Analysis: Who Should Be The Tigers' Fifth Starter?
By Dan Jenkins
@DanTJenkins
Anyone who follows the Detroit Tigers knows who's going to be at the top of the team's starting rotation -- Justin Verlander, Jordan Zimmermann and Anibal Sanchez.
But what about the back-end?
The Tigers signed veteran starter Mike Pelfrey who will most likely take the fourth spot, but the final slot is still up for grabs. That's what makes Spring Training so intriguing -- position battles liven otherwise meaningless baseball.
The Tigers may be forced to use a mashup of pitchers at the No. 5 spot this season due to uneven performance and injuries. Here's a look at the candidates and how they've fared in Spring Training.
Daniel Norris
2015 statistics with DET: 8 starts, 3.68 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 6.6 K/9
Spring Training statistics: 3 starts, 9.95 ERA, 2.53 WHIP, 11.4 K/9
Daniel Norris was expected to run away with the fifth starter job after he performed admirably in the Tigers' rotation during the second half of last season. He had a wrench thrown in his offseason plans when he was forced to go under the knife to remove a cancerous growth on his thyroid.
After a quick recovery, Norris was ready for Spring Training and to jumpstart his first full season in Detroit. That came to a halt just three games into the year when he exited a game early with a back injury.
It was found that Norris had three non-displaced fractures in his back and will start of the season on the disabled list. Granted he comes back healthy in a reasonable time frame and his rehab is a success, Norris might have the upper hand when it comes to the final spot in the rotation.
Shane Greene
2015 statistics: 18 starts, 6.88 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 5.4 K/9
Spring Training statistics: 2 starts, 2.63 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 9.2 K/9
Shane Greene started the 2015 season as the Tigers' fifth starter and he took off with the opportunity. His first three starts with Detroit were absolutely dominant as he gave up only one earned run in 23 innings.
However, the wheels came off quickly. In the following 10 games, he posted a 1-6 record with an 8.60 ERA before he was optioned to Triple-A Toledo in July. In August, Greene had surgery to remove a pseudoaneurysm in his throwing hand, ending his season.
The Tigers had planned to move Greene to the bullpen, but have started him twice this spring. He has given up four earned runs in 7.2 innings pitched as a starter in Lakeland so far.
Greene could be an option to fill out the end of the rotation until Norris is healthy or until the bullpen needs long relief help, with the potential absences of Alex Wilson and Blaine Hardy.
Matt Boyd
2015 statistics with DET: 10 starts, 6.57 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 6.39 K/9
Spring Training statistics: 5 starts, 4.24 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 8.5 K/9
Matt Boyd was forced into action a little prematurely in 2015. When he arrived in Detroit just after the trade deadline, the Tigers' rotation was in shambles and the team relied on him to fill in.
Boyd, 25, had started only two games (with a 14.85 ERA!) with Toronto before the Tigers acquired him as a part of the David Price deal.
The lefty looked inconsistent at times last season, but showed why he was a part of that blockbuster trade at the same time. He gave up only one run in seven innings in his Tigers debut against the World Champion Kansas City Royals. In six of his 10 starts with Detroit, Boyd gave up three or fewer runs.
Many pegged him to be destined for Toledo at this point, but with Norris' injury and Greene's inconsistency, Boyd seems to be in the mix for the rotation's final spot.
Also In The Mix
Buck Farmer
Spring: 3.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP
Kyle Ryan
Spring: 3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP
Michael Fulmer
Spring: 6.14 ERA, 1.50 WHIP