Detroit Tigers: Opening Day starter, Brad Ausmus hot seat, Jose Iglesias

It is getting to the time where the Detroit Tigers will be naming their Opening Day starter.

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Should it be Justin Verlander? David Price? Even a compelling case can be made for Anibal Sanchez. James Schmehl explores, but if I had to guess, I’d say it was Verlander who has started seven straight. If there was a case for him not to start it would have been last year with defending Cy Young winner Max Scherzer in the mix.

How patient will the Tigers be with manager Brad Ausmus if they take a step back? If they miss the playoffs but still play .500 or better he’ll probably get at least a third year, but if the team takes a major step back as in falling under .500 all bets are off.

Shane Greene likens his new teammate Jose Iglesias to a football player being all over the field. Anthony Fenech discusses.

Who will start opening day for Detroit Tigers? Weighing the cases for David Price and Justin Verlander – James Schmehl, MLive

Verlander was widely viewed as the best pitcher in the American League. Some might argue he was the best in the majors. It only made sense to pitch him on opening day, an honor generally reserved for the best starter on a pitching staff.That’s no longer the case.Verlander is coming off arguably the worst season of his career, and was outperformed by every starting pitcher in Detroit’s rotation. If the opening day nod is extended to a team’s best starting pitcher, Verlander should be removed from the discussion. David Price has clearly filled the role of Detroit’s “ace” nowadays.

Is Brad Ausmus on the hot seat in 2015? – Kwisatz Haderach, Bless You Boys

Fortunately for the Tigers, Ausmus seems like a pretty hard guy to rattle, because this season, expectations are as high as ever. Tigers fans are both excited and worried about the re-tooled roster, and as desperate for a World Series title as any fanbase in the game. A guillotine-shaped window appears poised above the neck of the franchise in the eyes of many national observers. Anything less than a World Series title for the Tigers is likely to result in a lot of angry second guessing and frustrated calls for a new direction. Of course, there are several other younger managers with the same “our time is now” type expectations — looking at you, Matt Williams and Don Mattingly — so Ausmus is certainly far from alone in dealing with the good fortune of a highly talented roster and rabid fanbase.

Tigers SS Iglesias like a ‘defensive football player’ – Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press

But with the way he plays in the field, starting pitcher Shane Greene compares him to a football player.“He’s all over the field,” Greene said. “It’s almost like he’s a defensive football player and he’s chasing the ball.”And Wednesday night in Bradenton, Fla., he was chasing the ball.First to his right, when he ranged toward Nick Castellanos at third base to field a groundball in an area shortstops generally have to use the backhand. But in the first inning of the Tigers’ 8-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Iglesias hit his spot so quickly that he was able to field the grounder in front of him and throw — or flick — the ball to first base for an easy out.And then in the fourth inning, he showed once again just how much ground he could cover when a high chopper went off of the glove of an outstretched Greene and into no man’s land behind the pitcher’s mound. Iglesias attempted to make a circus play.