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Detroit Tigers Spring Training 2006 Report

Tiger, tiger burned bright, relives its "new blood" season and the dismal record that humiliated the club in that pre-Pudge year, making it even harder for talent in the Tigers farm system to beat the green cap.

A team whose market is not well equipped for checkbook sports, that continues to make questionable minor league deals still has some talent worth spotlighting, to the good and the bad.

Arms - The Good. The Bad. The Ugly.

Good. Joel Zumaya rocks. The MLN FAB50 Baseball 2005 No. 34 pick continues to be our best pitching prospect coming to Detroit. At 6-3 and 210 this righty delivered an 8-3 record with a 2.77 ERA and 143 strikeouts for Erie. He moved up to Toledo where his ERA dropped slightly to 2.66. On only 44 innings pitched he delivered 56 strikeouts while allowing 13 earned runs. Best guess on a club nervous about young talent is that he will be back in Toledo for most of the season. Jason Grilli is the real deal in the workhorse pitchers department. With a 12-9 record and a 4.09 ERA on 167.1 innings pitched, he dropped 120 strikeouts on opposing batters and allowed 76 earned runs playing for Toledo in 2005. We think he'll start back in Toledo even though his taste of Tigerland (3.38 1-1 with Detroit) showed some promise. Mark Woodyard out of Toledo in 2005 (5-2; 3.84) likewise looks like he will develop into a role player.

The Bad - Enfant terrible Justin Verlander is the buzz boy of the big media. We ranked him at No. 19 in the FAB50 last year on the basis of the club's near obligation to do something with him for his $3.12 million bonus with a $4.5 million guarantee, his clocked 101mph fastball, and his brief, albeit powerful record at the lower levels of the minors, where he delivered a 1.67 in Lakeland on 86 innings of work and a .28 ERA in Erie on 32.2 innings. He recorded 7 strikeouts in 11.1 innings of work for the Tigers, but also allowed 9 earned runs for a 7.15 ERA and an 0-2 record with Detroit. The quiet buzz is that Verlander needs more seasoning. Time spent in AAA at Toledo getting used to the longer grind of a professional season would do him some good. He's being rushed, which doesn't look to benefit either Verlander or the Tigers in the long run.

The Ugly - It might have been the wrong day, but our visit to the minor leaguers playing instructional camp did not fish up much that wowed us.

Plate

There is no one lining up in the immediate future from the minors.

Base Path

Carlos Pena showed his stuff last year, posting a .311 in Toledo with 12 home runs and 45 RBIs. He was called up and batted .235 with 18 home runs and 44 RBI for the Tigers. Developing is Don Kelly, who batted .340 for Erie, but struggled a bit more at Toledo. Look for him to return to Toledo this Spring.

The Deep Grass

Marcus Thames batted .340 in Toledo with 22 home runs and 56 RBIs. He was promoted and played 38 games with the Tigers, struggling with major league pitching, eeking out only a .196 and 7 dingers. Toledo looks like his starting point. Brent Clevlen, who batted .302 in Lakeland, is moving along and should probably hit Erie to start.