The first game was against the Braves, and there were a lot of things to like about the Tigers as they faced one of the better teams in the National League.

March 26, 2013; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers first baseman Prince Fielder (28) forces out Atlanta Braves catcher Gerald Laird (11) at first base during the third inning at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

One thing that was immediately clear was that Austin Jackson and Torii Hunter are going to be amazing in the expansive Comerica outfield. Despite his age, Hunter can cover a huge amount of ground; on one play a ball was hit to right-centerfield with a fair amount of mustard on it. Jackson, already being one of the best defensive center fielders in the game, was underneath the fly quickly, but Hunter was just a step behind him arriving to the location and was perfectly placed behind Jackson, backing up the play.

I can’t remember the last time I saw a Tigers’ outfielder backing up Austin Jackson without an all-out sprint or some kind of flailing involved, but Hunter was so smooth and such a great compliment to Jackson out there. Jackson’s body language appeared relieved on sharply hit balls to right, whereas before he would be tense in a full-tilt race to cover as much of right field as possible. I guess having Hunter fluidly converging on the spot of the ball and catching it without trouble can lead to a little less stress.

Offensively, those guys looked phenomenal against Tim Hudson, Jordan Walden, and the rest of Braves bullpen. They each tagged line drives to the outfield, getting great barrel-on-ball contact. Not all hits found the grass (mostly due to Atlanta’s uncanny defensive outfield of Jason Heyward, BJ Upton, and Justin Upton), but each hit was sharp and each swing was fluid.

Unfortunately, Prince Fielder did not look as good taking his cuts. I refuse to be worried simply because this was a spring outing, but he definitely seemed uncomfortable in the box and didn’t take good swings. After his first at bat he seemed to have an unfocused aggressiveness, like he just wanted to practice his home-run swing regardless of contact. Maybe he’s adjusting to having protection behind him this year as opposed to last.

Miguel Cabrera was very good defensively at third. He made a couple of slick plays, and it just served as a reminder for just how good an athlete he is to have transitioned back over to the hot corner so well. His defense is, in my opinion, vastly underrated by pundits and analysts throughout the media. Also, I had forgotten how damn big that guy is in real life.

Dan Uggla’s forearms looked like hairy tree stumps. My gosh. In fact, the whole Atlanta Braves roster looked incredibly athletic. I wouldn’t be so quick to say the Nationals are going to run away with the NL East this season.

Bruce Rondon, in the first of two consecutive days of work, looked like he has some serious talent. His ability to dial down his velocity and control his off-speed stuff left two Braves hitters looking ridiculous, but what can one expect when a hitter is seeing two straight 99 mph heaters followed by an 84 mph curve?

The funny thing was, Rondon seemed more in control of his off-speed arsenal than his fastball. Sure, that same fastball was extremely impressive (at one point he hit 99 on three consecutive pitches, tricking my father-in-law and myself into thinking the scoreboard was broken, but then he hit 100 and the stadium went, “Ooooo.), but it was also off-target for almost a third of his attempts. It appeared like he was just winding up and throwing as hard as he could without much of a plan as to its end location. A couple heaters were way too high, or way too low. His off-speed stuff looked great and well placed, but one could definitely see he needed some work.

Al Alburquerque looked pretty good in his inning, throwing hard and getting outs. His control seemed pretty stellar to me, and I still think his stuff should give him the nod in any type of closer situation if Rondon has an extended stay in AAA.

Brayan Pena looks like someone took Prince Fielder and squashed him down about seven inches. Sure, the switch-hitting ability is neat, but he looked doughy and slow out there. As long as he can call a good game and get some hits in limited at-bats he can have as many second helpings as he’d like, though.

Despite the eventual loss, the first game was a pretty fantastic experience. Lakeland is in love with the Tigers, and the fans there were really into the game. Joker Marchant is also an incredibly gorgeous park, with innovative concessions, wonderful seating, and a really inviting atmosphere.

Part Two coming later.

March 26, 2013; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Bruce Rondon (43) throws a pitch during the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

I think we might be looking at the Bruce Rondon situation backwards. One line of thought that’s out there – a thought that’s perpetuated by national media types such as Danny Knobler – is that the Tigers charged into the offseason and spring “needing” a closer while blindly hoping that Bruce Rondon could do the job. He couldn’t and now the Tigers are facing the season without a closer and without a good option.

That might not be a completely wrong way to look at the situation, but I don’t think it’s the right way to look at the situation either. It’s not like Dave Dombrowksi et al. were 100% (or even probably 70%) confident  that Rondon could do the job. He didn’t have much experience even in the high minors, and he had given indication all spring that his wildness would be too much to overcome right away. No one in the Tigers’ organization is surprised or shocked or caught unaware by Rondon’s need for more time in the minor leagues.

Rondon was never so much “Plan A” as he was A plan for how the closer role could be filled. They came into the offseason without much interest in high-dollar relievers and had stated their confidence in their internal “by committee” options.

So here was the situation they were presented with. They were comfortable with the status quo of the bullpen. They had a potentially special late-inning arm that appears to be on the verge of major league readiness.

If Rondon came to spring and impressed the pants off of everyone, then cool. He could be allowed to lock down the ninth inning spot while making the bullpen strong. If he wasn’t ready, then cool. He could be allowed to go to the minor leagues while the bullpen remains constructed in a way that you’re comfortable with. You win if he makes it, but you don’t lose if he doesn’t.

It seems that many (fans of the Tigers and nationally) assumed Rondon was being anointed as the closer before either Dombrowski or Leyland said anything of the sort. Things didn’t work out for Rondon right now, but that doesn’t automatically mean the Tigers are screwed. They have plenty of good arms out in the bullpen as it is and, if employed correctly, Joaquin Benoit, Phil Coke, Octavio Dotel, Al Alburquerque, Brayan Villarreal, Drew Smyly, and Darin Downs could make one heckuva bullpen.

It might be true that they don’t have a good pure closer option in the group – though I’d argue Benoit and Alburquerque could fit that bill – but they do have a plethora of mix-and-match guys that could make for a killer late inning combination. I would be nervous about none of these guys in a high-leverage situation (so long platoon matchups were being seen to).

It seems like the Tigers have left themselves without a solid “Plan B” because we’re so used to seeing every team name a primary closer, and setup men, but stat heads have long been crying for bullpen usage to be determined by situation and leverage. This is the Tigers’ opportunity to do just that.

Rondon optioned to Toledo. Tigers will go with closer by committee, as expected. Just without Rondon.

— Jason Beck (@beckjason) March 28, 2013

Chris Iott also fills in the gaps, noting that Darin Downs has made the team and that Luis Marte has also been sent to Toledo.

Luis Marte to Triple-A Toledo. Darin Downs makes the team. Pitching staff is set. #Tigers

— Chris Iott (@Chris_Iott) March 28, 2013

It had appeared to me that perhaps Dave Dombrowski and Jim Leyland were leaning toward including Rondon on the roster until this past week. He had shown the flashes of potential greatness that we all hoped we’d see, but he also showed the wild inconsistence that made him such a risky proposition in the first place.

March 18, 2013; Viera, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Bruce Rondon (43) delivers a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the spring training game at Space Coast Stadium. Detroit beat Washington 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

It’s tough to say that one performance could or couldn’t get a player sent to the minor leagues, but Leyland probably didn’t like what he saw out of Rondon yesterday as he was pitching in back-to-back days. He struggled with command and struggled to retire hitters. In the end, he just wasn’t a guy they could trust to get high-leverage outs. That being said, I still expect to see him in Detroit at some point this season getting a few save opportunities.

Downs making the bullpen isn’t a complete shock – he’s pitched very well this spring – but it creates an interesting question. The Tigers probably can’t afford to use him only as a low-leverage LOOGY while also using Drew Smyly only as a long reliever. That would tax the other bullpen members far too much. We’re going to have to see either one – or perhaps both – participate as part of the normal middle relief corps getting regular medium, and even high, leverage opportunities.

With Phil Coke apparently in the closer mix (or committee, rather), some of his late-inning LOOGY-ness could be shifted to Downs who’s dominated lefties in his big league time. I think this set of moves gives the bullpen incredible flexibility. Rondon would have been fun to watch, but he’s probably isn’t ready for the show, and I can’t really argue that the team doesn’t have the 12 best pitchers set to head north.

So now we have:

Rotation (no particular order):
Justin Verlander
Max Scherzer
Doug Fister
Anibal Sanchez
Rick Porcello

Bullpen:
Joaquin Benoit
Phil Coke
Octavio Dotel
Al Alburquerque
Brayan Villarreal
Drew Smyly
Darin Downs