Detroit Tigers: Francisco Liriano appears headed for rotation spot
By Brad Faber
The Detroit Tigers’ 2018 starting rotation appears to have now taken shape. According to reports, Francisco Liriano is the heavy favorite to win the fifth starter spot.
In late February, the Detroit Tigers signed Francisco Liriano to a one-year deal. For a rebuilding team like the Tigers, it was a low-risk move that made plenty of sense.
Initially, there was a debate as to whether he would begin the season in the starting rotation or bullpen. There now appears to be an answer to that question. According to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press, manager Ron Gardenhire has now said that he anticipates Liriano being part of the rotation, assuming he’s healthy.
Gardenhire previously managed Liriano when they were both with the Minnesota Twins. Back in 2006, Liriano went 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA and finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. Over the past couple of years, Liriano has struggled quite a bit. Since the beginning of 2016, he has posted a 5.05 ERA over 69 games (47 starts) with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, and Houston Astros. However, he is not very far removed from a solid stretch with the Pirates, when he went 35-25 with a 3.26 ERA from 2013-15.
So far this spring, Liriano has made two starts for the Tigers. He has yet to be scored upon in his five innings of work and has struck out seven.
The rest of the rotation
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Going into Spring Training, there were only a couple of sure things in the Tigers’ starting rotation. Apparently, Michael Fulmer was a no-brainer to earn one of the spots, assuming he wasn’t traded and returned healthy from elbow surgery. While Jordan Zimmermann has struggled over his first two seasons in Detroit, he still seemed like another essential lock to make the starting rotation. Mike Fiers, who signed a one-year deal back in December, also looked to be in a good position to snag a spot.
Per Fenech, Matt Boyd, who is out of minor league options, also appears likely to crack the starting rotation. While things are not yet set in stone, it seems that Daniel Norris could potentially be the odd-man out due to being caught in a numbers game.
Norris remains very talented and has shown many flashes of promise during his time in Detroit, but he struggled to the tune of a 5.31 ERA over 22 games (18 starts) last season. Norris has, however, had a decent spring, posting a 3.60 ERA over three games (one start). In addition to Norris, Ryan Carpenter and Alex Wilson have also been in the mix for a spot in the rotation this spring. Over the weekend, it was reported that Wilson would be returning to the bullpen.
Next: Nationals face a tougher National League East in 2018
It might be a tall order to expect Liriano, who is now 34 years old, to get back to being the pitcher that he once was. Obviously, durability will also be a question, as he only made 30-plus starts twice in his career. Still, it appears possible that he could turn out to be a decent back-end-of-the-rotation starter for the Detroit Tigers.