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Detroit Tigers Clips

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Detroit Free Press

Justin Verlander in line to start Tigers' Opening Day (Fenech)

Fulmer could be a candidate for Tigers bullpen (Fenech)

The Detroit News

Henning: Tigers set to prosper, but will improvements take root? (Henning)

Fulmer a future starter, but fighting for bullpen role (McCosky)

Tigers’ CF strategy ‘could go in any direction’ (McCosky)

No debate this year: Verlander starts Opening Day (McCosky)

MLive.com

Barring something strange, Justin Verlander will start on opening day for Detroit Tigers (Iott)

MLB.com

Verlander to make 8th Opening Day start (Beck)

Norris leads pack for fifth-starter spot (Beck)

Ausmus armed with options in contract year (Beck)

FOXSportsDetroit.com

Verlander - not Zimmermann - named as Tigers Opening Day starter (Farris)

3 keys to the Tigers' success after a productive offseason (Bahr)

ESPN.com

Will Detroit Tigers contend in 2016? (Strang)

Retooled Tigers have spring battles ahead in center field, starting five (Strang)

Three young arms to watch as Tigers break camp (Strang)

Detroit Tigers: Top 10 prospects (Law)

CBSDetroit.com

Justin Verlander Will Start For Tigers On Opening Day (Scoby)

Daily Transactions

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Justin Verlander in line to start Tigers' Opening Day

February 17, 2016

By Anthony Fenech/ Detroit Free Press

LAKELAND, Fla. -- There wasn’t a question, but it had to be asked.

And Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus had an answer on the first day of his third spring in charge at Joker

Marchant Stadium: Right-handed ace Justin Verlander will start Opening Day against the Miami Marlins on

April 5.

“Probably,” Ausmus said. “Barring something strange."

The Opening Day assignment would be the eighth of Verlander’s career. He started seven consecutive season

openers between 2008-14 before stepping aside for left-hander David Price last year.

“It’s a little more clean-cut this year,” Ausmus said. “Barring something unforeseen, Ver is going to pitch

Opening Day.”

Verlander is tied with lefty Mickey Lolich for second in Tigers history with seven Opening Day starts. Righty

Jack Morris has the most with 11.

After two subpar seasons, by his All-Star standard, Verlander returned to form in the second half of 2015 and

finished with a 3.38 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 20 starts overall. He started the season on the disabled list with a

right triceps strain, struggled in his first handful of starts but rebounded with a 2.80 ERA in the second half,

with 95 strikeouts in 103 innings.

Verlander threw off the mound Tuesday morning in TigerTown, hours before Ausmus’ unofficial

announcement that he had regained his spot atop the Tigers’ rotation.

Looking back on last year’s decision, which is always overblown in terms of its importance to the season,

Ausmus said: “My gut kind of said that Price deserved it and to Ver’s credit, when I told him, he absolutely

agreed 100%. He was very magnanimous about it.”

Ausmus didn’t make that decision until March 21, 2015.

“I’d say I think the first year was the toughest,” he said. “It was my first year here, Max was coming off the Cy

Young and Max wished he had been the starter and you could make the argument he deserved it, but he ended

up having a pretty good year anyways.

“This is a little easier than the past two years. The first year we had Max (Scherzer) coming off the Cy Young,

last year we had David Price.”

And this year, the Opening Day assignment will once again be Verlander’s.

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Fulmer could be a candidate for Tigers bullpen

February 17, 2016

By Anthony Fenech/ Detroit Free Press

LAKELAND, Fla. – Michael Fulmer is a starting pitcher.

Always has been, from his high school days in Oklahoma City to his Double-A days last season. But this spring,

the Tigers’ top prospect could be throwing in relief.

The team doesn’t yet have an exact plan on how they’ll use the right-hander in spring training, manager Brad

Ausmus said on Tuesday, but indications are that he will be pitching mostly out of relief.

“Realistically, if he were to make the club, he would probably be a reliever,” Ausmus said. “If he were not to

make the club, he would probably be a starter.”

With four out of five spots in the starting rotation accounted for – left-hander Daniel Norris appears to be the

front-runner for the fifth spot – Fulmer’s best chance to crack the club out of spring training will be in a

competition for one of the team’s two open relief spots.

“You have enough time in spring training that even if he’s coming out of the pen right now in big league camp,

there will be a point where if you think he’s going to be a starter in Toledo, we can make the switch and get his

innings up before the start of the season,” Ausmus said.

Fulmer, 22, posted a 2.36 ERA with the Mets and Tigers in Double-A last year, taking home Eastern League

Pitcher of the Year honors. He struck out nearly a batter an inning.

“I think everything paid off,” he said recently about last season. “As far as my routines in-between games,

before games, all the stuff that I’ve learned from coaches and staff, it really paid off.”

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Henning: Tigers set to prosper, but will improvements take root?

February 17, 2016

By Lynn Henning/ The Detroit News

Lakeland, Fla. – There are the sounds of saws churning, as well as utility vehicles in beep-beep-beep back-up

mode. Mounds of dirt are heaped along a drive where in earlier years Tigers players parked their cars.

Cranes and front-end loaders surround the biggest area of change at Marchant Stadium, where a decidedly

different experience is being etched at the Tigers’ spring-training complex.

Three floors of steel beams and columns, with workmen in hard hats stepping among them in space that once

was the Tigers batting cages behind right field, are an imposing skeleton of what a year from now will be a

dramatic new stadium, with roofed seating from the left-field line running counter-clockwise to the center field

scoreboard.

And wait until those familiar with Tigertown’s trappings get a load of the new, fenced-in parking lot in front of

the Tigers’ clubhouse. The commissioner’s office in New York has ordered stepped-up security. No more

parking for the public in a lot that is now reserved strictly for Tigers players and personnel.

All of this new construction at what was a staid and pastoral baseball setting is part of a $40-million makeover

that by 2017 will have transformed quaint Marchant into what will be the finest spring-training facility in

Florida.

And yet the Tigers are arriving this week not to don hard hats. They’re pulling on baseball caps four months

after their own overhaul began, overseen by a new general manager, Al Avila, whose work alongside owner

Mike Ilitch cost much more than $40 million and might or might not have led to changes as stunning as those

being crafted at Marchant.

The Tigers finished in last place in 2015. Their pitching was a wreck, and so was their health. They’ve since

made as many improvements as Avila and Ilitch could reasonably or even ideally have achieved. Justin Upton

for the outfield, two new starters for the rotation, three new bullpen arms, a backup catcher – it was quite a

renovation.

But unlike those guys in right field working on an 80-degree February day in Lakeland, who need only stick to

plans and to their expertise to know progress, Avila and Ilitch must pray for health and for performances across

the board that in big-league baseball can be so difficult to harmonize.

Avila’s offseason labors were more than impressive in that his team needed so much. Acquisitions on a grand

scale are tough to pull off when budgets and trade pieces are limited, as they were heading into October.

Ilitch’s decision in January to fetch Upton handed manager Brad Ausmus a brand of playoff-grade bat the

Tigers outfield had to have. Avila had already attacked the shopping list’s other musts, including the bullpen,

which was Dave Dombrowski’s biggest failing during his otherwise sparkling years in Detroit. The bullpen

appears – as nearly as relief pitching can be projected – to have been healed of its annual ills.

Other pluses: Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez are feeling fine, which, if their health holds, should help the

Tigers be one of the league’s better run-producers.

But this is baseball. Always there are issues. Always. And for those who know big-league teams only are as

good as their weak link, you must wonder if the biggest component to any playoff-bound team, starting

pitching, will be strong enough to carry the Tigers past the Royals and Indians and White Sox and Twins –

teams that all finished ahead of Detroit in 2015.

Justin Verlander turns 33 later this month. But the bet here is Verlander will be up to his old tricks as staff ace.

Jordan Zimmermann, one of Avila’s most rapid moves, is a blue-chip starter, although his numbers slipped a tad

in 2015 and his age (30 in May) is moving into the post-prime zone.

Anibal Sanchez, like Verlander, has a birthday later this month (32) and has in his files a list of injuries,

including shoulder issues that crimped his 2015 season.

Daniel Norris, the prized left-hander whom the Tigers snagged in last summer’s David Price trade, could be a

big winner in his first full season of big-league work, but Mike Pelfrey, the tentative No. 5 starter, needs to pitch

closer to the Tigers’ projections and less like the Pelfrey of some past seasons.

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All of which makes this Tigers team a difficult pick to prosper in 2016 when one remembers that it was starting

pitching – Verlander, Sanchez, Max Scherzer, Kenny Rogers, etc. – who were the drive train for past playoff

and World Series teams from the past decade.

But then you remember something else about big-league baseball. The surprises that annually creep into an

unpredictable picture. And you think about Shane Greene, who is due for a rebound after his circulatory

surgery. And about that bulldog of a top prospect they have in right-handed rookie Michael Fulmer, who could

find his way to Detroit at some point this season.

And you say, because this team is probably due for a surprise on the happy side following last year’s soap

opera, that this could be Detroit’s season to squeeze out a division title and maybe raise a ruckus in October.

That script, which isn’t quite as linear or defined as those construction blueprints being unfurled today at

Marchant, remains to be written.

In the meantime, the saw blades whine. The grandstand along the left-field line, which seems to have been

inspired by the hotbox in “Bridge Over The River Kwai,” will be knocked down and replaced as soon as the

Tigers depart spring camp.

And the 2016 season, which for the Tigers will take initial shape under a hot Florida sun, will reveal to us its

mysterious plans and realities.

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Fulmer a future starter, but fighting for bullpen role

February 17, 2016

By Chris McCosky/ The Detroit News

Lakeland, Fla. – Matt Harvey. Jacob deGrom. Noah Syndergaard. Jon Niese. Steven Matz.

These were the pitching prospects Tigers right-hander Michael Fulmer came into professional baseball with or

competing against as a first-round pick of the Mets in 2011. You couldn’t blame him for feeling his upward

mobility in that organization might be a tad stunted.

“I think everything happens for a reason,” Fulmer said after throwing a bullpen session at TigerTown Tuesday.

“I’m ecstatic with the trade. As far as the Mets go and their young pitching, I played with most of those guys

growing up in my career and they are all great pitchers and good guys.

“Obviously I think my stuff can compete with them. But they are there and I’m not. I am happy the trade

happened. I was happy with the Mets and I’m even happier here.”

Fulmer came to the Tigers in the Yoenis Cespedes trade last July, and went from the No. 13 prospect in the

Mets’ system to the consensus No. 1 prospect in the Tigers’.

This is his first big league spring camp. There he was on Tuesday, first watching Justin Verlander throw a 50-

pitch bullpen and then take his turn alongside veteran Jordan Zimmermann. Afterward, he asked Zimmermann

how he gripped his slider.

“I’m just honored and blessed to be here with this great organization,” he said. “I’m just looking to compete.

Whatever I have to do. I try to be a very coachable guy. I’ll be listening to all these big league coaches and

veterans – it’s great just being around this atmosphere.”

Fulmer will be 23 next month and hasn’t pitched above Double-A – though he dominated the Eastern League

with both Binghamton and Erie last season (10-3, 2.24 ERA, 1.075 WHIP, 125 strikeouts in 124.2 innings).

Long-term, Fulmer projects to be a No. 2 or No. 3 starter in the big leagues. But if he’s going to make the

Tigers out of spring training this year, it’ll will be out of the bullpen.

“Looking at it realistically, if he were to make the club he would be a reliever,” manager Brad Ausmus said. “If

he doesn’t make the club, he’d be a starter (in Toledo).”

Although Ausmus and pitching coach Rich Dubee have yet to formulate a plan for Fulmer, indications are he

will work out of the bullpen initially.

“You have enough time in spring,” Ausmus said. “You could work out of the pen right now in camp. There

would be a point where if we thought he was going to be a starter in Toledo, we could make the switch and get

his innings up – like we did with Buck Farmer last year.”

Fulmer has pitched in relief just once professionally, back in rookie ball in 2011. He has made 75 minor league

starts.

“They haven’t told me anything -- just come in and compete,” he said. “I will do whatever the team asks.”

His stuff should translate well to the bullpen. He’s a strike-thrower, first and foremost. His fastball touches 97

mph with a cruising speed of 94-95. He also throws a hard slider (86-88) with severe downward sink.

His other two pitches, curve and changeup, are still works in progress. He wouldn’t need to develop those as

quickly if he was working in relief.

Barring injury or unforeseen underperformance, five of the seven bullpen spots are spoken for – closer

Francisco Rodriguez, set-up men Mark Lowe and Justin Wilson, plus Alex Wilson and Blaine Hardy.

Fulmer will compete with Drew VerHagen, Kyle Ryan, Bruce Rondon, Angel Nesbitt, Farmer and Shane

Greene for the final two spots.

“Nobody is locked in,” Ausmus said. “VerHagen, the way he pitched last year gives him an edge, for sure. But

it’s still a situation where performance will dictate.”

Fulmer, who battled a meniscus injury in 2013 and had bone chips removed from his elbow in 2014, is fully

healthy and ready for the fight.

“I’m confident in myself,” he said. “That’s what I learned over the last couple of years dealing with the injuries.

Last year was a huge year for me. I rebounded well and my body felt good. It was my first 100-percent season

since 2012.

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“But I am always looking to get better. I’m not satisfied with where I am.”

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Tigers’ CF strategy ‘could go in any direction’

February 17, 2016

By Chris McCosky/ The Detroit News

Lakeland, Fla. -- It’s clear that Cameron Maybin and Anthony Gose see themselves as everyday center fielders.

Neither, as was conveyed during TigerFest last month, wants much to do with a platoon.

That battle won’t begin until position players report next week, and manager Brad Ausmus isn’t tipping his

hand.

“We’ll let it play out,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to be a strict platoon situation (Gose bats left-handed,

Maybin right-handed). At this point, it could go in any direction. It could be a platoon, a partial platoon, I could

go with the hot hand.

“There are a number of factors, among them the health of all three outfield positions.”

Outfield depth is not a problem for the Tigers. They will have nine outfielders in camp with big league

experience. Justin Upton, J.D. Martinez, Gose, Maybin and Mike Aviles are expected to make the club. Tyler

Collins, Steven Moya, plus non-roster invitees Nate Schierholtz and John Mayberry Jr., will also be in camp.

Of Moya, who had a productive season in winter ball, Ausmus said his day was coming.

“He’s still a prospect,” he said. “Within the next year or so, he’s probably going to get his opportunity to

become a big leaguer – within the next year or year and a half.”

Keen on Greene

Although Daniel Norris, based on his strong finish last season, seems to be the frontrunner for the fifth spot in

the Tigers’ starting rotation, Ausmus made it clear nothing was etched in stone.

“Nobody is locked into that last spot,” he said.

Ausmus said Matt Boyd, Buck Farmer, Shane Greene and possibly Michael Fulmer were in the hunt. He said he

especially wants to take a long look at Greene, who started last season as the team’s fifth starter.

“Greene is a guy two years ago, before we got him, that we were extremely excited about,” Ausmus said. “He

got off to a great start, then scuffled and had the injury. In my mind, I don’t want Shane Greene to become the

forgotten man.

“He had an off-year, but the stuff we saw a couple of years ago, that’s still in him.”

Notable

Ausmus said former pitching coach Jeff Jones will be in Lakeland later this week and spend some time helping

new pitching coach Rich Dubee with the transition.

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No debate this year: Verlander starts Opening Day

February 17, 2016

By Chris McCosky/ The Detroit News

Lakeland, Fla. – It’s become kind of a recurring spring ritual -- pestering manager Brad Ausmus about the

Opening Day starter, early and often.

There was some actual intrigue the past two years. This year, not so much.

“I already said it,” Ausmus said Tuesday. “I said it this winter.”

Justin Verlander, barring injury or other unforeseen malady, will get the ball in Miami against the Marlins on

Tuesday, April 5.

“It’s a little more cut and dry this year,” Ausmus said.

Two years ago, Ausmus named Verlander the Opening Day starter over reigning Cy Young Award winner Max

Scherzer. Last year, he picked David Price over Verlander, before Verlander injured his triceps.

“The first year was the toughest,” Ausmus said. “It was my first year here and Max was coming off the Cy

Young. Max wished to be the starter (on Opening Day) and you could make an argument he deserved it. But, he

ended up having a pretty good year anyway.”

Ausmus agonized over the decision last year, as well.

“My gut said Price deserved it and to Ver’s credit, when I told him he absolutely agreed,” Ausmus said. “He

was very magnanimous.”

Verlander before last year had started seven straight Opening Day games since 2008. Jordan Zimmermann and

Anibal Sanchez are expected to be the Nos. 2 and 3 starters, with the last two spots going to Mike Pelfrey and,

most likely, Daniel Norris.

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Barring something strange, Justin Verlander will start on opening day for Detroit Tigers

February 17, 2016

By Chris Iott/ MLive.com

LAKELAND, Fla. -- In 2015, Justin Verlander was supplanted as the Detroit Tigers' opening day starter by

David Price before being knocked out of the rotation entirely due to an injury.

In 2016, Verlander will almost certainly return as the opening day starter.

"Barring something unforeseen, Ver is going to pitch opening day," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said Tuesday

morning shortly after arriving at Joker Marchant Stadium for spring training.

This is the third year Ausmus has managed the Tigers, but it's the first time he felt like choosing an opening day

starter was a clean-cut decision.

In 2014, Ausmus chose Verlander as the opening day starter over Max Scherzer, who had won the American

League Cy Young award the previous season. Last year, Ausmus chose Price over Verlander.

"I actually think the first year was the toughest, because it was my first year here and Max was coming off the

Cy Young," Ausmus said. "Max wished he had been the starter and you can make the argument that he deserved

it, but he ended up having a pretty good year anyway."

Verlander started seven consecutive opening days for the Tigers from 2008 to 2014 and should make his eighth

career opening day start this season. Ausmus chose Price over Verlander as the opening day starter last spring,

but Verlander wouldn't have been able to make the start anyway and began the season on the disabled list with a

triceps issue.

"My gut kind of said Price deserved it," Ausmus said. "And to Ver's credit, when I told him he absolutely

agreed 100 percent. He was very magnanimous about it."

The Tigers open the season April 5 with a 7:10 p.m. game in Miami against the Marlins. Ausmus did not list the

order of the rotation beyond Verlander, but it seems likely he would start Jordan Zimmermann in the second

game of the season, which would leave Anibal Sanchez as the likely starter for the home opener April 8 against

the New York Yankees.

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Verlander to make 8th Opening Day start

February 17, 2016

By Jason Beck/ MLB.com

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Opening Day starter was one of the trickiest decisions Brad Ausmus faced in his first two

Spring Training camps as Tigers manager. This year, he didn't even need to wait for reporting day.

"Barring something unforeseen, [Justin Verlander's] going to pitch Opening Day," Ausmus said Tuesday

morning at Joker Marchant Stadium, where Ausmus just arrived to begin preparing for his third year in charge.

The Tigers open the season with Interleague Play on April 5 at Miami. It would be Verlander's eighth career

Opening Day start.

Considering an unforeseen circumstance last Spring Training landed Verlander on the disabled list to open the

season, sidelined by a right triceps strain, Tuesday's news isn't exactly a guarantee. Nonetheless, it restores

Verlander back to his old status atop Detroit's rotation, a position he owned until David Price started Opening

Day last year.

The news isn't exactly a surprise. Though the Tigers signed free agent Jordan Zimmermann to a five-year, $110

million contract in November, they saw Verlander regain his dominance down the stretch last year. After a half-

dozen inconsistent starts upon return from the DL, Verlander posted a 2.27 ERA and allowed a .207 batting

average over his final 14 starts, surrendering 74 hits over 99 1/3 innings. His 5-5 record during that stretch was

partly the result of poor run support, with the Tigers scoring two runs or fewer in seven of the 14 starts.

Verlander started seven consecutive Tigers openers, even beating out reigning American League Cy Young

Award winner Max Scherzer for the honor in 2014. The streak ended last year, when Price -- a Trade Deadline

acquisition the previous summer -- earned the nod over Verlander, who was coming off a '14 season that was

subpar by his standards. Ausmus made that decision well before Verlander's injury.

"My gut kind of said that Price deserved it," Ausmus recalled. "And to Ver's credit, when I told him, he

absolutely agreed 100 percent. He was very magnanimous about it."

Verlander was graceful at the time, but still competitive. Clearly, the honor meant something.

"Hopefully at this time next year, we're talking about me having earned it and done all the things that I've

worked so hard to do to get back to being that guy," Verlander said back then. "I'd rather be on the mound

[Opening Day], but like I've said many times, I've got to earn it -- and I plan on doing that."

He did that before his first official pitch of Spring Training.

"It's a little more clear-cut this year," Ausmus said.

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Norris leads pack for fifth-starter spot February 17, 2016

By Jason Beck/ MLB.com

Aside from center field and the fifth-starter spot, there isn't much suspense concerning who's playing for the

Tigers in 2016.

Justin Upton's signing ended any left-field competition for at least the next couple seasons, leaving Anthony

Gose and Cameron Maybin to battle for playing time in center.

Jordan Zimmermann and Mike Pelfrey essentially fill the second and fourth slots in the rotation, leaving one

open spot for Detroit's crop of young starters to try to win, with Daniel Norris leading the pack at the outset.

The new-look, late-inning bullpen will feature Mark Lowe and Justin Wilson trying to bridge leads to closer

Francisco Rodriguez.

The big lineup speculation will be more about where than who, as manager Brad Ausmus decides whether

Upton could be most effective batting in front of Miguel Cabrera (and presumably seeing more strikes as a

result, as pitchers try to avoid putting runners on base for Cabrera) or if Upton fits better batting further down

and extending the run production part of the order. That decision will impact Ian Kinsler, who will bat leadoff

or second, and could open a spot for somebody else up top.

On the pitching side, Ausmus has to decide whether to use Wilson and Lowe in traditional seventh- and eighth-

inning roles or to mix and match according to left- and right-handed hitters due up.

2015 record

74-87, fifth in the American League Central

Projected batting order (with 2015 statistics)

1. 2B Ian Kinsler:

.296 BA, .342 OBP, .428 SLG, 11 HR, 73 RBIs

2. LF Justin Upton:

.251 BA, .336 OBP, .454 SLG, 26 HR, 81 RBIs (with the Padres)

3. 1B Miguel Cabrera:

.338 BA, .440 OBP, .534 SLG, 18 HR, 76 RBIs

4. DH Victor Martinez:

.245 BA, .301 OBP, .366 SLG, 11 HR, 64 RBIs

5. RF J.D. Martinez:

.282 BA, .344 OBP, .535 SLG, 38 HR, 102 RBIs

6. 3B Nick Castellanos:

.255 BA, .303 OBP, .419 SLG, 15 HR, 73 RBIs

7. C James McCann:

.264 BA, .297 OBP, .387 SLG, 7 HR, 41 RBIs

8. CF Cameron Maybin:

.267 BA, .327 OBP, .370 SLG, 10 HR, 59 RBI in 2015

9. SS Jose Iglesias:

.300 BA, .347 OBP, .370 SLG, 2 HR, 23 RBIs

Projected rotation (with 2015 statistics)

1. Justin Verlander: 5-8, 3.38 ERA, 20 starts

2. Jordan Zimmermann: 13-10, 3.66 ERA, 33 starts (with the Nationals)

3. Anibal Sanchez: 10-10, 4.99 ERA, 25 starts

4. Mike Pelfrey: 6-11, 4.26 ERA, 30 starts (with the Twins)

5. Daniel Norris: 3-2, 3.75 ERA, 13 starts (with the Blue Jays and Tigers)

Projected bullpen (with 2015 statistics)

Closer Francisco Rodriguez: 38/40 saves, 2.21 ERA (with the Brewers)

RH setup man Mark Lowe: 1.96 ERA, 17 holds (with the Mariners and Blue Jays)

LH setup man Justin Wilson: 3.10 ERA, 29 holds (with the Yankees)

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Ausmus armed with options in contract year

February 17, 2016

By Jason Beck/ MLB.com

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The Tigers begin camp this week with a bevy of new faces on board. The manager's face,

however, is quite familiar.

After a summer of frustrations, a front-office shift and an offseason of changes, Brad Ausmus reported to camp

on Tuesday for his third Spring Training as Detroit manager. He did so with arguably the deepest, most

versatile, flexible roster of his tenure.

With few decent options out of the bullpen late last year, a rotation that required a trade for Randy Wolf last

August and very little impact offense off the bench, Ausmus had little room for creativity en route to a last-

place finish in the American League Central. As he heads into a contract year, he's armed with options.

"I think it's important to have the best pitching we possibly can," Ausmus said in regards to battles. "I do think

we have a lot more depth than we did a year ago, especially in the bullpen."

His task of sorting out the depth begins here. While Daniel Norris carries the momentum of a strong finish into

the fifth-starter competition, Ausmus said nobody has been locked into that spot. He listed Shane Greene, Matt

Boyd, Buck Farmer and top prospect Michael Fulmer as other candidates.

Ausmus especially wants to take a look at Greene, who dealt with ulnar neuritis and a pseudoaneurysm in his

right arm during his midseason struggles before being shut down in August.

"Two years ago, before we [traded for] him, we were extremely excited about him," Ausmus said. "He got off

to a great start, and then he scuffled and he had the injury. In my mind, I don't want Shane Greene to become a

forgotten man. I just think he had an off year, and I think the stuff we saw a couple years ago, that's in him."

Likewise, Ausmus said, neither of the two open bullpen spots has a player locked in, though Drew VerHagen's

performance down the stretch (2-0, 2.05 ERA) is an advantage.

"The way he pitched gives him an edge for sure," Ausmus said. "But it's still a situation where [Spring Training]

performance is going to dictate."

The Tigers are still open to converting Fulmer to a reliever, and Ausmus said he'd be more likely to make the

Opening Day roster in the bullpen. If he doesn't make the team, Ausmus said, he'll most likely pitch at Triple-A

Toledo in the rotation.

Worth noting -- The Tigers could open the season with four starters and eight relievers, thanks to a later

Opening Day and an off day on April 7, but Ausmus is wary of the idea for now. One question Ausmus raised

was how to keep the fifth starter fresh before the Minor League season begins.

Ausmus is not committing to a lefty-righty platoon in center field with Cameron Maybin and Anthony Gose: "I

don't think it's going to be a strict platoon situation. I think at this point, it could go in any direction. It could be

a platoon. It could be a partial platoon. It could be going with the hot hand. There's a number of factors, and

those factors include the health of all three positions in the outfield."

While Rich Dubee embarks on his first season as pitching coach trying to learn the staff, he'll have help from

his predecessor. Ausmus said Jeff Jones, who retired in October, is expected to return to camp this week and

spend a week in camp helping in the transition.

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Verlander - not Zimmermann - named as Tigers Opening Day starter February 17, 2016

By Danny Farris/ FOXSportsDetroit.com

The Detroit Tigers signed Jordan Zimmermann to a $110 million contract this offseason, but this is still Justin

Verlander's pitching staff.

On Tuesday, manager Brad Ausmus named Verlander his Opening Day starter.

Verlander, of course, has been a mainstay in Detroit, playing his entire 11-year career the Motor City. He has

seen his performance slip some, though, and is no longer the lights out ace that he once was.

After a career-worst 2014 in which he owned a 4.54 ERA, Verlander started just 20 games in 2015, pitching to

a 5-8 record and 3.38 ERA. He did, however, have a dominant month of August, starting five games, allowing

six earned runs across 36 innings.

Zimmerman comes to the Tigers after a seven season stint with the Washington Nationals. Last season, he

posted a 13-10 record with a 3.66 ERA across 33 starts.

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3 keys to the Tigers' success after a productive offseason

February 17, 2016

By Chris Bahr/ FOXSportsDetroit.com

Each weekday between now and the end of spring training, we'll analyze one team's keys for success (or keys to

avoid complete irrelevance) in the 2016 season. We focus on the Tigers today, and we'll continue with the rest

of the AL Central this week.

1. Get the ball -- and the lead -- to K-Rod. For what now seems like decades, the Tigers' most glaring weakness

has been the bullpen. Their latest solution -- after ranking 27th in the majors with a 4.38 bullpen ERA last

season and tying for the fifth-most blown saves (24) -- was to acquire closer Francisco Rodriguez and reliever

Justin Wilson and to sign free-agent setup man Mark Lowe. Despite pitching for the Brewers the past two

seasons, K-Rod ranks fourth in the majors with 82 saves while posting a 2.66 ERA and a .194 batting average

against since 2014. And even though it seems he has been pitching since the late 1890s, Rodriguez just turned

34.

Is Francisco Rodriguez the answer to Detroit's bullpen woes?

Alex Wilson (2.19 ERA last season) and Blaine Hardy (3.08 ERA, 8.1 K/9 ratio) are back, which means this

unit looks a lot more impressive than it did at the end of the 2015 season. But Detroit has felt that way plenty of

times in recent years, only to get burned by its bullpen.

2. Hope for the best with the rotation. Justin Verlander posted a 2.27 ERA over his final 14 starts last season

(after a 6.62 ERA in his first six), and he is the surest thing among the Tigers' returning starters. Anibal

Sanchez's 4.99 ERA in 2015 was his worst for any full season of his career, and Alfredo Simon is gone.

Justin Verlander found his old form after a rough start in 2015.

Newcomer Jordan Zimmermann will help, but he is coming off his worst season (3.66 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 24

homers allowed) and will have to adjust to the more offensive American League. Behind those three will be

some combination of Mike Pelfrey, Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd and Shane Green. Deep breaths.

3. Warm up the whirlpools. Verlander will turn 33 this week, DH Victor Martinez is 37 and first baseman

Miguel Cabrera will be 33 in April. All missed a considerable amount of time last season. In addition, second

baseman Ian Kinsler is 33.

Victor Martinez and Miguel Cabrera must stay in the lineup.

Having three outfielders -- Justin Upton, J.D. Martinez, Cameron Maybin -- in their primes will help. But even

shortstop 26-year-old shortstop Jose Iglesias missed the entire 2014 season and 42 games last year. An injury

epidemic could be akin to a fastball to the groin. If healthy, however, Detroit can make a wild-card run.

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Will Detroit Tigers contend in 2016?

February 17, 2016

By Katie Strang/ ESPN.com

Are the Detroit Tigers back to being contenders?

Take a look at their aggressive offseason and liberal spending, and it's clear that was the aim of an abundance of

signings that brought a load of new talent to Motown. Also obvious is the driving force behind the all-in

approach.

Mike Ilitch, clearly rankled over an abysmal 2015 campaign (74-87) and desperate to win a world

championship, opened the coffers and directed a determined effort this winter. Not only did the 86-year-old

patriarch allow Al Avila to spend aggressively this offseason, but he also effectively mandated that his first-year

general manager pursue some of the biggest names on the free-agent market.

Just when the Tigers appeared to be wrapping up a frenetic winter flush with activity -- and after Avila insisted

the team was unlikely to engage in any big-game hunting -- the club made a splash by signing outfielder Justin

Upton.

The six-year, $132.75 million pact, which ensured the Tigers exceed the luxury tax threshold for 2016, was an

unequivocal sign that the team was prepared to go for it.

With that sort of financial commitment comes a host of lofty expectations. Simply making the playoffs, as the

team has done four of the past five seasons, will not suffice. Ilitch has been steadfast about his quest for a World

Series, and the window is narrowing.

What do the Tigers need to do to vie for a title?

Justin Verlander remains the most critical component in the equation. The club's resident ace was dashed by

disappointment when he sustained a triceps injury that landed him on the disabled list the past spring. When

Verlander returned to the mound in mid-June, it was with mixed results.

By the time Verlander returned to form in late July, the team was forced to make a tough decision: stay the

course or sell at the trade deadline in hopes of adding assets for the future. The Tigers, under former GM Dave

Dombrowski, chose the latter, and the team's season skittered along from there.

The silver lining was that Verlander seemed to get stronger as the season progressed, and he gained confidence

and command with each start. Perhaps that is what emboldened Ilitch to view the future with both promise and

potential.

Assuming Verlander can sustain the momentum from the second half of the past season, the Tigers' rotation

appears to be in good shape. Behind Verlander will be free-agent acquisition Jordan Zimmermann, who signed

a five-year, $110 million deal in November, and a healthy Anibal Sanchez, whose 2015 season was cut short by

shoulder injury. Another free-agent signing, Mike Pelfrey, should anchor the back end of the rotation, with the

fifth spot up for grabs. Although 22-year-old Daniel Norris appears to be the front-runner to nail down the job,

Shane Greene and Matt Boyd should also be competing for the gig.

Avila stressed the team's dire need for pitching, and he acted accordingly this winter by adding to the team's

rotation and greatly improving the club's beleaguered bullpen.

Avila acquired a bona fide closer in trading for Francisco Rodriguez and brought in setup men such as Justin

Wilson and Mark Lowe. Add in the likes of Blaine Hardy, Alex Wilson, Drew VerHagen and, possibly,

prospect Michael Fulmer, and the bullpen already appears to be significantly deeper.

Offensively, the Tigers are in good shape, if healthy. The club is hoping for a bounce-back season from Victor

Martinez, who was hampered by injury for much of last year. Manager Brad Ausmus said Martinez is good to

go for spring training, so one can bet he is eager to see what the 37-year-old switch-hitter is capable of after a

full offseason to rest and recover. Having both Martinez and Miguel Cabrera healthy will be a massive coup for

the heart of the lineup. If the Tigers continue to receive steady production from recently re-signed J.D.

Martinez, who led the club last year with 38 home runs, and Ian Kinsler, who had a fantastic second half in

2015, the club will boast one of the most dangerous lineups in the American League.

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Reason for optimism is plentiful, as the Tigers methodically addressed the team's glaring holes this offseason,

but spring training is only just beginning. As the Washington Nationals proved during their disastrous implosion

the past season, expectations can be crippling.

Baserunning remains an issue -- the team is enlisting Kirk Gibson to help during spring training -- and just one

significant injury could alter the team's course. Plus, the competition is fierce. After all, the team to beat -- the

2015 World Series champion Kansas City Royals -- plays in Detroit's division.

By no means are the Tigers a lock for the playoffs, but after months of aggressive spending, anything less

would be a great disappointment.

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Retooled Tigers have spring battles ahead in center field, starting five

February 17, 2016

By Katie Strang/ ESPN.com

When the Detroit Tigers arrive in Lakeland, Fla., for spring training this week, the club will do so with plenty of

new faces following a busy offseason of spending.

A deeper rotation, a bolstered bullpen and a premier corner outfielder are among the accomplishments by the

team’s brass this winter, and with these upgrades comes a number of positional battles that promise to make the

next six weeks interesting. Here’s an idea of the matchups to watch and how the Opening Day lineup might

shake out:

Center field: This figures to be one of the key competitions this spring, with both Anthony Gose and Cameron

Maybin jockeying for the job. The two may very well end up platooning the position, but both are aiming to

prove they can be an everyday player.

Both players bring speed and athleticism to the lineup, but let’s take a look at how they match up defensively.

Looking purely from a defensive metrics standpoint, Gose and Maybin appear to have ample room for

improvement. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Gose finished last season with minus-12 defensive runs

saved, which ranked fifth lowest among the 35 players that played the most innings in center, while Maybin was

second lowest with minus-16 defensive runs saved. Of note for Maybin? He has fared better in the past, with 15

runs saved in 2011, nine in 2012 and four in 2014. As for Gose, manager Brad Ausmus has always been

emphatic that his capabilities are not accurately reflected in his statistics.

Offensively, the two also rate similarly: Gose (a lefty) has a career OPS of .659, while Maybin (a righty) has a

career OPS of .678.

Maybin does appear to hold the edge on the basepaths, with a career line of 116 stolen bases, 30 caught stealing

(79 percent) as compared to Gose, who has 57 career steals, 22 caught stealing (72 percent).

Fifth starter: With Justin Verlander, Jordan Zimmermann, Anibal Sanchez and Mike Pelfrey penciled into the

Tigers' 2016 rotation, the fifth starter job remains up for grabs. Daniel Norris, 22, who showed promise after he

was acquired in the David Price deal, appears to be the odds-on favorite, but don’t rule out veteran Shane

Greene. Greene’s 2015 season was marred by injury -- first with an ulnar nerve issue in May and then with a

pseudoaneurysm in August -- though he could push Norris for the job assuming he’s healthy. Matt Boyd, who

pitched in 11 games for Detroit last year, is also looking to rebound and make a strong impression in spring

training.

Backup catcher: An outstanding rookie season last year from James McCann allowed him to unseat incumbent

Alex Avila for the starting catching job and, with Avila’s subsequent departure in free agency, 28-year-old

Bryan Holaday appeared the obvious candidate for the backup gig. A surprise winter meetings signing of

veteran backstop Jarrod Saltalamacchia seemed to throw that into question, however. The Tigers like

Saltalamacchia’s experience and his switch-hitting ability, which they feel provides the club with some pop

from the left side of the plate (he is just four years removed from a 25-homer season for Boston in 2012).

Unless Holaday surprises folks and wins the job outright, it could spell his end with the organization,

considering he requires waivers if assigned to Toledo and could very well get snatched by another team looking

to add depth at catcher.

Projected Opening Day lineup:

Ian Kinsler, 2B

Justin Upton, LF,

Miguel Cabrera, 1B

Victor Martinez, DH

J.D. Martinez, RF

Nick Castellanos, 3B

McCann, C

Jose Iglesias, SS

Maybin/Gose CF

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--

Verlander, SP

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Three young arms to watch as Tigers break camp

February 17, 2016

By Katie Strang/ ESPN.com

For the Detroit Tigers to make some noise in 2016, there are certain players that must play pivotal roles. Justin

Verlander has to pitch like an ace, Miguel Cabrera has to continue to produce and Victor Martinez has to stay

healthy. All this we already know.

But what other players could rise their stock with a superlative spring training? Here’s a look at three prospects

to watch:

1. Bruce Rondon, RP: No one has a greater need to repair his reputation and rehabilitate his image than the 25-

year-old flamethrower. Rondon wasted a prime opportunity to close in the final weeks of the 2015 season when

he was sent home by the team for lack of effort. He has the talent, now he must prove to the Tigers he has

matured into a committed professional. Not to mention what he must do to regain equity among his teammates,

who were unimpressed by last year's antics.

2. Michael Fulmer, SP/RP: One of the club's top pitching prospects, the 22-year-old right-hander had a terrific

2015 season in Double-A ball. Fulmer is likely a longshot to nail down a spot in the rotation, though the Tigers

are also interested to see what he can do out of the bullpen.

3. Joe Jimenez, RP: Earned a spring training invite with a strong 2015 season in Single-A West Michigan and

an impressive showing in winter ball. He's viewed internally as a potential future closer candidate with loads of

potential.

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Detroit Tigers: Top 10 prospects

February 17, 2016

By Keith Law/ ESPN.com

I've ranked every farm system, as well as the top 100 MLB prospects of 2016. Below, I've ranked at least the

top 10 Tigers prospects, plus an overview of the system and any other names of note beyond the top 10. I also

discuss any prospects who might help the big league club in 2016, prospects whose stock has taken a big hit in

the past year and a sleeper prospect (or two) I think can jump into the main Top 100 list for 2017.

A few quick notes: 1) Just as in my other prospect files, I use the 20 to 80 grading scale when scouting these

prospects; and 2) If the prospect is in the Top 100, clicking on his ranking will take you to the page his scouting

profile is on.

Non-Insider subscribers: Check out the free Baltimore Orioles top-10 prospects report to see what these entail.

Top 10 prospects (Top 100 rank in parentheses)

1. Michael Fulmer, RHP (48)

2. Derek Hill, CF

3. Stephen Moya, OF

4. Beau Burrows, RHP

5. Dixon Machado, SS

6. Christin Stewart, OF

7. Kevin Ziomek, LHP

8. Spencer Turnbull, RHP

9. Jairo Labourt, LHP

10. Joe Jimenez, RHP

Overview

The Tigers' system is starting to improve after years of strip-mining to buttress the major league roster, a

strategy that helped the team win two American League pennants but has left Detroit in a precarious position for

2016 and beyond. Fulmer, acquired for Yoenis Cespedes, is the Tigers' lone top-100 prospect, but Hill was on

the list last year and could return there with a full, healthy 2016. He played only 53 games last year around a

nagging quad injury, and since he entered pro ball as a plus defender who was raw at the plate, the lost 300 or

so plate appearances particularly hurts.

Moya is what he has always been -- tools, scary power and poor pitch recognition; if he hits at all, he'll knock

25 homers, but he still hasn't been able to handle Triple-A pitching. Burrows was the team's first-round pick in

2015: a big, strong, power arm from Texas who should work in the mid-90s, even going every fifth day, but

needs to refine his offspeed stuff. Machado is blocked in Detroit but could help a lot of major league clubs right

now with his glove; he has an idea at the plate but still lacks the strength to do much with all the contact he

makes. Stewart, the Tigers' second pick in 2015 (in the supplemental round), is a power-hitting corner guy with

a little too much swing-and-miss right now, but has some middle-of-the-lineup upside if he can keep his contact

rate up.

Ziomek is the team's best hope for a near-term starter out of the system, racking up strikeouts and drastically

cutting his walks over 2014, although his delivery is still more reliever than starter. If Double-A hitters still

struggle with the deception in his delivery -- he doesn't have power stuff -- that will boost his odds of remaining

in the rotation. Turnbull isn't far behind Ziomek in development, with more power but worse command and

control. Turnbull was too advanced for his level last year. Labourt and Jimenez are the leaders of the Tigers'

deep stable of hard-throwing, minor league relievers, along with Endrys Briceno (12), who returned in mid-

2015 from Tommy John surgery; Jeff Ferrell (16); and Edgar de la Rosa (17), who was non-tendered and re-

signed in December after an injury-plagued season.

Michael Gerber (11) was way too old for the Midwest League, but had a strong showing in the AFL that should

allow him to move quickly up the ladder in 2016; he has pretty good feel to hit and can do a little bit of

everything -- with a little pop, some speed and solid defense in right field. Catcher Arvicent Perez (13) is a great

catch-and-throw guy and a complete unknown at the plate, with only 283 plate appearances in the U.S. through

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his age 21 season. Montreal Robertson (14) could surface as a reliever if either his slider or changeup develops

into even an average pitch; he's 93-97, and when he extends fully over his front side, it looks as if he's releasing

the ball about four feet from the plate. Third-rounder Drew Smith (15) might belong in that earlier group of

relief prospects; he's in the mid-90s as a starter but with 40 movement and without a plus second pitch.

2016 impact

Fulmer should be the first starter recalled when the Tigers' rotation has an opening. Jimenez will probably

appear in their bullpen at some point in 2016. Machado is available if Jose Iglesias or Ian Kinsler get hurt.

The fallen

Shortstop JaCoby Jones, acquired from Pittsburgh in the Joakim Soria trade, has star-level tools but will miss 50

games in 2016 for a second failed test for a "drug of abuse."

Sleepers

Stewart is the best bet to end up in the top 100 next year outside of Fulmer or Hill, but I like Gerber's mix of

solid-average to above-average tools, even though there isn't one thing there that's clearly plus. The Tigers need

to push Gerber, who'll play at 23 this year, to Double-A to challenge his bat.

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Justin Verlander Will Start For Tigers On Opening Day February 17, 2016

By Ashley Scoby/ CBSDetroit.com

The Tigers’ pitchers and catchers won’t have their first official workout until later this week. But the team has

already decided who will start on Opening Day, according to reporters at Detroit’s spring training in Lakeland,

Florida.

The Tigers open up the 2016 season at Miami on Tuesday, April 5. Their home opener will come later that

week, against the Yankees on Friday afternoon.

Verlander has said previously he feels healthier now than he has in years. He was doing physical therapy for a

large portion of spring training last year, then injured his triceps and missed two months of the 2015 season.

Once he got back to his normal form last season, Verlander finished the year with a 3.38 ERA in 20 starts,

allowing 13 home runs and 32 walks and striking out 113.

Barring anything crazy, this year will be Verlander’s eighth Opening Day start. He has a 2-1 record attached to

those starts, although the team itself has gone 4-3 in those games. Of Verlander’s seven Opening Day starts,

four have been on the road, as this year’s will be.

Behind Verlander, the rest of the Tigers’ pitching staff will start to form as they get deeper into spring training.

Manager Brad Ausmus mentioned several names who could throw themselves into the open fifth spot.

The Marlins – Detroit’s Opening Day opponent – went 71-91 last season and finished third in the NL East.

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LAST UPDATED: WED, FEBRUARY 17, 2016, 03:10 EST

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2016

TEAM PLAYER TRANSACTION

Houston Astros Evan Gattis Signed, ( 2016; Opt 2017)(avoids arbitration)

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2016

TEAM PLAYER TRANSACTION

Colorado Rockies Chris Nelson Signed to a Minor League Contract

Detroit Tigers Luke Carlin Signed to a Minor League Contract

Kansas City Royals Clayton Mortensen Signed to a Minor League Contract

San Diego Padres Scott Snodgress Signed to a Minor League Contract

Washington Nationals Sean Burnett Signed to a Minor League Contract

Washington Nationals Scott Sizemore Signed to a Minor League Contract

Washington Nationals Reed Johnson Signed to a Minor League Contract

Washington Nationals Neftali Soto Signed to a Minor League Contract

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2016

TEAM PLAYER TRANSACTION

Texas Rangers Ike Davis Signed to a Minor League Contract

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