Where are they now, and will they play?

Curtis Granderson

Yes folks, time to look at our former Tigers and ask..  will they play this year?  For some the answer is easy.. Curtis Granderson?  Absolutely.. he is doing for the Yankees what he did for us as an everyday center fielder and key part of the Yankee offense and defense. So far he is showing no signs of weakness in Spring Training with 3 home runs for the Yanks.  For others the question may not be so straight forward.  There are 8 former Tigers who are non-roster invitees for whom only a very strong Spring Training will ensure they stay in the Majors this year.  One (Zach Miner) was given a Minor League contract and hasn't pitched an inning in Spring Training.  See the "Where Are They Now?(2011)" page for the Spring Stats on these guys so far.  Another notable player, Jeremy Bonderman, after 8 years with the Tigers is still a Free Agent unsigned by ANY team with 18 days left before the start of the season.  Is his career over, or will someone pick him up?

Dontrelle Willis

Lets look at some of the surprises so far and then I'll take my shot at who will not make it on a team.  In the "surprise" category we'll have to put Dontrelle Willis' 5 and 1/3 innings so far with Cincinnati.  Striking out 6 and only walking 3.. he has managed to improve upon a shaky start with the Reds.  He's one of the 8 former Tigers trying to make a team, and will be a guy to watch.  Will he have another good outing before the cuts come next week and make a team in need of starting pitching, or will the Dontrelle control issues we are so familiar with recur and send him to the Minors?

Everett tagging Asdrubal Cabrera.

Another pair of surprises so far are Adam Everett and Gerald Laird.  Both are hitting near .400 in training so far with their respective clubs.  Laird has a job with St.Louis and not likely to be cut in the Spring, however Everett is fighting for a Major League roster spot as a shortstop with Cleveland.  He may very well make the team as a backup to Asdrubal Cabrera if he continues his unmarred fielding and torrid hitting pace this Spring.

You may also remember Andrew Miller from the 2007 Tigers, and be a happy to note he is in camp with the Red Sox this Spring.  Although not a surprise, it is nice to see this non-roster invitee to Boston doing well in his outings so far posting 5 strikeouts and no walks in 5 and 1/3 innings with the Red "Stockings" as they were formerly known.  Boston is a tough team to break into the rotation or bullpen with so we will wish him well.  If he improves upon his innings so far, although not likely to begin the season with the team, we could see him called upon later as an experienced left-handed Major Leaguer who could easily replace a faltering starter.

Nate Robinson

Are there former Tigers who are struggling?  You betcha.. judging by the Spring outings so far, there are definitely some former Tigers who are making the decision let them go look like a pretty good one.  On the mound some former struggling Tigers are Nate Robinson, Armando Galarraga, and Fernando Rodney.  All three have gotten worse as Spring training progresses.  Fortunately two of these players, Galarraga and Rodney, have Major League deals as part of the 40-man rosters of Arizona and the Los Angeles Angels respectively.  Nate Robinson, however is a non-roster invitee to Seattle competing with 4 other pitchers for 2 open spots in the Mariner's rotation and will have to get better or miss the cut next week.  Watch the "Player Trends" page for these former Tigers and see if they trend up/down or out of the picture.

Along with pitchers struggling some former Tiger hitters are getting a slow start in Spring.  Notable are fielding errors in training games by Johnny Damon, the sure-handed Placido Polanco, and even the aging Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez.  Polanco is in no danger of losing his 3rd basemen's job with Philadelphia nor is Pudge his catching job with the Nationals.  They are both hitting in the .200's so far but that will change in the 2nd half of Spring Training.  One Philly who probably will not make the cut is lefty first baseman Jeff Larish who is only hitting .143 in Spring.  Although he is hitting for power, he will not likely be starting out the season on the active roster for Philadelphia unless he starts hitting for average too.

Bonine assigned to Minors.

So who else is not going to make the cut?  As mentioned above, I wouldn't be surprised to see Nate Robinson start in the Minors for Seattle.  Zach Miner as well will start next season in the Minor leagues for Kansas City.  Galarraga will have to put together some good innings to make the cut for 1 of the 2 open starting rotation slots with Arizona, or we'll see him start in the Minor Leagues as well. Arizona is in the cellar in Spring Training, and in desperate need of starting pitching, so it won't take a lot for him to make the team.  As yet unmentioned so far are former Tigers Eddie Bonine with Philadelphia alongside Polanco and Larish, and former Mudhen Casey Fien vying for a spot with Houston.  Bonine suffered at the hands of his former team during one of his Spring outings when the Tigers roughed him up, and Philadelphia has already reassinged him to Minor League camp.  Casey Fien, a non-roster invitee with Houston, will not likely start the season in the Majors either.

Remember to keep an eye on the "Where Are They Now?" pages to watch these and other former Tigers both now and as the season unfolds.

After today's split squad games I will post the latest on the current Tigers as well as my predictions for who makes the cut and who doesn't ahead of the team announcement on Tuesday.  As always...


GO TIGERS!   ---Rob








Photo Credits:
Curtis Granderson Photo by Gene J. Puskar - Associated Press
Dontrelle Willis Photo by John T. Greilick - Detroit News
Adam Everett Photo by Robin Buckson - Detroit News
Nate Robinson Photo by Harry How - Getty Images
Eddie Bonine Photo by Al Messerschmidt - Getty Images