LAKELAND, Fla. — There will be a lot of activity in spring training for the Detroit Tigers, but there will not be a whole lot of suspense.
The only area with questions about roster makeup is the Detroit bullpen, and even there it probably involves only one or two spots.
Brad Ausmus enters his first season as Tigers manager knowing that, barring injury, his rotation includes right-handers Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Anibal Sanchez and Rick Porcello plus left-hander Drew Smyly.
Austin Jackson will patrol center field, Torii Hunter is in right for the second year in a row and left field is a platoon of Andy Dirks (vs. right-handers) and Rajai Davis (against lefties).
The trade of 1B Prince Fielder brought in 2B Ian Kinsler, allowing the Tigers to shift Miguel Cabrera back across the diamond to first and opening a spot at third for rookie Nick Castellanos.
Jose Iglesias is the shortstop in an infield expected to turn more ground balls into outs than did last season’s. Alex Avila is again the primary catcher, but his backup this season is Bryan Holaday rather than Brayan Pena.
Joining Holaday on the Tigers’ bench is Steve Lombardozzi, who can play infield and outfield, either Davis or Dirks, and versatile Don Kelly most likely will be the fourth reserve. DH Victor Martinez is also available as an emergency catcher/first basemen, and might play those positions when Detroit cannot use a DH in National League cities.
The only thing a torrid spring by someone outside that group will do is put him higher on the list of players available for call-up should a replacement be needed because of illness or injury.
The bullpen is a different matter.
Right-hander Joe Nathan, the new closer, and probable setup man Bruce Rondon are as close to certain as there is in Detroit’s bullpen. Everyone else bears a question mark or an ‘if.’
Right-hander Al Alburquerque still has his wipeout slider but needs to regain effective use of his fastball as an alternative. Throwing strikes is also a must-do for him.
The two lefties favored to be in Ausmus’ bullpen are veteran Phil Coke and newcomer Ian Krol, but neither of them is without a flaw. Coke had a poor 2013 and needs to keep the ball out of the middle of the plate, a major problem for him a year ago when he was not missing the plate entirely.
Krol, part of the deal with the Washington Nationals for right-hander Doug Fister, was outstanding early last year for the Nationals but was extremely hittable thereafter.
Plan B, C and D from the left side have major questions attached, too.
Favored for the last two spots are veteran right-hander Joba Chamberlain and perennial hopeful Luke Putkonen. Despite having a big contract ($2.5 million) and a big arm, Chamberlain is a big question mark because he has not been consistently successful for several seasons.
Putkonen needs to have confidence in his split-finger fastball because it is a swing-and-miss pitch set up nicely by a good fastball.
One reliever the Tigers hope can sneak his way onto the team is right-hander Justin Miller, a free-agent signee from the Texas organization whose big right arm is playing into its second season after Tommy John surgery.
That does not leave a whole lot of drama, which is as it should be for a team coming off three straight division titles that feels it just missed out on a second straight World Series appearance last fall.
NOTES, QUOTES:
— 2B Ian Kinsler was one of a roster full of position players who reported early to spring training, coming in Feb. 16, two days before due. Kinsler, 31, left 10-15 pounds back at his Arizona home. “I weigh a lot less than I normally do coming to spring training,” Kinsler said. “I’m trying to regain my speed.” Kinsler has been down from a peak of 30 in stolen bases the last two years but mostly thinks that weighing less will help him turn singles into doubles and doubles into triples while playing at spacious Comerica Park. “I know the gaps are big in Detroit,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll be doing a lot of running, so I wanted to make sure I was in the best shape I could be in. The ballpark is definitely different, but so is the weather. Plus it’s a different style of team. My responsibilities here will be a little bit different (than they were in Texas). I feel I have to be on top of my game as far as running. It’s important for this club.”
— RHP Bruce Rondon has dropped nearly 30 pounds entering spring training, although that means he will be closer to 250 pounds than 300. A strained flexor tendon in his right arm limited him to one appearance after Labor Day last year. “One of the big things I learned last year, every role on the team is important,” Rondon said recently. “However I can help, that’s what I will do.” He was advised by strength and conditioning coach Javair Gillett to eat better and work out more to tone up his body. “I just looked back at 2012 and how much slimmer I was and how much better I felt,” Rondon said. “I wouldn’t get tired as quickly. I wanted to get back to that. Last season, I just got a little bit careless with what I was eating. At the end of the season, I realized and made it a goal to get back in better shape like in 2012.”
— RHP Justin Miller has a decent chance to make the Detroit bullpen this spring, or at the minimum put himself in position for an early season call-up. Miller, 26, was snapped up by Detroit, which signed him to a major league contract, after he was released by Texas in mid-September. He has the kind of power arm the Tigers like and they discount his mediocre 2013 results (23 earned runs, 30 hits, 27 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A) as the product of coming off 2012 Tommy John surgery. The year before the surgery, he was 9-1 with a 1.81 ERA in Double-A ball. “Last season was basically trying to find my arm again,” Miller said. “When I first came back, my arm felt great. And then there were days when I couldn’t feel my fingertips, and there were days when I couldn’t feel the ball. My arm didn’t feel the same. It was like trying to figure out how to throw all over again.” Assistant GM Al Avila said, “He’s the kind of guy that if we had in our system, we would consider him a prospect very close to being able to help us at the big league level.”
— RHP Max Scherzer says he will not negotiate a contract extension with Detroit past the end of spring training. The reigning Cy Young Award winner can become a free agent at the end of the season. “If it’s not done by Opening Day, I won’t negotiate during the season,” Scherzer said. “I understand that I have a chance to secure my future here with the team — I want that to happen. But at the same time, I’m not going to drag negotiations out into the season. That’s unfair to the team, me and my teammates.” The Tigers are on record as wanting to retain Scherzer but also know there is a chance that it will not happen. They will not comment on talks either. “We have made it publicly known with Max that we’d like to keep him part of our organization for a long time,” GM Dave Dombrowski has said. Scherzer said, “I hope it does (work out). But in reality, you can never dictate whether these things happen or not. If it does, great. If not, well, hopefully, we can resolve it in November.”
— 1B Jordan Lennerton knows he has little or no chance to break camp with the Tigers this spring. He was stuck behind 1B Prince Fielder last year and this spring 1B Miguel Cabrera blocks his path. But Lennerton could position himself for a midyear callup or he could impress another organization to the point where he could be included in a trade. Lennerton, 28, was taken in the 33rd round of the 2008 draft out of Oregon State and has moved step by step up the organizational ladder. He hit .278 for Triple-A Toledo last year with 17 home runs and 57 RBIs. He strikes out a lot (133) but also walks a good deal (84). Lennerton is left-handed all the way, has power to all fields and is a good defensive player.
— LF Andy Dirks reported early to spring training with long hair, not a problem according to manager Brad Ausmus. “His hair?” Ausmus said. “I don’t care. If he plays well, he can grow it to his feet as far as I’m concerned.” Dirks is coming off a season in which he hid a sore knee suffered when he ran into a wall during spring training. Detroit believes he has a chance to return to the form that let him hit .300 two seasons ago.
— LHP Drew Smyly knows he will have his innings and starts limited this year as he transitions back to the rotation from a season in the bullpen. “Not just Drew, but any pitcher who isn’t recently accustomed to being a starter, there are plenty of opportunities to skip a start, bump them an extra day,” new manager Brad Ausmus said. “That in turn pushes their pitch count and number of innings down.” Smyly can expect to be skipped most of the time when Detroit has a schedule break, which means he may work some relief innings early in the season. “We know we’re going to watch him,” GM Dave Dombrowski said. “You’re not just going to throw him out there every fifth day for 125 pitches and seven or eight innings every single time, but we haven’t gotten into specifics on it.” Smyly said, “That’s up to them. Obviously, you have to be smart about it. My only goal is to stay healthy and make every start they ask me to make.”
QUOTE TO NOTE
“There’s not a ton of openings to fill. I think it makes it easier in the sense that I don’t have to watch players play in spring training and make judgments on them, because I do think spring training is a tough spot and a tough place to make assessments on players. So, in that sense, I think it’s probably beneficial for me. I don’t have to make assessments on a bunch of players and fill spots all at once in a situation that isn’t ideal for making assessments and filling spots.” — Brad Ausmus, noting that he will spend time in Florida observing what his players can do instead of evaluating them for roster spots.
MEDICAL WATCH
— RHP Justin Verlander (January groin surgery) has not reported any undue soreness as the aftermath of his January core muscle operation. Verlander has been throwing bullpen sessions and said he felt fine the day after every one. The Tigers have mapped out a five-start plan that they hope will have him ready to pitch Opening Day.