If anyone has any confidence in any of them, they’re setting themselves up for disappointment.

I want to see Perry and Porcello and see what they can do. So what if it’s supposedly ‘risky’? I just don’t care. Let’s see what they can do. If they’re too fragile to handle the big league gig, oh well, life goes on.

LongRelief Miner
MiddleRelief Rincon
Lefty Seay
Lefty Rappada
Set up Perry
Set up Rodney
Closer Lyon

*As bad as Willis has been it’s clear that they will claim a b/s injury allowing them to rehab and start Dontrelle in AAA for 30 days.
**Robertson will claim the 5 spot on a very short leash.
***Porcello will start in AA and be called up by this summer.

Once Zumaya is ready to come back, the weakest link is cut.

Maybe next season they can think about eating their contracts, but it certainly won’t happen this season.

In general I agree with your argument of the best of present vs past. There are considerations that need to be made beyond just who’s the “best” now, as Phillips mentions in the quote I list above. If they fail to “earn” their rotation spots, its certainly possible to cut Miner, Willis and Robertson in favor of Porcello, Perry or whomever else out-pitches them. The Tigers would, however, find themselves in a bind if anything should happen to the pitching staff that would cause them to call up minor league talent, only to possibly find none.

BTW, who’s best present vs past is subjective. If you throw out the past, and just make the decisions on pitching staff based on now (spring training), like I mentioned earlier, you’ll find Robertson is better “now” than Verlander, although the latter’s “past” clearly show’s he’s better.

Its best not to draw predictive lines outwards from spring training. Miner is by no means one of the top 3-4 rotation pitchers that the Tigers have available, but he’s shown (albeit in the past) to be a solid end of the rotation pitcher and there’s nothing of the age/injury variety that would rule out an eventual return to form. Miner, as well as Robertson and Willis, should be afforded as much time as possible to prove themselves.

Cutting these guys prematurely would only inflate the significance of the question mark that is Bonderman’s health, as well as place added pressure on the shoulders of Porcello.

As far as Willis and Robertson…if neither prove they are worthy of a spot on the team, why not send them thru waivers and put them in the minors? Is anyone really going to claim them at this point with their salaries? It would suck to pay that much money for 2 minor leaguers, but maybe they could find themselves in the minors and be ready to be called up if Porcello isn’t ready or anyone else gets hurts. It would be an expensive insurance policy, but at least they won’t be released and we lose them altogether.

Miner certainly has proven himself to be sound in a number of different roles, and I hope he wins (emphasis on WINS) a spot. Personally, I think he has, in the past, deserved a real shot at the rotation. But, just as there have been good stretches for Miner, there have also been stretches where his stuff was no better, or worse, than league-average. If he doesn’t have his sinker working, he’s usually got nothing. And today, he looked pretty bad early on.

Spring has got a ways to go, but at current trajectories, you have to think Miner has at least put his status in some doubt.

I’d suggest checking out this article @ the Freep: (http://www.freep.com/article/2.....e+a+winner)

If you’re lazy, this quote from Steve Phillips mentions:

“One thing to remember is that, over the course of the season, you need more than five starting pitchers,” Phillips said in a telephone interview. “If you release veterans and keep the young guys, and then something happens with the young guys, what’s your fallback?”

As far as Miner being close to pitching himself off the team, I would doubt that considering his career numbers, although he’s certainly not doing himself any favors so far. If spring training was really about everyone actually pitching to earn their spot in the rotation, Robertson would actually be ahead of Verlander with a lower ERA and better K/BB ratio. But you don’t want that right? Because you know that Verlander is better, right?

My guess for the ‘pen would be: Seay, Lyon, Rincon, Rodney, Rapada (simply b/c he’s a lefty), Perry (until Zumaya is healthy) and Miner, although I agree with Chris Y that Miner may be very close to pitching his way off the team. I don’t know how you don’t put Perry on the team at this point, at least until Zumaya is healthy, if that ever happens. Also, how do you not give serious consideration to Rincon, who unlike a lot of Tiger’s relievers can go more than an inning at a time, and hasn’t allowed a run yet in ST?

Does he have options left?

He really has not looked good at all this spring, especially of late. And given the performance of Rincon, Fein, Perry, Rapada, even Dolsi for that matter, especially in the free-pass category, space is getting tight.

I hope.

LR – Miner
LOOGY – Rapada
MR – Seay
MR – Rincon
MR – Rodney
SU – Zumaya (if healthy, like that will ever happen)
CL – Lyon