Nothing like a ninth inning implosion to rile up a fan base.  For the second time in the last two weeks, Jose Valverde allowed a home run that eventually sent the Tigers to defeat.  Closers are not supposed to do that.  That's why they are called closers.

Twitter nation responded, shall I say, "negatively" when I described Wednesday's loss as "stunning."

I was called a shill, a homer, a kiss-up and a few other choice words that are not suitable for a kid-friendly blog, for insinuating that it was surprising that Valverde gave it up.  I should have let him have it, the people told me.  

Yet, this is a team broadcast, not talk radio.  You don't need me to tell you that giving up a game-tying homer on an 0-2 pitch to Lorenzo Cain was unacceptable.  

The disappointment in my voice told the story as far as I'm concerned. But I get it, folks are frustrated.  You don't invest three hours of your day watching and not get ticked when things go south.

But that is not the issue.  The issue is, where do the Tigers go from here to fix the situation?

Most fans realize that a closer can not, and will not, be be perfect.  Just check Fernando Rodney's numbers this year.  Yet, most fans should be allowed to expect a closer to get the job done most of the time.  The problem that Valverde has, is that his leash is extremely short.  Already let go by the club once, the tolerance for failure at this point is very low.  Actually, non existant.  

It's difficult for a "bullpen by committee" to work.  In my opinion, relievers perform best when roles are defined.  Before the Tigers added Valverde to the roster, the bullpen ERA was 4.53 in the first month.  Since Valverde's arrival, the ERA is a run lower at 3.54 during that stretch.

I bring this up only to illustrated how much a defined closer allows the rest of the pen to settle into their roles, even if the closer is not getting it done.

So the question is who should close?  The Tigers are actively searching for relief help, presumably for someone that can fill the ninth inning role.

Joaquin Benoit could probably fill the role adequately, but that would pull him out of the eighth inning spot that he has mastered since his arrival three years ago.  Again, that would affect everyone else's role.

Could Bruce Rondon do it.  Maybe, but he strikes me as a guy that needs to ease into the spot by pitching late in games first and then eventually becoming the long-term answer.  He has 10 saves and a .077 ERA at Toledo and some big league time already this year.

The Tigers are clearly the class of the division and they have a chance to pull away from the pack as the summer wears on.  For as good as they are, the ninth inning needs to be addressed.  

I have a feeling the club knows that.

The Tigers used their 2013 first round selection to draft another power arm.  Jonathon Crawford, a right hander from the University of Florida, was selected with the 20th pick.

Here is the draft scouting report on Crawford courtesy of MLB.com:

There's nothing like a no-hitter at a Regional to raise your profile a bit. Truth be told, Crawford would be high on radar screens anyway with his pure stuff, though some inconsistent performances during his junior season kept him from being among the top few college pitchers on this list. He has a plus fastball that can touch 96 mph and throws a hard breaking ball to go along with it, a combination he used well for Team USA over the summer. Crawford is strong with a good delivery and arm action. As big as his stuff is, though, he will have to learn to soften it up somehow in the future. Everything he throws is hard, and the ability to change speeds more effectively will be a necessary skill to refine going forward.


Here is the link to Crawford's bio page from the University of Florida website:  Jonathon Crawford

His reputation preceded him before he even stepped near the Tigers clubhouse this spring in Lakeland.  By all accounts, those that have played with or spent any amount of time around Torii Hunter, universally speak of his top-shelf personality.

His willingness to share his time and experiences with teammates, media and fans is legend.  Until you hang around the affable Hunter for any period of time, you have no idea how much of a good guy he really is.

It is a personalty not typically born from the beginnings that Hunter experienced.

Pine Bluff, Arkansas is a rough town.  So rough it seems, that it has been labeled the most dangerous "Little Town" in America.  A city of roughly 49,000 people, violence is a way of life and the town's infrastructure has not been updated in years.

It is also Hunter's home town.

Hunter has overcome some log odds to carve out a borderline Hall of Fame career.  He already has 2,000 major league hits and is just two home runs shy of 300 for his career.  Yet, he has had plenty of challenges in life and has found a way to overcome them all.  It's really pretty simple.  He just smiles.

"I know where I come from," Hunter recently told me before before a Tigers game.  I've had family problems, my father was a drug addict, but at the same time, you would never know.  I put a smile on my face and I'm thankful for the chance to put on a major league uniform every day."

That smile has carried Hunter through a lot of tough times growing up.

"We didn't have much, a lot of times the electricity was cut off and we were hungry.  My grandmother always told me not to let anybody see you down and depressed, and I try to carry myself the right way."

Wherever he has played, Minnesota, Anaheim or even here in Detroit, Hunter has quickly earned the respect of those around him.  When the Tigers opened a three game series in Anaheim on April 19th, Hunter received a standing ovation from the Angels fans in attendance.  You don't normally see that for an opposing player.

"It was really cool," Hunter said.  The standing ovation was kind of like my grade for my time in Anaheim.  I guess it showed that the fans there appreciated the way I play the game."

It's an appreciation that Tigers fans are quickly gaining as well.

Jose Valverde took another step toward possibly returning to the major leagues by throwing two scoreless innings in Florida today.  The only caveat is that the two innings were against the Canadian junior national team.  
Valverde struck out four and allowed no walks in the perfect outing.

The Tigers bullpen has been the only issue concerning the club so far through 12 games.  Offensively, this is shaping up to be a scary lineup.  The Tigers torched a talented A's pitching staff over the weekend in taking two of three from the Athletics.

The bullpen however has been another story.  Before Sunday's game, Jim Leyland admitted that the pen has been concerning to this point.  "We're a little out of sorts, but we'll figure it out," he said.

So far, the Tigers have struggled to back up what has been a solid week and a half for the starters.  The Tigers pen has posted an ERA of 5.59 to this point and only the Houston Astros have been worse in the American League.

The lack of a true closer has not only had an effect on the ninth inning, but also a domino effect on the rest of the pen.  Joaquin Benoit had to get five outs in Saturday's win over the A's and Brayan Villarreal and Al Alburquerque have had control issues.  Villarreal has walked five in 1 2/3 innings and Alburquerque has issued four free passes in four innings.  Overall, the Tigers pen leads the A.L. in walks with 24 already this season.

The Tigers have until May 5th to decide if Valverde is the answer. At that point, he can opt out of the deal he signed shortly after opening day.

One week into the new season, it appears the top of the Tigers lineup will feature some new versatility and some added excitement.  The addition of Torii Hunter gives the Tigers an additional table setter to go with leadoff man Austin Jackson.

The new season has already given us a glimpse of how special this offense can be.  Jackson and Hunter have been exactly what Dave Dombrowski and Jim Leyland envisioned when Hunter was signed to a two year deal in the off season.

The top of the line up has clicked in large part because of Jackson's fast start, but also because of Hunter's ability to hit to right field.  We have already seen Jackson racing to third base after a Hunter base hit to right on several occasions. It has happened so often that that Hunter has been asked over and over about his ability to hit to right field this season.

"Everyone keeps asking me why I'm hitting to right field so much this year, but the truth is, I've done it all my career," he said.

Hunter's first manager in the big leagues was Tom Kelly in Minnesota, and when Hunter got to the big leagues, it became clear that he would have to hit to all fields if he wanted to remain a major leaguer.

"Early in my career I had a three hit game, all to left field, and the next day I didn't play," Hunter said.  TK made it clear that if I didn't hit the ball up the middle or the other way, I wouldn't get off the bench."

So, Hunter has kept that approach at the plate and the results have been impressive.  On Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays at Comerica Park, Hunter singled to center field in the 6th inning for his 2,000th major league hit.  An impressive milestone to be sure, but the ultimate goal this year is to facilitate the offense.

"In Minnesota, it was my job to drive in runs," Hunter said  Here, my job is to make sure the guys in the middle of the lineup eat."  So far, Hunter has done a marvelous job of putting food on the table.

As good as Hunter has been, Jackson's fast start has been equally important.  Leyland has given Jackson the green light to steal bases this season, and the skipper gets the feeling that Jackson's stolen base numbers may enjoy a jump this season.  Still, it is a risky proposition to have Jackson run.

"I've been in baseball a long time, but I do't know how to handle this," Leyland said.  Sometimes you set yourself up to have Cabrera walked."

While the risk of opening up first base to give the opposing manager an opportunity to walk Cabrera exists, Leyland does feel that a running Jackson adds a new dimension to the offense.  

It's a dimension that could kick the Tigers offense up a notch.  The Tigers have scored first in six of their first seven games.  That is a trend Leyland hopes will continue.

I should have believed my hands the minute I stepped out of the team hotel on Monday morning.  The sun was shining, the sky was clear, but the temperature was screaming, "Take a cab!"  

I declined, and it didn't take long for my hands to turn several shades of red.

I usually walk to the ballpark on the road if it's close enough, and Target Field is within 15 minutes of our hotel.  How cold can it be, I thought?  Besides, this is Opening Day and I wanted to get a feel for what the vibe was like in downtown Minneapolis.
 
Five minutes into my stroll, I realized I had made a poor choice.  Not only was it barely over 30 degrees outside, but the streets were quiet and no sign of Opening Day excitement existed.

In all fairness, the weather outside was dreadful and the Twins are not expected to contend this season.  It may be a long summer in Minneapolis.  Despite the fact that the Twins have one of the premier baseball venues in the world, the dawn of a new season was not enough to produce a sellout crowd.

The entire walk I couldn't help but to think what downtown Detroit will be like on Friday.  Bad weather and bad teams have never stopped Tigers fans from swarming downtown to celebrate a new season.  Heck, people stand in line outside Comerica Park in the of dead winter to attend TigerFest, and at that point the season is still over a month away.

As game time drew closer, I was shocked at how many seats were still empty.  The response to player introductions in Detroit is raucous and heartfelt.  Monday it was rather quiet.  Torii Hunter seemed to get a bigger response than Joe Mauer.  Torii Hunter hasn't played for the Twins since 2007.

Subpar teams can be used as an excuse in other cities, but not Detroit.  In 2004, one year after the Tigers lost 119 games, the opening day crowd at Comerica Park, was 42,121, a sellout.

Perhaps it is the fact that only a handful of teams can boast the deep baseball history and tradition that exists in Detroit.  I spent seven years broadcasting on the west coast and have witnessed opening days in many different big league ballparks, but not many produce the passion displayed by Tigers fans.

Minneapolis is a fabulous town.  Its people are friendly and its venue is second to none.   When the Tigers return home on Friday though, the Motor City will once again show the baseball world how Opening Day is done.


 

With Opening Day almost upon us, rosters are starting to take shape.  Here is a look at how I see the Central Division.

1.  Detroit--Many were surprised last season, myself included, at how the Tigers were unable to seize command of the division until the final weeks of the season.  I can't see that happening again this season.  When it is all said and done, the Tigers will be celebrating a third consecutive Central Division crown.

The Tigers starting lineup can't be matched in the division, and perhaps the entire A.L.  Austin Jackson's numbers are trending up and the addition of Torii Hunter will give the Tigers two outstanding table-setters for the best 3-4-5 in the league.  Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez will have an opportunity to drive in a ton of runs.  Just how opposing managers will navigate through the middle of the Tigers lineup is a mystery to me.

Rick Porcello and Drew Smyly both had very good springs with Porcelllo winning the five spot and Smyly adding depth to the bullpen.  Doug Fister has had some command issues this spring and Justin Verlander gave up three home runs in one of his final spring starts, but once the bell rings, I would expect the starting five to revert to their respective track records.

The bullpen is not quite as settled, and I'm not just referring to the closer.  Phil Coke, Al Alburquerque and Bruce Rondon have not been particularly sharp.  Still, there is plenty of proven big league talent to get the job done.

2.  Kansas City--I know what you're thinking.  The Royals are a trendy pick.  That may be, but they do have a lot of talent on their squad.  Dayton Moore pulled the trigger on a gutsy deal that sent top prospect Wil Myers to the Rays for James Shields and Wade Davis.  The move signals that the Royals think they are ready to win right now.  Pitching, or lack thereof, has been an issue for the Royals.  That has changed with a legitimate ace at the top of their rotation.  The additions of Ervin Santana and Wade Davis has added depth, so much so, that Luke Hochevar and Bruce Chen are listed as bullpen pieces.

A lineup loaded with good young talent is also a big plus.  Alex Gordon has finally blossomed and the infield boasts budding stars Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, Salvy Perez and Alcides Escobar.  Toss in the sweet swinging Billy Butler and there is plenty to be excited about for years to come.

The Royals established a club record in victories this spring, and while that means very little when the regular season starts, it does indicate that the team is headed in the right direction.

3.  Chicago--Chris Sale and Jake Peavy give the Sox a strong duo at the top of the rotation and power arms Addison Reed, Matt Thornton and Nate Jones anchor a potentially solid back end of the bullpen.  The Sox will miss A.J. Pierzynski both at the plate and behind it, but plenty of power remains with Paul Konerko, Adam Dunn and Dayan Viciedo.

Still, age and injuries are a concern in certain areas.  John Danks is on the D.L and Alex Rios is still a wild card.  Defense up the middle should be solid with Alexei Ramirez and Gordon Beckham and center fielder Alejandro De Aza, who also developed into a fine lead off hitter last season.

4.  Cleveland--The Indians are improved and Tribe fans are excited again.  A new manager (Terry Francona) and more power and speed with the additions of Drew Stubbs, Michael Bourn, Nick Swisher and Mark Reynolds has Cleveland talking baseball again.   Talented holdovers Michael Brantley, Jason Kipnis and Carlos Santana add to the offense.  All well and good, but their rotation is still sub par. 

Ubaldo Jimenez has not recaptured his previous dominance and Justin Masterson is just not nearly consistent enough.  Cleveland does not have a starter to match division aces like Justin Verlander, Chris Sale and James Shields.  Pitching ultimately sinks the Tribe as it has in previous seasons.

5.  Minnesota--Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau are still around, but the Twins are clearly several years away from raising any championship banners again.

The rotation has been rebuilt, but names like Worley, Pelfrey, Correia and Hendriks have to make you wonder how the Twins will survive.  They traded away two of their more valuable pieces in outfielders Denard Span and Ben Revere and Worley was one of the main pitching pieces acquired in return from the Phillies.  He will oppose Justin Verlander on opening day and he will have to be awfully good this season.

As the trading deadline approaches, Josh Willingham and Justin Morneau may be headed elsewhere.  The Twins have such a long way to go

One of the rewarding things about covering spring training in Lakeland is walking into the clubhouse and seeing Al Kaline at his locker. 

Number Six has always been willing to share his expertise and today what started out as a general conversation about outfield prospect Nick Castellanos turned into an interesting session about Al's career and what drove him to become one of the great outfielder's in the game.

One of the things Castellanos will have to master as he makes the transition to the outfield is to apply himself mentally on defense.  Kaline believes that most young players tend to concentrate on their at bats.  He was able to succeeded because he had the ability to separate the two.

Kaline was a fixture in the Tigers outfield starting at a very young age.  At 18, he broke into the big leagues and carved out a career that lasted 22 seasons before he retired at age 39.

By the time Kaline called it a career, he had played in 18 All Star games, won a batting title in 1955 at the age of 20 and won 10 gold gloves.  Those numbers landed him in the Hall of Fame in 1980.  Not bad for a high school kid from Baltimore.

The one attribute that often separates a big leaguer from a prospect that fizzles in the minor leagues is mental toughness.   Kaline had it by the truckload.  It was that mental toughness that made him a gold glove outfielder.

We've all seen the little leaguer picking dandelions in the outfield waiting for a ball to come his way.  It's no different in the big leagues, minus the dandelions.

"You have to push yourself," he said.  "You can get bored in the outfield and you have to tell yourself that the next ball is coming to me.  It's not easy because you can take your at bats out to the field with you.  The really tough individuals separate a bad at bat and their responsibilities on defense."

That mental toughness and focus is also necessary if a player has any thoughts of being a quality major league hitter.

"I used to drive to the games at Tiger Stadium with Bill Freehan and he would tell me that I wasn't a good driving partner because I never said a word the entire ride," Kaline said.  Truth was, I was thinking about that night's pitcher and how he pitched me the last time I faced him.  We'd arrive at the stadium and I wouldn't remember anything about the drive.  I's a miracle I didn't get us killed,"

Kaline had a reputation as being stoic at the ballpark and it was a reputation born from focus.

"I was always criticized because I never smiled on the field," he said.  My wife always used to ask me why I would never wave to her in the stands.  That's how focused I was."

Kaline's focus and mental toughness was also the result of a fear of embarrassing himself on the field.  So to was his decision to retire when he did, instead of prolonging his career and collecting a paycheck.

He finished his career with 399 home runs and instead of coming back for one more year to reach 400, Kaline called it quits.  "I could see that I had lost my skills and I didn't want to hang around and embarrass myself," he said.  "I never wanted to take a paycheck if I felt I didn't earn it."

It's a refreshing attitude that isn't always prevalent in today's game. 

Jim Leyland has made his opinion known on occasion.  When it comes to Alex Avila, Leyland wants his catcher to be a little more aggressive at the plate.  In other words, swing the bat.

Avila has had the highest on base percentage of any full time catcher in the American League each of the last two years.  A good part of that is his willingness to take a walk.

So, in the 7th inning of Thursday night's game against the Houston Astros in Lakeland, Avila took a hack at a 3-0 pitch and popped out to third base.  Oh well.

Regardless of whether or not he takes his manager's advice, Avila is hoping replicate his 2011 season when he was selected to represent the American League in the all star game.  Armed with a short, compact, powerful stroke, Avila hit .295 with 19 homers and 82 RBI's.  He walked at roughly the same rate last year, but his numbers dipped.

Perhaps Avila's drop off last season can be more attributed to the fact that he has played injured over the last year with a gimpy knee.  Toss in a healthy diet of mask-rattling foul tips and he has absorbed a real beating.

At the end of the season, Avila is typically so beat up that he is not usually found standing upright very often.  "I basically go from the bed to the couch and don't move the entire day," he said of his off season.  "The first three or four weeks, I'm pretty much a couch potato."

The signing of Brayan Pena will give Jim Leyland a chance to rest Avila more this season.  The good news is that Avila is in great shape this spring and feeling strong.  The depth of the Tigers line up will hing largely on Avila's numbers this season.

His bat is only half the story though.  Avila has developed into one of the top receivers in the league.  His skills behind the plate have sharpened and he does a marvelous job of leading one of the top pitching staffs in the game.

Avila has been impressed with what he has seen this spring.  "I haven't seen very many surprises," he said.  "Between our starting staff and relievers, everyone is throwing as well as we expected."

Of course one of the biggest questions in camp has been the uneven performance of rookie closer-in-waiting Bruce Rondon.  "Early on there was a lot of attention on him and he was trying to impress," Avila said.  "Once he starts to gain confidence, he can be a game changer."

As camp begins to wind down,  Avila might want to get his rest while he can.  Alex and his wife Kristina are expecting their first child in the next couple of weeks.  "It's going to be right around opening week in Detroit," he said.  "It's going to be a busy week for me."

You have no idea.

Avisail Garcia's chances of breaking camp with the big league club took a hit yesterday when the talented prospect suffered a bruised heel trying to beat out a hit at first base.

Garcia lunged at the bag, causing the injury and concern for just how long he will be out of the lineup.

Garcia was on crutches this morning and the injury is considered more than just day-to-day.  "You hope for the best because those can be lingering," Jim Leyland said in his office this morning.

The skipper reiterated that his players are taught to run through the bag, not to lunge or slide head first.  "We tell them not to jump at the bag, you don't get there any quicker," he said.

For Garcia, a young player trying to make the team, adrenaline takes over.  "That can happen when you're playing hard," Leyland added.  "It was not a smart play." 

Despite the injury, Garcia remains firmly planted on the Tigers radar. "We want him to be more aggressive at the plate, but I'm crazy about him," Leyland said.  "He's got it all.  He can play defense, he can run, now the last hurdle if finding out how much he will hit."

Garcia is hitting only .206 this spring with one homer and four RBI's, so the the next two weeks are critical.  At this point, he can only hope for a speedy recovery.  In the meantime, this should open up more looks for Rule 5 pick Jeff Kobernus.