Over the last few weeks of spring training, I’ll be writing about the storylines that I think will be most interesting, or at least most vital to the team’s success. The first subject will be pitching coach Chuck Hernandez and how he sets the tone with Tiger pitchers and throughout the organization.

One of the least reported on changes this past offseason has been pitching coach Chuck Hernandez. Given the youth and potential of the pitching staff the topic seems especially relevant.

In the case of Kenny Rogers, I’m not all that concerned. At age 41 he’s probably his own pitching coach anyways.

It does become much more interesting though with the other 3 veteran starters – Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson, and Mike Maroth. For those 3, especially Bonderman, the bulk of their professional instruction has come through Bob Cluck.

Cluck wasn’t afraid to have his pitchers “pitch to contact.” The thought being that instead of trying to strike everybody out, try and induce the hitter to hit the ball weakly early in the count. If you’re successful, you could pitch deeper into the game. This probably isn’t a bad gameplan if the pitcher isn’t overpowering. However, with some of the arms the Tigers have in Bonderman, Justin Verlander, and Joel Zumaya, why even give the batter a chance? For the pitchers, and Jeremy Bonderman in particular, I’m going to be watching the strikeout rates, as well as pitches per plate appearance. Will we see the pitchers trying to miss bats more often?

Even aside from specific techniques, I’m interested to see how the younger pitchers meld with their new coach. Will they be on the same page? Will the communication be there? Will Hernandez be looking to make big changes or small tweaks?

I’ll also be interested to see what happens throughout the minor league levels. To the best of my understanding, Bob Cluck set the agenda for pitching development in the minor leagues. I think in some respects you have to call it a success with the development of Verlander, Zumaya, and Jordan Tata. While the Tigers still experienced pitcher injuries, it didn’t appear to be for a lack of caution. Pitchers were shut down if they felt tenderness, and pitch counts and innings seemed to be monitored closely.

I’m not exactly sure what I’ll be looking for at the minor league levels, because I’m just not that familiar with Hernandez’s philosophies. When I researched him after he signed, I found very little about his methodologies. Jim Leyland has already stated he isn’t a big believer in pitch counts. While Leyland has the final say in games, who sets the tone throughout the organization? I’d guess it would be Hernandez.

While much has been made about Leyland’s hiring and how things will be different, I’d wager that Chuck Hernandez may have the bigger impact when it comes to directly affecting the performance of his players.

detroit tigers, baseball