Detroit Tigers: And So It Begins, Injury #1

Inevitably, the news had to come. The first Detroit Tigers injury of the 2016 season is here. And, it happened to starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez.

According to Chris Iott with Mlive, the right-handed pitcher is suffering from right triceps inflammation. Iott noticed the pitcher was absent from the live hitting practices and bullpen sessions that were taking place at Tigertown in Lakeland this afternoon.

The 31-year-old pitcher spent significant time on the disabled list in 2015 with issues in his shoulder. He also had one of the worst ERAs in the major leagues last year, too. His 4.99 ERA was punctuated by the immense number of home runs he allowed – a league leading 29. He did pitch one shutout in 2015.

His performance drop in 2015 was a shock to many, especially after his 2013 performance where he had the league’s best ERA of 2.57 and he finished fourth in the Cy Young vote (which was awarded to his teammate Max Scherzer that year).

What does this injury mean right now? It depends. According to Brad Ausmus, the issue is not troublesome. It is early in the spring training. Sanchez could simply have inflammation due to an increase in throwing. But, the problem could mean more. He has been pitching since 2006 and he usually throws more than 150 innings in a season. His arm could simply be getting tired.

The first spring training game is on Monday against the local Florida Southern College and the starting pitcher will be Kevin Ziomek. The next three games will be pitched by Matt Boyd, Buck Farmer, and Mike Pelfrey. Farmer and Pelfrey are pitching in split squad games against the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Yankees. No word yet on when Justin Verlander or Jordan Zimmermann are set to pitch.

After last season’s pitching debacle, Al Avila and the front office have been signing pitchers to fill the minor leagues. It appears that the Tigers are prepared for injuries with its young pitchers like Daniel Norris, Michael Fulmer, Drew VerHagen, and Shane Greene being able to provide quality backup.

Fans saw what happens to starting pitchers who do not get the right amount of spring training practice. In 2015, Verlander’s early injury had him abandoning the spring training regimen that normally gets him into season-ready shape. After his return, the first half of his season was his “spring training” while everyone else was already loose and in the game. Eventually, he got loose, but it took longer than everyone expected.

Next: Detroit Tigers #1 Prospect: Michael Fulmer

Detroit needs its starting pitchers to be better than average in 2016. The veterans, especially Verlander and Sanchez, need to be ready to lead the team. The post-season is the goal and that can only be achieved when the team is complete – physically and mentally.