MLB Prospect Watch

Rondon Back in Detroit, Not as Closer

After essentially being handed the Tigers closer's role before spring training, Bruce Rondon was unable to snag the de fact title in March and was sent down to Triple-A Toledo to get his command under control.  Now, Rondon is back in Detroit, taking the place of the injured Octavio Dotel in the Tigers bullpen, according to Jason Beck of MLB.com.  In a related topic, Beck also reports that the Tigers have also re-signed last year's closer Jose Valverde to a major league contract, and they plan to immediately use him as their closer.

For Rondon, this means a chance to work in the big leagues in low-leverage situations, at least for the time being.  The biggest knock on Rondon, who has 100-plus-mph stuff, has been his ability to throw strikes, averaging 4.4 BB/9 last season and 7.6 the year prior to that.  In his brief time in Triple-A this year, however, Rondon walked just two batters in 7 2/3 innings, a marked improvement.

It remains to be seen, of course, how he handles major league hitters, but he will now get that opportunity, and will do so without the pressure that comes with holding a lead in the ninth inning.  That opportunity may present itself to Rondon once he gets his feet wet, if he proves to be the Tigers best reliever, something he is wholly capable of, talent-wise.  There is a reason, after all, that the Tigers waited until now to re-sign Valverde, and only a portion of that has anything to do with Rondon's presence in the organization.

The Tigers don't know what they will get out of Valverde, but they know they need more talent in their bullpen in any way, shape or form.  Valverde has proved to be effective in the past, and Rondon is clearly talented.  The question for Rondon will be whether or not he can effectively use that talent against major league hitters.

If he proves himself, and Valverde proves to be closer to the version of himself that the Tigers chose not to re-sign, then there's no reason that Rondon can't be the Tigers closer by playoff time.  There's a lot that has to happen between now and then, however, and electing to give him some major league experience in the 6th and 7th innings is a good plan by the Tigers.

Prospect Action: 4/21/12

Triple-A

• Jurickson Profar hit a grand slam on Sunday, says Jake Seiner of MiLB.com, just the second of the season for the Rangers top prospect.  Profar has, however, continued to control the strike zone at the Triple-A level, drawing 10 walks in 13 games against 13 strike outs.
• Kyle Gibson continues to alternate strong starts with poor ones.  This time out, he struggled, allowing three runs in five innings while walking four.
• Despite his struggles this spring, Bruce Rondon is pitching well in Triple-A, recording his third save of the season on Sunday.  The Tigers reliever has yet to allow an earned run on the season and has walked just two batters in 7 2/3 innings.
• Gerrit Cole managed to throw four scoreless innings despite walking five and striking out just two in the outing.  It's the second time this season that the Pirates top prospect has had to leave a start early because of a high pitch count.

Double-A

• Braves lefty Alex Wood threw seven scoreless innings on Sunday, writes Danny Wild of MiLB.com.  Wood now has a 1.12 ERA over his first three starts, with 17 strike outs in 16 innings and just a pair of walks.
• Kevin Gausman wasn't great again, allowing three runs (just one earned) in five innings in his latest start.  The Orioles' 2012 first-rounder has allowed at least three runs in three of his four starts, including six each in two of them, but has struck out 21 batters in as many innings.
• Dodgers lefty Chris Reed tossed seven scoreless innings on Sunday, lowering his ERA to 3.13 on the season.  Reed's strike out rate has dropped to just 5.48 K/9 this season, but he's also lowered his BB/9 rate to a career low 2.74 in the early going this season.

High-A

• Miguel Sano hit a home run on Sunday, his sixth of the season, but was ejected while rounding the bases for taunting the opposing team, notes Ashley Marshall of MiLB.com.  The Twins top prospect his hitting .375/.438/.734 on the season and likely won't be in the Florida State League for long.
• Robbie Ray struck out 10 batters in six innings of work, but the Nationals lefty also walked four batters in the outing, says Luke Erickson of NationalsProspects.com.
• Perci Garner continues to pitch well, but the Phillies right-hander had to navigate around four walks in six scoreless innings.
• After a slow start, Alen Hanson broke out with a 4-for-5 game on Sunday to bring his batting average up to .242 on the season.

Low-A

• Bubba Starling blasted his second home run of the season as part of a 2-for-5 day that saw the Royals prospect raise his batting average to .156 on the season.  Starling has struggled to make contact in his first taste of full-season ball, striking out 26 times in his first 18 games.
• Josh Bell also hit his second home run of the season as part of a 4-hit day and is now hitting .288/.325/.493 on the season.
• Carlos Correa, last year's top overall draft pick by the Houston Astros, hit a pair of home runs on Sunday as part of a three-hit day and his first multi-homer game of his professional career.

International League Preview

Buffalo (TOR)

Instead of getting to watch Travis d'Arnaud, Buffalo fans will get Anthony Gose, who returns to Triple-A.  He can be very exciting to watch, but the reason he's back there is to work on hitting lefties.

Charlotte (CWS)

Simon Castro, Andre Rienzo, and Charlie Leesman make for an interesting rotation, and Jared Mitchell can be exciting in the outfield.  Trayce Thompson will provide some power, but will have to cut down on the swins and misses if he wants to be able to use it in the majors.

Columbus (CLE)

Perhaps no prospect in the IL will be more polarizing than Trevor Bauer, who is working on new mechanics.  How much time he spends in Columbus will depend on how well he takes to the changes.

Durham (TB)

The Bulls feature a starting rotation that may actually be better than some of the bottom-end major league rotations, including prospects Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, Mike Montgomery, and Alex Colome.  They also feature Wil Myers in the outfield, one of the best hitting prospects in the minors, and former first overall pick Tim Beckham.

Gwinett (ATL)

Despite graduations to the majors and trades, the Braves still have some talent in Triple-A.  Former first-rounder Sean Gilmartin headlines the rotation while Joey Terdoslavich should be the team's most potent hitter while learning to play the outfield.

Indianapolis (PIT)

The best player in the IL, and certainly the best pitcher, should be Gerrit Cole, who won't be in the league too long after Memorial Day.  Tony Sanchez will get one more chance to prove he's more than a backup catcher and Kyle McPherson will stay ready for when the Pirates need pitching depth in the majors.

Lehigh Valley (PHI)

Darin Ruf will try to back up his breakout 2012 season while also trying to learn how to play a non-disastrous outfield.  Ethan Martin has an exciting arm and will try to stick as a starter, and Tommy Joseph has leaped over Sebastian Valle on the organizational depth chart behind the plate.  Plus they have video game urinals in the men's rooms.

Louisville Bats (CIN)

The Reds say that Billy Hamilton will spend the entire season in Louisville so he can learn the nuances of center field, but we'll all believe it when we see it.  Tony Cingrani will work as a starter in the minors, but he'll get called up to bolster the Reds bullpen at some point in the season.

Norfolk (BAL)

This team is all about Jonathan Schoop for the time being, at least until Dylan Bundy gets promoted and Shoop gets overshadowed within his own organization once again.

Pawtucket (BOS)

Allen Webster would have been the talk of Red Sox spring training had it not been for Jackie Bradley, and he should be the talk of Pawtucket with his power arm.  It will also be interesting to see how Bryce Brentz comes back from shooting himself in the leg, literally.

Rochester (MIN)

Kyle Gibson will get his arm in shape and work on regain his command post-Tommy John surgery until he gets the call from the Twins.  Oswaldo Arcia is a talented but still raw outfielder who factors into the Twins rebuilding plans.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (NYY)

Beware of errant fastballs from Dellin Betances, who returns to Triple-A after a disastrous stretch there last season.  Melky Mesa was in the running to fill in for Curtis Granderson but needs to refine his offensive game.

Syracuse (WAS)

No Bryce Harpers heading north this year, but the Nationals did get Rule V draft picks Danny Rosenbaum and Jeff Kobernus back, so yeah.

Toledo (DET)

I give Nick Castellanos a hard time, but he's still the Tigers best prospect.  He'll be working on his outfield defense.  Bruce Rondon will be closing games for the Mud Hens and working on his command in hopes he can close games in the majors this fall.

Tigers Cut Bruce Rondon

The Detroit Tigers have cut rookie closer Bruce Rondon, according to Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk.com.  Instead, they will operate with a closer by committee.

For the Tigers, this is an anti-Mike Trout move.  In 2012, the Angels just missed the post-season while seeing MVP candidate Mike Trout spend the month of April in the minors.  Did this make the only difference?  Of course not, and too much has been made declaring Trout's time in the minors as the sole reason the Angels missed the playoffs.  But it didn't help, and it's caused a shift of opinion among many when it comes to whether or not rookies should begin the season in the majors.

The Tigers are taking the opposite approach with Rondon.  They anointed him as the temporary closer at the beginning of the spring, with the caveat of seeing how he pitched in spring training.  He did not pitch well, and the Tigers have decided that they will be better with him figuring things out in Triple-A rather than struggling in the majors and potentially costing them wins.  If Trout had struggled in April, it wouldn't have been nearly as claring as a rookie closer struggling and directly costing a team wins it thinks it has put away.

Rondon's struggles this spring were attributed to his lack of command and his control, but his issues weren't any worse than his minor league numbers.  Rondon walked seven batters in 11 2/3 innings (5.4 BB/9) which is too high, but is also on par with his career rate of 5.1.  The general consensus is that when Rondon can limit the walks, he'll dominate, and the Tigers were hoping he made that adjustment this spring.  He didn't, and he's in the minors.

Sometimes these decisions make themselves.

The Tigers have the pieces in place to get by with a committee for a little while.  Joaquin Benoit and Phil Coke are both quality late-inning relievers, and if used in the proper match-ups, can be as effective as many closers.  The move weakens their middle relief, but outside of the closer's role, the Tigers bullpen is actually an area of strength.

For those wondering when they'll see Rondon again, its very simple - when he gets the walks down.  Rondon is going to be in the majors at some point this season, and the Tigers hope here is that he can continue to work on his mechanical adjustments from spring training during the first month in Toledo.  There's no doubt the Tigers are eyeing an early-season call-up (barring a trade for a "proven closer"), and if Rondon has success early in the season, he could be up and at the back of the Tigers major league bullpen in a month.

Prospect Spring Training Action - Rondon, Gattis, Wheeler, Rosenthal, Wacha

• Apparent Tigers closer Bruce Rondon made his spring debut on Saturday, giving up a walk and a hit in a scoreless inning of work, notes John Lowe of The Detroit Free Press.  It should be noted that Rondon threw exclusively fastballs in the outing, a standard practice early in spring training, especially for relievers.
• Evan Gattis homered and doubled in the Braves first spring game on Saturday, says Mark Bowman of MLB.com.  Gattis, a former catcher, is playing some first base and outfield this spring and could be a part of the Braves bench.  He has good power from the right side and his versatility, including being able to serve as the team's third catcher, could be the deciding factor.  With left-handed hitters at first base and right field and the sporadic inter-league schedule this season creating opportunities for a DH all season, Gattis should be able to find plenty of at-bats if he makes the Braves roster this spring.
• In his Mets spring debut, top prospect Zack Wheeler struck out two batters in as many innings in an outing that in no way increases his chances of making the big league roster out of spring training, reports Kristie Ackert of The NY Daily News.  The Mets have expressed their intention of sending Wheeler down to Triple-A to begin the season and it appears that his performance this spring will do nothing to chance that.
• The Cardinals got mixed reviews from two of their top pitching prospects, as Trevor Rosenthal got hit hard while trying to overthrow but 2012 first round pick Michael Wacha dominated in his two inning spring debut, according to Rick Hummel of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Wacha threw 19 of 22 pitches for strikes and was very effective while Rosenthal allowed four runs in his two innings.