Less than a week ago Detroit Tigers manager told the media that starting pitcher Michael Fulmer “took a step back to refine his lower-body mechanics. We have no timetable on when he’s going to get back on the mound.” After undergoing his third right meniscus surgery last season, Fulmer seemed to be laboring on the mound throughout Spring Training thus far in 2019. Through three starts he had been rocked for 7 earned runs over 8.0 innings, posting a 7.88 ERA to go along with a .314BAA and 1.88WHIP. According to pitching coach Rick Anderson, Fulmer was relearning how to pitch yet again, this time with a knee brace on. Upon observation it seemed as though Fulmer was not getting much drive off the mouth, causing the dip in fastball velocity from 96MPH in 2018 to just around 92MPH this spring training.
The Detroit Tigers made a media announcement on Tuesday (3/19) stating that Fulmer could miss the entirety of the 2019 season. He had apparently reported feeling soreness in his right elbow after finishing a bullpen session and went for an MRI. With the results of the MRI and a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews, it has been recommended that Fulmer undergo Tommy John surgery.
With this news, there is now a hole in the Tigers starting rotation for the 2019 season; the team must now look to possible pitchers to replace him if he were to have the surgery. Luckily there are a couple of pitchers within the system and still pitchers out on the free agent marker that the Tigers could look to use.
In House:
Daniel Norris
Spencer Turnbull
On the Market:
James Shields
Chris Tillman
Daniel Norris is still under contract for the 2019 season at $1.275 million. My patience is running thin with Norris; he is out of chances in my opinion. However, he is a left-handed starter who could help to round out the rotation. When the Tigers acquired Norris he was supposed to be the centerpiece of the deal and he hasn’t panned out to this point. He’s having yet another rough spring posting a 5.06 ERA with a .304BAA and 1.88WHIP while walking 6 and giving up 4 long balls. Norris just can’t seem to put it all together to be a mainstay in an MLB rotation, let alone stay healthy for an entire season.
The other player within the pipelines of the Detroit Tigers organization is Spencer Turnbull, who has put together a nice spring thus far. Across four appearances covering 10 innings Turnbull has recorded 8 strikeouts while only surrender 1 base on balls and posting a 1.10WHIP. Despite having a 4-10 record at Double-A Erie over two seasons, he’s surrendered only 5 homeruns in 119 innings of work, while averaging over 1 strikeout per inning; collecting 127 in the span. Turnbull is currently the No. 30 Top Prospect in the Tigers system. The scouts believe that he can be a successful starter if he stays healthy. The young arm has the ability to hit 96MPH with his fastball and accompany it with heavy sinking action; leading to a high groundball percentage. On top of his heavy sinking fastball, Turnbull also has a slider, curve and changeup but is still working on his command. He has the ability to throw strikes consistently and has an ETA of the 2019 season according to the Prospect Watch on Detroit Tigers website.
Free Agent James Shields could also be a nice fit for the Tigers in 2019. His 2019 contract option was bought out by the Chicago White Sox sending him to the free agent market. It is possible that general manager Al Avila could look to sign a cheap 1-year contact with the veteran starter ranging in the $2-$4 million range. Shields posted 10+ wins from 2007-2015 while setting his career high with 16 in 2011. The veteran is also capable of eating innings, having thrown 200+ in 10 of his 13 year career; this would also likely give the team 25+ starts over the course of the season. I could see Shields being a little bit of a reclamation project if he were to be signed; he’s struggled each of the last three seasons, likely leading to the contract buy out by the White Sox.
Finally, starting pitcher Chris Tillman still sits on the free agent market as well. Over the course of his 10 year career he is 14 games over the .500 mark (74-60), all with the Baltimore Orioles. One major downfall would be that Tillman has only thrown 150+ innings in 4 of those 10 seasons; which were also the only seasons he started 30+ games. The former 2013 All Star could be a bargain on a 1-year contract if he were able to stay healthy and put together an entire season of work for the club.
So what do you think DSA Nation? Could one of these four be the answer for the 2019 season? Do you think there is a better option? What would you do?