Pitching Staff Grades

A few days ago,I started grading the Detroit Tigers based on the entire season. Now I am going to finish that by grading the pitching staff.

Nate Robertson B
This guy had a very good first half to the season going 9-4. The second half of the season he didn't play as good but he still ended up with a nice 12-10 record. Nate had a decent 4.90 ERA along with 155 strikouts. Next season we should see if this guy is for real or not.

Jamie Walker B
Walker had a good year as a reliever for the Tigers. He went 3-4, had a 3.20 ERA, and also had 53 strikouts in just 64 innings pitched.

Jeremy Bonderman B-
At the halfway point of the season, Bonderman wasn't doing very good. He was 5-7 and his ERA was near 6. Bonderman turned it around and finished the season great. He ended up with a 11-13 record while lowering is ERA a full run per game. He also had a team high 168 strikeouts in 184 innings pitched. Another good stat was his 2 comeplete games and 2 shutouts.

Ugueth Urbina B-
The Tigers signed Urbina in the offseason to be their closer. He did a fairly good job, saving 21 games out of 24 chances. He went 4-6 with a 4.50 ERA. His strikeout ratio was very high(56k's in 54 innings).

Gary Knotts B-
Knotts started the season very good but down the stretch he faltered a bit. He ended up with a decent 7-6 record but he had a high 5.25 ERA. This is another pitcher for the Tigers who has some nice potential.

Mike Maroth C+
After going a terrible 9-21 last season, Mike Maroth regained some respectability this season. He finished with a 11-13 record and a solid 4.31 ERA. I expect him to have an even better season next year.

Esteban Yan C+-Yan did decent in the 87 innings he pitched in. He strukeout 69 batters, went 3-6, and had a 3.83 ERA.

Wilfredo Ledezma C+
This is another young,talented reliever for the Tigers. Ledezma went 4-3 with a 4.39 ERA.

Al Levine C
Levine had a decent season for the Tigers. This reliever went 3-4 with a 4.58 ERA.

Jason Johnson D
The Tigers brought in Johnson to anchor this young pitching staff. He didn't do what he was supposed to,finishing the season with a terrible 8-15 record. He really got worse as the season progressed. I wouldn't be suprised if he isn't with the Tigers next season.

Note:I only graded players who pitched in 50 or more innings.

Final Thoughts:The Tigers pitching staff really was their weakness this season. They are young and inexperienced. I don't think some of the veteran pitchers did as good as they should have. Detroit finished 18 games under 500 this year and if their pitching staff would have done better, I think they could have been closer to 500. The pitcher that impressed me the most for the second half of the season was Jeremy Bonderman. He really picked it up near the end of the season. Here is what Roar of the Tigers said about Bonderman.

Bonderman has put up a 3.70 ERA since the All-Star Break. Even more impressive, over his past eight starts he went 5-3 with a 2.33 ERA. On the year he dominated batters, striking out 168 while walking just 73.

The Tigers going into next season will probably need to get an allstar caliber pitcher to help them out. Some of these young guns look good for Detroit but some of them may be a few years away, if ever. The Tigers must be at least 500 next year and if the pitching staff isn't better next season, I don't think that will happen.