2009 Tigers. I’ve developed them for each of the position players and the starting rotation — at least some of the pitchers in contention for a rotation spot — and will roll them out over the next week.

We kick things off with birthday boy Justin Verlander who turns 26 today.

Justin Verlander #35

  • Height: 6′ 5″ | Weight: 200
  • 2008 Stats: 11-17, 4.84 ERA

VerlanderHead.jpgWhen a number-one starter opens the season 2-9, chances are his team faces a severe uphill climb. That certainly was Justin Verlander’s reality in 2008. When the calendar turned from April to May, the Tigers’ ace had a 1-4 record with a 6.60 ERA, and by Memorial Day he was 2-9. But as the Tigers offense started to click in June, so did Verlander.

In nine starts from June 6 through July 20, he went 7-2 including a six-game winning streak. His ERA in June alone was 2.73 as hitters produced a mere .197 average against him. Ultimately the problem for Verlander in 2008 – and the Tigers’ entire staff – was walks. In 33 starts he issued 20 more free passes and fanned 20 fewer men than he did in ’07, fueling a 11-17 record and a 4.84 ERA.

Looking ahead to 2009, the Tigers and new pitching coach Rick Knapp will expect Verlander to have greater command of his explosive stuff and regain the dominant form of 2006 and ’07. Watch for Verlander to reclaim the inner part of the plate in ’09, and use a near-triple-digit fastball and devastating breaking pitches to remind A.L. hitters that he’s one baseball’s elite starting pitchers.

Happy Birthday, Benji & Tommy V

Oglivie_Ben78


Happy 60th to Ben Oglivie who, after the Tigers inexplicably traded him for Jim Slaton and Rich Folkers, went on to hit 176 home runs for the Brewers over nine years. He retired after the 1986 season with a lifetime average of .273 and 235 career homers.

Veryzer_Tom78

Tom Veryzer turns 56 today. He played five years in Detroit (1973-77) before being dealt to Cleveland for Charlie Spikes. His last year in the bigs was 1984 when he was a bench rider for the Cubs. Had Leon Durham fielded a grounder more cleanly in the NLCS that year, perhaps Veryzer could’ve ended his career where it started, at Tiger Stadium. His final career numbers: .241 average, 14 homers, 231 RBI, .966 fielding percentage.

Happy Birthday, gentlemen.

Meet Brandon Lyon

BrandonLyon.jpgWhenever I watched Brandon Lyon pitch for the Diamondbacks the past couple of seasons, my immediate reaction was always he’s a younger Todd Jones.

Fact is, he throws harder than Jones — which can’t hurt — but no one is going to confuse him with Joe Nathan.

Last season wasn’t a pleasant one for the D-backs’ closer, a position he lost to Chad Qualls. Well, that’s not entirely true.

Despite four blown saves in 23 chances in the first half, hitters managed a .243 average against him and his ERA was 2.43. (Compare that to Jones’s 4.95 ERA and .297 opponents’ average in the first half.)

In terms of repertoire, it doesn’t extend far past a fastball and curve. In fact, that’s it. But the curveball is something to behold; no roundhouse breaking pitch, Lyon’s is top-to-bottom — or noon-to-six, as they say. Still, in 2008 he threw the fastball 72 percent of the time — 73 percent with two strikes.

As you might expect, Lyons doesn’t heave bullets across the heart of the plate. Instead, he has a Jones-like corners-nibbling approach. His favorite spots — against righties or lefties — are the outside corners. But against lefties his greatest success comes on the inside corner, up and in, and down and in. So, did the Tigers get themselves another Todd Jones?

Perhaps.

But Lyon is 10 years younger than the Tigers’ erstwhile closer and, in the spirit of optimism, he seems to have the durability and closer-ish stuff the bullpen so desperately needs.

(Oh, and Lyon wore number 38 in Arizona and will need a new one in Detroit…unless Jeremy Bonderman wants to give up his number. I’m guessing he ends up with 36.)