Detroit Tigers: Anibal Sanchez May Have Landed a Spot in the Rotation

The Detroit Tigers rotation battle just got interesting with the recent outings of Anibal Sanchez.

After making a tweak to his delivery, the Detroit Tigers pitcher just showed that he might still be a relevant force on the mound.

The 2013 ERA leader has gone 14 innings in his last three games without giving up a run. In these last three games, he has recorded 2 hits, 1 walk, and a thoroughly impressive 16 strikeouts.

Prior to the “tweak,” Sanchez pitched 4.2 innings giving up 12 runs off of 15 hits, while striking out 4 batters. It is clear that the “tweak” has worked.

So what does this mean for the Tigers? It means that the decisions only get more difficult. When the Tigers signed Sanchez in 2012, he was a pitcher who could not only eat innings, but get outs. Between 2006 and 2012, Sanchez had an ERA of 3.75 and pitched 7 complete games. He had 733 strikeouts in 869 innings.

And then there was 2013. Sanchez won the AL ERA title with a 2.75. He also led the AL with the fewest home runs per 9 allowed (0.4). He finished fourth in the Cy Young ballot that year, losing to his teammate Max Scherzer.

In 2014, Sanchez performed well, despite some injuries. Then came 2015 and 2016. Instead of leading the AL with the fewest home runs allowed per nine innings, he led the league in allowing the most home runs. In 2015, he gave up 29 home runs. In 2016, he gave up 30. Interestingly, Justin Verlander gave up the same number of home runs in 2016, along with David Price and Chris Archer.

There are six pitchers who are in the running for the starting rotation. Two are locked in: Justin Verlander and Michael Fulmer. Verlander will pitch on Opening Day at Guaranteed Rate Field on the south side of Chicago. Fulmer will make his 2017 debut at the home opener at Comerica Park a few days later. The other pitchers fighting for spots in the rotation include Matt Boyd, Jordan Zimmermann, Daniel Norris, and Sanchez. Mike Pelfrey‘s chances of getting a spot in the rotation are about as good as mine.

Most agree that Boyd and Norris will be in the rotation because of their stellar spring training starts. Boyd is currently leading the team in strikeouts with 21 in 21 innings pitched. He also has a respectable 2.49 ERA. Only Verlander has a lower ERA of 1.99 in his 22 innings pitched. Norris has pitched in 18 innings and he has 15 K’s to his name. With Sanchez’s recent improvements, he is sitting in the second spot with 20 strikeouts in 19 innings.

Sanchez’s improvement has brought Zimmermann’s spot into question. Zimmermann gets the start on Sunday. But so far, he has only pitched in six innings in spring training. In his latest outing on March 15, he could not make it out of the first inning after allowing four runs, including a home run. While Sanchez and the rest of the pitching squad were improving game by game, Zimmermann has not been. Zimm’s current ERA is 15.00. Ouch.

More from Detroit Tigers News

• Detroit Tigers: Victor Reyes finding ways to get the job done
• The Detroit Tigers must cut their losses and release Jonathan Schoop
• Detroit Tigers: Garrett Hill’s new role and changed delivery are excellent
• Detroit Tigers: Joe Jiménez has rebounded in 2022
• Detroit Tigers: Is it finally time to move the fences in at Comerica Park?

If Zimmermann is not successful on Sunday afternoon against the Atlanta Braves, he might not have a spot in the rotation come April. Instead, the spot could go to Sanchez. In an article from George Sipple with the Detroit Free Press, James McCann said about Sanchez’s pitches on Saturday:

"“His breaking ball is sharper than I’ve seen it in a long time. On his change-up, he has better arm action. He’s getting better swing and misses on it. And his fastball has late life again.”"

Also according to Sipple’s article, the battle isn’t between Zimmermann, Boyd, or Sanchez, but between Boyd and Sanchez. Sipple shared that Boyd could be sent to Toledo as a back-up in case anyone is injured. However, if Zimmermann is still dealing with neck issues, it would not be prudent to put him on the mound. The questions about the rotation could be answered tomorrow when Zimm shows whether he can throw in a Big League game or not.

Next: SI Detroit Tigers Scouting Report Is Slightly Off

No matter what happens with Zimmermann, Sanchez has been able to quiet many of his critics by showing that he still has a viable arm. If he can keep it up, he deserves to get the spot. But, then again, so does Boyd.