The Arms Dealers

At this point last year, the Tigers were staring down the fact that Mike Maroth and Chad Durbin were the back end of the rotation. How things have changed. Maroth has morphed into Dontrelle Willis and Durbin changes into Nate Robertson. That's what the addition of Willis and the health of Kenny Rogers has done for a rotation that, at times last year, really struggled (aside from the consistency of Justin Verlander).

In 2006, the strength of the team was definitely the pitching staff. In 2007, the lineup was probably the best one in baseball. 2008? Both are looking extremely formidable. The ace of the staff is once again Justin Verlander, who has quickly developed into one of the best young arms in the MLB. Following him is Jeremy Bonderman, who is probably the biggest headache for Detroit fans. After those two come Rogers, Willis, and Roberston. Let's give them all a look, shall we?

Justin Verlander- Justin made the leap last year, going from Rookie of the Year to top-of-the-line ace. He's one of those guys that you do your best to get down to the park or to the TV to watch pitch because anything is possible. He no-hit the Brewers last year and ended up racking up 18 wins. With a solid pen backing him up, there's no doubt he would have had 20 wins. I'm fully expecting him to reach that milestone this year- it may be a high expectation but this kid deserves it.

Jeremy Bonderman-Bondo literally gives me headaches. If he could start the game in the second inning, he might not allow a run all season. If he would sit when he was hurt instead of doing his best to pitch through it, he might have won more than one game after the All-Star break. Jeremy might be the key to the whole pitching staff- he can develop his change-up, push away the mental block that he has in the first inning, and stay healthy for a full season, he could follow in Verlander's footsteps to making the leap. Of course, everyone needs to remember that he is still a kid: he's been around forever but he's only 25. The key for Bonderman is simply staying healthy. Like Leyland says, he could go from being simply a good major league pitcher to a great one if he can just produce consistently for a full season.

Kenny Rogers- Kenny is healthy, determined, and ready to go by all accounts. I read an article in the News a few weeks ago about how after missing a line drive in a game, Rogers went to one of the practice fields in Lakeland and worked on fielding from the mound until he was satisfied. That's what I love about the guy- he demands perfection from himself and instills that same need in his teammates. With all the young guys in this rotation, he really is one of the best guys to possibly have around to nurture them. It'd be great if Kenny could win upwards of 15 games this year (and he could), but what he gives the team off the field makes his on-field contributions simply an added bonus.

Dontrelle Willis- I honestly cannot believe that I'm writing him into the Tigers' rotation. Here's one of my favorite players in the league, if only because of the way he seems to play the game with such love and passion. To have a guy like this on the roster of the team I watch every day? It's a dream come true. Dontrelle had a down year last year and had been up and down periodically with the Marlins, but something tells me that coming to Detroit will take a lot of the pressure off of him and allow him to loosen up and just pitch. Not to mention the bats he's going to have scoring runs for him. I just love that this team is deep enough that someone who could be an ace or a two starter any where else in the league, and won 22 games just three seasons ago, is in the fourth spot here in Detroit. I'm not saying that the Tigers are stacked, but I'm just saying ...

Nate Robertson- Everyone's favorite gum chewer gets stuck with the five spot in the rotation, which is amazing considering that (like Willis) any where else in the league, he's definitely a top three starter. Last year, I really felt bad for Nate because, other than Verlander, he was probably the most consistent pitcher for the Tigers down the stretch. However, his record won't reflect that because, not only did he not get the run support that other Tiger starters enjoyed, but he probably had the bullpen blow more of his games than anybody else. If Nate stays healthy and doesn't have the rough time that he had in the middle of the season last year, he's probably going to be the best fifth starter in the league, hands down.

An argument could be made that this is the best rotation in the league on paper. I'd be in support of that, if a few conditionals go the Tigers way. Barring injury, the pitching dominance that we watched two seasons ago from the starting rotation has a very good chance of making itself seen again. I think a really big part of the potential for these guys is the fact that there was no World Series run last year- everyone has another month of rest under their belts. I really think that this could be the difference between missing the playoffs and another deep playoff run, and hopefully it is.