Bert Blyleven

On paper the Tigers had a tremendous team going into the 2008 season. They were a popular pick to win the AL pennant. But looking good on paper is one thing and playing well on the field quite another.

Yes, Detroit had injuries that impacted its ability to compete but it also pitched poorly and its defense was not of the caliber you would expect from a team with World Series expectations. And once closer Todd Jones had his right shoulder give out in midseason, the Tigers free fall to a 74-88 mark and a last-place finish in the Central Division began.

Detroit made history but in a bad way as the Tigers became the first team to post a losing record with a payroll of at least $139 million. There is no directive from owner Mike Ilitch to reduce payroll but as general manager Dave Dombrowski goes about trying to fix what’s broke he’s not looking to throw big money at big-time free agents.

The Tigers have holes to fill at shortstop and catcher and Dombrowski must address the pitching – both the rotation and the bullpen. Detroit has hired a new pitching coach, Rick Knapp, who never pitched in the majors and has never coached in the majors. Knapp comes to the Tigers after 12 seasons as the minor league pitching coordinator for the Twins and he replaces Chuck Hernandez, who was fired after Detroit posted a 4.90 ERA, third worst in the AL.

One of Knapp’s biggest challenges will be trying to get the team’s No. 1 starter, Justin Verlander, turned around after a rocky 2008. After winning 17 games in 2006 and 18 in 2007, the 6-foot-5 right-hander slumped to 11-17 last season.

Verlander likely put too much pressure on himself to win every time out given the struggles of others in the rotation. He seemed to fall in love with his offspeed pitches and breaking balls rather than trusting a fastball that can pop the gun at 99 miles per hour. Throughout the summer what you heard about Verlander is that he needed to trust his heat more. Until that message gets through to him he’s going to continue to invite trouble out on the mound. The Tigers have to hope last year was a learning experience for the 25-year-old with the lesson being to trust his fastball more and get better control of it because that sets up his other pitches.

The Tigers most effective starter last season was Armando Galarraga, which was more than a bit surprising because ever since being signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Montreal Expos in 1998, the right-hander has toiled in the minors. Detroit called him up from Toledo on April 16 and he went 13-7 with a 3.73 ERA.

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Galarraga isn’t an overpowering pitcher but you can see he knows how to pitch. What helps his cause is a solid strikeout-to-walk ratio and last season he fanned 126 while walking 61. Galarraga finally got his chance and he made the most of it but now the big test is can he repeat his success of 2008 in 2009.

Beyond Verlander and Galarraga there are a bunch of question marks when looking at candidates for the rotation. And there’s enough uncertainty over what the Tigers will get from these arms that Dombrowski will be shopping for a starter or two over the winter.

Jeremy Bonderman had surgery on June 30 to repair a blood clot in his right shoulder and that ended his year after he had made just 12 starts. Prior to 2008 Bonderman started at least 28 games in every season since he broke in with the Tigers in 2003. If he’s healthy come spring training – and he has said he has every reason to believe he'll be at full strength by then – he could return to being a key contributor in the Detroit rotation.

Nate Robertson gave the Tigers quantity (28 starts) but not too much quality as his ERA ballooned to 6.35 while he posted a 7-11 record and eventually wound up in the bullpen. I don’t feel the left-hander realizes the caliber of his stuff. He changed his mechanics at midseason but most important to him is to have a game plan out on the mound. He has to establish his fastball on both sides of the plate, especially away. His outlook should be that he’s going to spring training and pitching for his future.

Robertson wasn’t the only Detroit left-hander who turned in a disappointing 2008. In December Dontrelle Willis (along with Miguel Cabrera) came to the Tigers in a deal with the Marlins. Just over a couple of weeks later the Tigers gave Willis a three-year, $29 million contract. But Willis missed a bunch of time early in the season with a right knee injury and after four starts he was sent to the minors on June 10 to work on regaining his form. When he finally did get back to Detroit in September he gave the Tigers more cause for concern posting an 8.53 ERA in three starts. His herky-jerky delivery was adjusted by the Tigers but obviously that didn’t help. He lost his release point and has to work to regain it otherwise more rough times could very well be ahead for him.

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