Starting Pitching 2008 Preview

This is Part III of my 2008 Positional Preview. Part IV on the bullpen will come next week.
Grade: B- with a B+ ceiling

Starter #1, our ace: Justin Verlander

I can count on one hand how many pitchers I would consider trading Verlander for. The first starter ever to pitch a no-hitter, make an All-Star team, start a World Series game, and win Rookie of the Year in his first two seasons, Verlander is truly one of the brightest young stars in baseball. When his breaking ball is sharp, he can be completely unhittable. The only negative thing I can say about V is that he seems to hit a wall 2/3 of the way through the season. Hopefully that trend will end in his third full season.

Starter #2, the cagey veteran: Kenny Rogers

In a dream world, Kenny Rogers would come out of the gate this year pitching like he did in his 2006 Postseason run. But reality is that the Gambler is 43 years old and is coming off an injury plagued year. When healthy, I think Rogers is very capable of controlling the game and getting us into the 7th in good shape to win the ballgame time and again. It's just that he needs to stay healthy; easier said than done. From 2002-2006, Kenny averaged around 200 innings per year. If we can get that many innings out of him this year, the Tigers will be in great shape.

Starter #3, the talented and the frustrating: Jeremy Bonderman

If you're reading this blog that is strictly about the Tigers, then you probably know by now that Jeremy Bonderman has a terrible relationship with first innings. Last year, Bonderman pitched to 128 batters in the first inning. Those 128 players hit .375 with a .442 on base percentage. That's getting yourself in trouble early. I don't know if he needs an improved changeup, a different mentality starting games, or a sports psychologist, but Bondo has way too good of stuff to have a career high of 14 wins. Maybe this is the year, at 25 years old, that Bonderman breaks through his wall and becomes the All-Star he has the talent to be.

Starter #4, the electric newcomer: Dontrelle Willis

In 2005, there was no pitcher in baseball more fun to watch than Dontrelle Willis. With his high leg kick and big flashy smile, Willis racked up 22 wins and became a MLB star. Last year Willis just wasn't the same guy in Florida. He battled forearm tightness throughout the season and didn't exactly have consistent run support. But Willis won't make excuses about his poor year. He told the Free Press, "I definitely pride myself on going out there and trying to make every start, going out there and pitching every inning. Regardless of how I feel, you're still out there and there's no excuses. I just felt not my best but I feel even if I'm 80%, 70%, I can still win ball games." Now that he's supposedly healthy, we hope to see Willis get his electric stuff back and win a lot of ball games with Detroit.

Starter #5, the veteran bulldog: Nate Robertson

Nate Robertson is not a guy that blows you away with an overpowering fastball or sharp, cutting breaking balls. He just seems to hit his spots and outwork the batters he's facing all game long. I'm a big fan of Robertson, and it's hard for me to believe that many teams have a better fifth starter than Nate. Like Willis, Robertson struggled last year with a tired arm and the Tigers definitely were hurt by his injury. He was able to pitch well and go into the 7th inning in his last four starts last year, so maybe the rest was all he needed. With even better run support this year, I expect Robertson to get back to double-digit wins in 2008.