Bruce Rondon blows save in Venezuelan Winter League – MLB Detroit Tigers News
Detroit Tigers’ Minor League pitcher Bruce Rondon will be an extremely worried man these days. The 21-year-old, who is Tigers’ best ninth inning option, had a forgettable time on the mound for Navegantes del Magallanes of the Venezuelan Winter League as
he gave up five runs and five hits, blowing his team’s two run lead in the ninth inning.
Rondon threw a wild pitch and allowed two doubles that snapped his scoreless streak during which he made three saves. The left handed pitcher was earlier honoured with Mayoral Certificate of Merit and a plaque from Erie County Executive Barry Grossman for
throwing four pitches over 100 mph in the All Star Futures Game in July.
"I would not discount Bruce Rondon in the competition for our closer role next year," Dave Dombrowski said.
Considering his record in the Minor League, the fans have great expectations from him. He is the only Minor League pitcher who can hit 100 mph barrier on regular basis. Right after the season ended, Tigers’ General Manager Dave Dombrowski said that Rondon
is a rare talent and he is one of the favourites for closer role next year.
"The average is 99-100," said Ray Burris, pitching coach at Double-A Erie. "It's a comfortable velocity for him.”
He added, "But he'll also throw 103, and then maybe back off to 95 or 96. He'll throw that slider at 91 and his change-up at 88-89. If you look at the discrepancies in velocities, what you see is that he knows what pitching is all about. He knows when to
back off. And he knows when to get the strikeout.”
However, Rondon’s control issues could keep him out of the Tigers’ pitching rotation in the next season. He walked 26 batters in 53 innings in Class A Lakeland and Triple A Toledo during 2012.
Excluding his blown save in Venezuela, he has an incredible 0.81 ERA with five saves. Spring Training will be of great importance for the relief pitcher. If he can perform well in the Spring Training games, surely he will improve his chances of making Major
League Baseball debut.
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