Detroit Tigers: 5 Starting Pitching Questions

Mar 25, 2015; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Alfredo Simon (31) throws a pitch before the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Miami Marlins at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

#5: Will Alfredo Simon Last in the Rotation All Year?

I poised the question to the MCB staff at the start of Spring Training about Alfredo Simon, asking if he would win the fifth starter. The question was of course yes because the Tigers gave up some good players (Eugenio Suarez and Jonathan Crawford) to rent him for at least one year.

Dave Dombrowski made the deal with the Cincinnati Reds hours after sending Porcello to the Red Sox for Yoenis Cespedes and a couple minor leaguers. DD filled the starter’s hole with someone who has been a reliever much of his career. His 32 starts last year doubled his previous career high of 16 in 2011 with the Baltimore Orioles.

Simon had an outstanding first half with an ERA hovering below three all the way up until August, earning the first All-Star appearance of his career.  But he was hit hard in August and September, posting a 4.71 ERA down the stretch for a non-contending Cincinnati team.

On the surface you look at it and say the guy he is replacing, Porcello, was an up and down starter for the Tigers for many years and he, like Simon, had a second-half swoon. Still, watching him in Spring Training has not provided anyone with much confidence that he will be equal to what Rick offered. Simon has continued those late season struggles, posting an ERA above 7, in his first four games this March. Although he did likely pitch his best effort thus far yesterday, going six strong innings, allowing five hits on one run, striking out two and walking three batters.

Again, the Tigers paid a heavy price for Simon so they are counting on him to be the #4 or #5 starter this season, but with the youngsters we mentioned above in Ryan, Lobstein and others starting in Toledo and waiting in the wings, his leash might be a little shorter than anyone imagines.

Mar 8, 2015; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Shane Greene (61) throws a pitch against the Houston Astros at a spring training baseball game at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

#4: Will Shane Greene Continue to Develop?

As we discussed with Simon at #4, the Detroit Tigers are putting a lot of faith in the back-end of their rotation, but perhaps there is a little less concern with Shane Greene.

This is due to a couple of factors. One of which was that Greene didn’t have any trouble pitching in one of the toughest media/fan markets for athletes, New York City. The Yankees were decimated with starting pitching problems because of injuries to C.C. Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka and Greene answered the bell.

Greene was rookie in 2014, posting a 3.78 ERA, although that got driven up a bit with a couple of poor outings near the end of the season.

Greene caught Detroit’s attention with a pair of starts against them last August and he is a strikeout pitcher (averaging one per inning), so he fits the Tigers’ mold pretty well.

There is always a concern that what he showed in 2014 was an aberration and/or he will experience a sophomore slump. That’s the risk the Tigers run with him. He started Spring Training off slowly, but has gotten better and allowed just one earned run and obtained plenty of swings and misses on Saturday.

A little bit older than the typical second-year pitcher, the 26-year old figures to benefit from Comerica Park’s gargantuan dimensions when compared to Yankee Stadium.

I’m more confident with Greene than Simon, but don’t be surprised if he has a more up and down year than he experienced in the Bronx.

Feb 23, 2015; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) pitches during Monday mornings workout at Joker Merchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

#3 Can Justin Verlander Adapt?

We always have to be careful about gauging Spring Training results when looking toward the regular season. A few weeks ago I mentioned the infamous six-run Joe Nathan Grapefruit League inning and was shouted down because it was only an Exhibition game.

I get that, but you can couple the body of work of the last regular season with the current Spring Training results and at least hazard a guess.

Hazarding a guess how Justin Verlander will do this coming season might not be pretty for some.

He pitched decent his first couple starts but has allowed nine earned runs over two recent starts. In his last outing, he pitched pretty well, but allowed a homer and left with a leg cramp with two outs in the fourth inning. Verlander is still not getting the swings and misses he would like and admitted a little over a week ago that he was “not there yet.” With time winding down in Spring Training, he had better find “there” and get “there” in a hurry.

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Even when J.V. was firing on all cylinders earlier in his career, he was never great in Spring Training. True competitors understand that practice games are more for working on stuff than getting positive results, but this Grapefruit League was supposed to be different for Verlander and he was supposed to reestablish his dominance.

Before the season Verlander pledged to change things up if he needed to but was hoping that the negative results of 2014 were more because of offseason surgery than advancing age. I think it is clear that he must finally accept that his overpowering fastball is gone (something not unheard of for a 32-year old), set aside his ego and adapt to other ways of recording outs.

Pitchers have done this quite successfully over the years–former Tiger Frank Tanana comes to mind–a pitcher who could blow batters away in his youth but became crafty in later years.

Verlander is smart enough and talented enough to do this as well.

Mar 9, 2015; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez (19) throws a pitch in the first inning of the spring training baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

#2: Can Anibal Sanchez Stay Healthy?

When the Detroit Tigers lost Anibal Sanchez down the stretch last season, it was a huge blow to the team’s playoff chances. Luckily by holding such a head-to-head dominance over the second-place Kansas City Royals, they didn’t have to worry too much about getting to the postseason even if they had to wait to clinch the division on the final day of the season.

Motor City Bengals

Sanchez missed about seven weeks from August 8 until the final home stand of the season, and it was his second DL stint of the season. The earlier DL stint was less severe, missing time because of a blister on the middle finger of his throwing hand. When he came back in May, he was one of the Tigers few bright spots during their infamous 9-19 slide and the most consistent starter through July and into August.

The Tigers weathered the storm without him as much as possible with rookie Kyle Lobstein filling in admirably, but the team truly missed the mystique of Sanchez going every fifth day.

When healthy, Sanchez could be an ace on practically any team in baseball. His 2013 year was extremely solid but was upstaged by Max Scherzer’s Cy Young season. Anibal went 14-8 with an AL-best 2.57 ERA and a WHIP of 1.154.

Oct 5, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher David Price (14) pitches against the Baltimore Orioles during the third inning in game three of the 2014 ALDS baseball playoff game at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

#1: Will The (David) Price Be Right?

Man were we all excited on July 31, 2014.

Sure it was sad to say goodbye to Austin Jackson (well, sad for some because AJax was often slammed by the fans for inconsistency at the plate and in the field) and Drew Smyly but it was David frickin’ Price! Teams do not often grab a guy like that at the trading deadline that can make an immediate impact for the rest of one season and the following season (most deadline deals are for guys who have less than a year left before hitting free agency).

It was a festive, almost second Opening Day, experience when Price started his first game for Detroit, August 5 in New York and he fared pretty well, allowing three runs on eight hits and picked up the victory. But from there is was a pretty rocky road for the former Tampa Bay ace.

He allowed four runs in the next start at Toronto, just one run in each of his next two games, and then eight runs against the Yankees in Detroit. In that game, Price allowed eight straight hits and couldn’t make it out of the third inning.

There were times when David looked every bit the 2012 Cy Young winner and then there were times when he looked like the 2009 version of Dontrelle Willis.

Ultimately when the Tigers needed him most, he stepped up. With the division on the line on the last day of the season against the Minnesota Twins, a team that had just clobbered Detroit pitching all season long, he shut them out for 7.1 innings, allowing just four hits, striking out eight.

One would believe now that he is settled, knows the team and the stadium he should be in for a terrific season. Let’s not forget (unless the Tigers sign him within the next week) he is in a contract year, usually when players are at their best.

His Spring Training has been a bit of a mixed bag as he has been working on several pitches, but he has the confidence of his manager as Brad Ausmus rewarded him with the Opening Day start.

Next: Brad Ausmus showing progress in managerial style