Detroit Tigers: Bruce Rondon on the Comeback Trail

With high expectations as the future closer of the Detroit Tigers, Bruce Rondon has emerged as a setup man with a new pitch and attitude.

Before the 2013 season, Bruce Rondon was hyped as the Detroit Tigers closer of the future. A team in desperate need for a pitcher to lock down games in the ninth, they turned to the then 22-year-old to propel them towards their first World Championship since 1984. That was the plan on paper, anyway.

Featuring a high-90s fastball, he spent 2013 learning to pitch in the Majors, but never earned the trust of manager Jim Leyland. As the Tigers won the American League Central and made the ALCS, it was Jose Valverde, then Joaquin Benoit, holding the closer’s role. Rondon pitched once after September 2 and did not appear in the playoffs.

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An injury kept him out of baseball in 2014. Bouncing between Triple-A Toledo and Detroit last year, Rondon found little success. With an ability to throw fastballs past anybody, he struggled to find the strike zone and keeping the ball in the yard. In 31 innings with the Tigers, he walked 19 and surrendered three home runs. Although he fanned 36, he registered an ERA of 5.81. He struggled with attitude and maturity and blew his last two save chances. For the season, in nine save chances, he converted just five.

His numbers with Toledo were worse. In 13 appearances with the Mud Hens last year, International League hitters pounded him. Again, he struck out 14 in 12.1 innings, but allowed 16 hits, 10 earned runs while walking 6 batters. Once considered a top 10 prospect by Baseball America and MLB.com, his on-field performance and off-field attitude was hurting his progress.

With Toledo this year, the numbers improved. The ERA dropped to a better 3.74. He struck out 30 in 21.1 innings and recorded nine saves in 22 games. The control issues, however, remained. His walks-per-nine rate ballooned to 6.6. Even with three intentional passes thrown in his total of 16, it was obvious Rondon mastered the art of throwing but not pitching.

Necessity dictated another call up to the Tigers and two things changed. No longer expected to be the closer-in-waiting, he relaxed. The coaching staff encouraged him to mix a slider in with the fastball and the changes worked. Early returns show his WHIP dropped from the usual 1.6-1.8 range down to 0.571. His walks-per-nine now sits at 2.6. Coaches and teammates praise his personal growth.

Now 25, Rondon shows he is ready to take whatever role the Tigers would like. Without the pressure and expectation of becoming the closer for a team in a perpetual search for one, he can settle in and help his team win.

Although it is a small sample size, throwing seven innings in five games, his new role shows promise. If Detroit needs him to pitch more than an inning, he is doing it. The other change that is working is he may now realize he has to pitch instead of throw. What plagues so many pitchers who can throw flames and struggle at some point is pitching is more than throwing hard. If he is comfortable with the slider, his effectiveness goes through the roof.

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For both Rondon and the Tigers that is a good thing.