Rotation
1. Jeremy Bonderman, RHP
The Majors' youngest Opening Day starter since Dwight Gooden in 1986 snatched
the spot ahead of schedule with a dominant spring. A consistent changeup to
complement his 96 mph fastball is believed to be his final step to an
ace-caliber repertoire.
2. Mike Maroth, LHP
He's not flashy, but he's the closest the Tigers have to a consistent veteran
starter. The finesse southpaw is a transition in a largely hard-throwing
rotation.
3. Jason Johnson, RHP
Detroit's most veteran starter enters his contract looking to overcome an
8-15 season last year that left him winless after July 29.
4. Nate Robertson, LHP
Another year of experience and a better offspeed pitch is expected to add
polish to the aggressive lefty in his second full big league season.
5. Wilfredo Ledezma, LHP
The reigns are off Ledezma after two seasons of pitch counts and innings
limits. He's a power lefty in the Johan Santana mold, but he must show he can
translate his short bursts of greatness into strings of quality starts.
Bullpen
For the first time since Trammell took over the club, he has a bullpen with
enough experience and balance to take on set roles starting with new closer
Troy Percival. The former Angel's veteran savvy will be counted on to lead
the group while showing he can still be an effective full-time stopper.
Former closer Ugueth Urbina falls back to fill the abyss in middle relief,
where he reprises the setup role he filled for much of the year on the 2003
Marlins. Jamie Walker becomes more of a situational lefty mixed in with
Urbina and Kyle Farnsworth, who brings his 100-mph heater from Chicago via
trade. Former closer of the future Franklyn German will try to take his
newfound command from last winter and turn it into effective long relief,
something former starter Gary Knotts pulled off thanks to a commitment to
repeating his pitches.
Opening delayed
Former closer Fernando Rodney had a bullpen spot all but wrapped up before a
sore shoulder delayed his comeback from Tommy John surgery. He's expected to
miss 2-3 weeks before forcing Trammell's decision on where he fits.
Spring cleaning
While a losing streak near the end of camp disappointed Trammell, he used
March to define his bullpen before the eighth and ninth innings and define
what he could live with in center. Alex Sanchez's lack of improvement
defensively helped the club conclude they could live with more limited range
from Craig Monroe in return for seeing his bat on an everyday basis.
Burning question
How much can the pitching staff improve on 2004? The Tigers feel confident
enough in their offensive talent that they can contend with simply average
pitching. While Detroit's starters have shown they're capable of more than
that, they remain young, though it's generally no longer to a fault. With
their courtship of Carl Pavano fruitless and Jason Johnson's progress from
last year limited, management eventually decided to take the leap with
Bonderman as a 22-year-old staff ace. If he picks up the dominant form he
showed over his final eight starts last year, he'll set the tone for a
rotation that needed more swagger. If not, that puts a healthy dose of
pressure on more seasoned arms like Maroth and Johnson.
On the record
"Expectations are higher, but we haven't proven anything yet." -- Trammell
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