OT: Tigers Send Rondon to Minors
The Tigers will now have a closer by committee going into regular season play. I do not think that this is the best strategy for a potential World Series team.
Rondon had an ERA over 5 this spring and was inconsistent...
March 28th, 2013 at 12:38 PM ^
no, just no
the serious concerns are that he's not yet developed any type of reliable 2nd offering, and that's not something you can just mentally overcome through guile and makeup or whatever, at the MLB level
this is the right move
March 28th, 2013 at 12:48 PM ^
March 28th, 2013 at 12:53 PM ^
...I wish we had an MVP closer like Willie Hernandez (who doesn't) but if that's the biggest problem facing the team, I'm not worried much.
They'll get it sorted out during the season. Maybe someone will step up. Or ore likely Dombrowski gets a steal of a deal as the trade deadline approaches.
You start the game, you finish it!
Meh. The closer is the most overrated position in baseball. Managers actually cost their teams games by not having more than one guy available in the 9th IMO. You should have your best reliever pitch in the most critical point of the game and let whoevers hot close the game out with someone else ready in case that pitcher gets into trouble.
With that said, I have no doubt Leyland will find the most challenging way possible to get the job done...
the guys you mention are great closers and saved tons of games. but how many games were lost in the 7th and 8th innings for those teams? when mgrs bring in their #2 or #3 relief pitcher in a jam in the 7th or 8th only to blow the game. meanwhile, the hoffmans, riveras, kimbrels sit their idle in the bull pen.
the theory is that it's better to bring in your ace in a jam in the 7th or 8th and let the #2 or #3 guy close out the game with a 2 or 3 run lead and no one on base.
leyland, kind of unwittingly fell into this in 2006 when he used his most dominant guy (zumaya) to pitch out of jams and jones collected the easy saves.
Between flashes of brilliance, he had mechanical and control issues this spring. It would be possible to get him innings without being the closer but he's just a kid playing a position that's mostly psychological. Far better for him to make changes and improve at Triple A where he won't have to worry so much about mistakes getting pounced on, and where the coach won't have to worry about that scenario shaking his confidence.
I expect to see him under the bright lights this summer, and don't think that closer by committee is anything to worry about in the first 1/3 - 1/2 of the season anyhow.
I'm a little bummed the Berry didn't make the team, but they really wanted a right-handed bat and Tuiasosopo hit well. I think i'd rather have Berry's speed to plug into the lineup. I am glad that Don Kelly has been hitting well and made the team; his versatility is huge if he can keep hitting.