Jeremy Bonderman

[slugger33]

He is the only undefeated starting pitcher, he is 7-0. His next scheduled start is Wednesday vs. Washington. Will he go 8-0? Everyone is going nuts over Verlander's no-hitter, but no body seems to notice Bonderman's undefeated streak.

[Lucifer]

Cause he's been bailed out a bunch of times. Probably, vs Washington

[Captain Cold Nose]

Cause he's been bailed out a bunch of times. Probably, vs Washington

I wouldn't call it so much being bailed out as being the benefit of a very good offense who hits for him. Take his last game. Giving up all those home runs, even if they didn't hurt the team's effort, has to resonate, especially with his teammate Verlander pitching as well as he has of late.

But, hey, not bad for a guy who was deemed a mistake by the author of Moneyball.

[Lucifer]

An offense hitting well is the equivelant to being bailed out.... how else do you get bailed out? You don't pitch great and your offense puts up a lot of runs. Other than getting shelled and your team coming back after you come out of the game to give you a ND, that's gettin bailed out

[Captain Cold Nose]

An offense hitting well is the equivelant to being bailed out.... how else do you get bailed out? You don't pitch great and your offense puts up a lot of runs. Other than getting shelled and your team coming back after you come out of the game to give you a ND, that's gettin bailed out

I guess that's true, the offense does make it easy on him, but it's not like he's pitching poorly. He's not Bartolo Colon.

[Lucifer]

Well his last 2 starts weren't good. I happen to like Bonderman (he's on my fantasy team lol), so I don't mean to bash him. He has underachieved at times tho, and that's been overshadowed by run support at times

[TheDatch]

also, he needs to get to 9-0 at least to match beckett's streak so...once he does that he will definitely get more recognition.

[rdonahue]

He is the only undefeated starting pitcher, he is 7-0. His next scheduled start is Wednesday vs. Washington. Will he go 8-0? Everyone is going nuts over Verlander's no-hitter, but no body seems to notice Bonderman's undefeated streak.

Based on your other posts, you like Bonderman better than Verlander. I've got nothing against Bonderman and I think he has the stuff to be a great pitcher (that slider of his is one of the best in baseball) but he's yet to prove anything to me. His rookie year he was 6-19 for a horrendous ballclub so that's hard to judge. His ERA has gotten better every year (and it's doing that again this year) and he's still just 24.

A lot of people want to say he's one of the best pitchers in baseball (or at least worthy of that discussion) but not only has he yet to put up a Cy Young Award worthy season, he's never even put up a very good season. He's won as many as 14 games which is decent but not great. W-L isn't a great stat, but his team last year was a pretty good one so I think the W-L record is valid.

Verlander on the other hand has just 1 year of experience and that 1 season was a great year (17 wins) and borderline Cy Young Award worthy (he finished around 7th). This year Verlander is having a better season (other than the W-L record part and 8-2 is hardly bad) so I'll continue to put my faith in Justin Brooks Verlander.

Bonderman can't throw a changeup effectively and until he learns that pitch I'd rank Verlander higher.

[flash143817]

Bonderman was very unlucky with run support early in the year. He should have had some wins that didn't end up wins in April. He was 0-0 at a time that he easily could have been 4-0. He has gotten run support lately, but it's about time after early in the year.

[catbox_9]

Bonderman won today. Not his greatest game but he's 8-0.

[slugger33]

Bonderman is pitching today vs. the Rangers. Will he go 9-0?

[Gee Walker]

If he gives up two runs or less in the top of the first, the game is his.

He has an absolutely awful ERA in the first inning this year, and turns into the second coming of Dave Stieb after that. I think the Tigers should give one of the relievers the first inning to pitch, then let Bonderman start the second...

The reason I said Dave Stieb is that he and Bonderman have the most unhittable sliders that I've ever seen live at a game. I never saw Steve Carlton's except on TV, and a slider is something that really needs to be seen in 3-D.

[KCGHOST]

Bonderman is having a good season but it isn't special. Danny Haren, Chris Young, Jake Peavy, Brad Penny, etc., are all pitching much better. Getting timely run support really fuels W-L records.

[rdonahue]

For anyone that's keeping track, Bonderman trails 4-1 after 3 innings. I'm a Tigers fan but watching this game I'm once again reminded why Bonderman is not (or at least not yet) worthy of being an ace. In the 3rd inning 2 outs nobody on followed by a single, single, walk, single to score 2 runs. Then a ball was hit to him to end the inning but he threw it away for an error (he had all day to make the throw). 2 UER runs would end up scoring.

Good pitchers need to make that play and good pitchers rarely give up 4 runs after retiring the first 2 batters.

They're playing the Rangers so a 3 run defecit is no big deal (especially in the 4th) but this streak isn't as impressive as some might believe.

[rdonahue]

Bonderman is pitching today vs. the Rangers. Will he go 9-0?

Nope. He's 8-1. His numbers don't look that bad, but it wasn't that great of an outing. He was awful in the third inning tonight and they never recovered from that error. De La Cruz didn't do a very good job which made the score look a little one-sided but at one point the Tigers got it to 4-2 which would have been 2-2 if not for the Bonderman error.

[Captain Cold Nose]

Jeremy Bonderman is a solid No. 2 starter, a nice No. 3.

[rdonahue]

Jeremy Bonderman is a solid No. 2 starter, a nice No. 3.

I'm starting to think that, too. If he could learn a changeup he's got ace type stuff but he hasn't yet. He's been in this league for a while now and his change is still awful. I'm not a ML pitcher (I've never pitched at any level) but I tend to think that after this much time he'd have learned it by now if he's ever going to learn it. Being a #2/#3 starter (especially on a team like the Tigers) doesn't mean he's not a good pitcher. Heck, #2/#3 guys on great teams have put together HOF worthy careers (i.e. Glavine and Smoltz). I'm not saying we should reserve space for a Bonderman plaque in Cooperstown by any stretch of the imagination all I'm saying is that being the second or third best pitcher on the team doesn't mean his career is a failure.

On a side note, he has 53 wins (I think) and he's 24. Assuming he stays healthy, he could win a ton of ballgames by the time his career is over. The Tigers team record is barely 200 wins and if he stays in Detroit and healthy until he's 40 (that's a big if obviously) he might just get there.

[XV84]

Bonderman is good, but overrated. If he can't throw a change he can ditch it and learn a forkball or splitter. Dan Haren uses a splitter as his offspeed pitch.

Glavine and Smoltz would have been #1's if on separate teams. And Smoltz IS a #1, while Glavine and Maddux aren't anymore.

[skeletor]

Cause he's been bailed out a bunch of times. Probably, vs Washington

Always L-O-V-E- the take by jaded Yankees fans..sheesh, if the player in question A-I-N-'T a Y-A-N-K-E-E-, then some snide remark , is in order..

Believe me, there's nothing wrong with being a number 2 or 3 pitcher, especially on a good staff..and Bondo is a good number 2 or 3...a lot of
teams would DEARLY love to have him on their pitching staffs..

The NY staff, ain't much to sniff at....all that money spent, by the powers that be....Hopefully, Torre will get the staff sorted out, and the Yanks can either hope to catch the BoSox, or make it via the wild card...

As for Bondo, he'll have his ups and downs...as this season rolls on...

[STLCards2]

Bonderman is good, but overrated. If he can't throw a change he can ditch it and learn a forkball or splitter. Dan Haren uses a splitter as his offspeed pitch.

Glavine and Smoltz would have been #1's if on separate teams. And Smoltz IS a #1, while Glavine and Maddux aren't anymore.

I agree...

and don't forget in 1991-1992 (before Maddux arrived),Tom Glavine as the #1 starter of the Braves:

Won 41 games, finished 1st and 2nd in the Cy Young voting respectively, started 2 All-Star games, and led his team to two NL pennants.

[Zagi-CRO]

I don't know why, but seems to me, Verlander will be better then Bonderman.

[sturg1dj]

I don't know why, but seems to me, Verlander will be better then Bonderman.

and whats funny is that they are the same age.

the difference is Verlander went to college while Bonderman started playing in the majors at 19 years old. College probably would have helped Bondo, but hey he wasn't getting into any colleges since he barely got a diploma (I think he has a GED)

[Gee Walker]

As of Friday's most recent win vs. the Red Sox, Bonderman has finally reached the .500 mark as a pitcher, at 54-54. This is impressive considering that he doesn't turn 25 until November of this year, and that he started off as a 20-year old with a record of 6-19 and an ERA+ of 77.

Every year he's improved everything that matters... IP, ERA, and ERA+ throughout this time, WHIP (with a blip in 2005), and his K/BB ratio has improved from 1.86 as a rookie to 3.16 last year to 4.08 as of the All-Star break.

His changeup is a work in formation, but his slider is like Dave Stieb's... impossible to hit and impossible to resist.

His biggest problem is the first inning. He's Jose Lima in the first inning, and Pedro Martinez afterwards.

In the first inning... 16 IP, 17 ER, 9.56 ERA
Afterwards... 90 IP, 24 ER, 2.40 ERA

[rdonahue]

As of Friday's most recent win vs. the Red Sox, Bonderman has finally reached the .500 mark as a pitcher, at 54-54. This is impressive considering that he doesn't turn 25 until November of this year, and that he started off as a 20-year old with a record of 6-19 and an ERA+ of 77.



He was also 0-0 and 53-53. Those are the only times he's ever taken the mound at .500. In 3 starts with a non-losing career record, he's 0-2 with a no decision. By the end of this year he'll be above .500 and I doubt he'll ever dip below that again. This should also be his first 15+ win season.

[slugger33]

and whats funny is that they are the same age.

the difference is Verlander went to college while Bonderman started playing in the majors at 19 years old. College probably would have helped Bondo, but hey he wasn't getting into any colleges since he barely got a diploma (I think he has a GED)
Yeah this is true, Bonderman wasn't the best student. He is the only player ever to be drafted in his Junior year of High School. He failed his Junior year, and was drafted next year, when he was a returning Junior.

[rdonahue]

Yeah this is true, Bonderman wasn't the best student. He is the only player ever to be drafted in his Junior year of High School. He failed his Junior year, and was drafted next year, when he was a returning Junior.

I didn't know he failed his junior year. Could be. He has dyslexia so that's part of his problem.

[slugger33]

I'm not sure if it was his junior year or sophmore year he failed. I just know he failed a grade in high school. What I want to know is, he could he be on the team if he has failing grades?

[catbox_9]

Bonderman pitches another "gem" today - 5.2 IP, 8H, 4BB, 0K, and 7ER

He's got his ERA all the way up to 4.87. Barring a comeback, he'll drop to 10-7. Just think - there was talk he should be an All-Star this year...

This guy gets hyped up a lot, but I don't see it. He had a career year last year in just about every stat - 14-8, 4.08 ERA, 202 K's.

This year his first inning ERA is over a dozen.

[plask_stirlac]

He's got his ERA all the way up to 4.87. Barring a comeback, he'll drop to 10-7. Just think - there was talk he should be an All-Star this year...


Some people say "Just win, baby." and he had pitching wins. Last year he also tailed off after August. Remember that crazy game vs. Minnesota? He was dealing, but the most unusual series of events and bloops got him even while throwing hard still.

[truman]

This guy gets hyped up a lot, but I don't see it. He had a career year last year in just about every stat - 14-8, 4.08 ERA, 202 K's.


Well, to Bonderman's credit, before this season he had improved his ERA and SO/BB ratio each of his first 4 seasons. The first half of the year his ERA and other peripheral stats were all improved as well. He wasn't a near-All-Star just based on wins. His ERA was 3.48, whip around 1.20 and SO/BB was 4.08.

His hype stems alot from the fact that he started pitching regularly at the age of 20, has two +pitches in his arsenal and a high K-rate. He did no-hit the Yankees for almost 6 innings in last year's ALDS, so he has shown flashes of brilliance. He has been absolutely terrible since the ASB, but its hard to say what the cause is.
He desperately needs a 3rd pitch to go with his +Fastball and +Slider. His change-up that he started throwing this year has been very ineffective. Some attribute his lack of consistency (including horrible 1st innings) to his "mental makeup" or whatever you want to call it. That's an analysis that's hard to make as a casual observer, but its certainly possible.
At the age of 24, he still has time to prove himself, though its looking like he won't be the #1 ace that some had hoped. But I still expect him to be a solid starting pitcher and even occasional all-star in the future.