Tuesday Tracks: Tigers News, Strasburg Debuts, and the Twins Lose Nathan

The Tigers announced this morning the first cuts of Spring Training when they re-assigned catchers John Murrian and Eric Roof to minor league camp. Both players were in camp as non-roster invitees, so no repercussions on this move. It is not uncommon for extra catchers to start the Spring in big league camp, so they have enough bodies to catch all those pitchers.

It was the first taste of big league camp for both players, but won’t be the last. Roof appeared in two games this Spring, going 0 for 1. He was the Tigers 18th round pick in last year’s draft. Murrian, a ninth round pick in that same draft, did not bat.

For many of us, we get our first chance to see the Tigers today as their 1 pm game with Washington will be broadcast on MLB Network. The big reason to watch, apart form seeing our boys play finally, is the debut of Stephen Strasburg, the Nats’ top prospect and the number one overall pick in last year’s draft. Strasburg signed late and did not pitch in the minors last year, but he did work in the Arizona Fall League, where Casper Wells took him deep for a grand slam. If you can’t get to a tv, this might be a good time to subscribe to mlb.tv. You can do so here.

Dontrelle Willis “tweaked” his elbow on a quick pick-off attempt in the fourth inning of yesterday’s game versus Atlanta. Willis says he’s fine and waived off Jim Leyland as the manager was coming to the mound to check on his pitcher. Willis will play long-toss today to test the elbow. Until this is something to worry about, I’m not going to. My only fear is that if there is some discomfort there, it could cause Willis to lose whatever he has found to help him throw strikes. Let’s hope it’s nothing serious.

Speaking of injuries, the Twins got some bad news today as All-World closer Joe Nathan has torn a ligament in his right elbow. Nathan will wait till the elbow “calms down” before deciding on surgery and will seek a second opinion. Worst case scenario is that he would face Tommy John surgery and be gone for at least this season, and possibly into next year as well.

In his stead, Minnesota figures to look within for a replacement. Jon Rauch closed games in Arizona and Washington prior to coming to the Twins last year, and Matt Guerrier could also be looked at in the ninth inning role. A healthy return of Pat Neshek now become even more important for the Twins, as they will be not only be having to replace the closer, but then replacing the set-up man that takes Nathan’s job.

Obviously, the Nathan injury significantly alters the balance of power in the Central race. If all were healthy, I had pegged Minnesota to win the division again. Nathan isn’t just any closer, he’s probably the best closer not named Mariano Rivera. The importance of this injury cannot be overstated. Nathan’s presence completes that bullpen, and without him the Twins probably lose two to three wins. That could easily be the difference between a division crown and a third place finish.