“You know, I knew that there were a lot of guys in the clubhouse that were unhappy with his antics, and kind of some things that were going on”, said Castellanos, who included Rondon’s disinterest in throwing hard in recent non-save situations – “That just doesn’t look very good.” – among those antics.
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He pitched a scoreless inning in the nightcap Monday, again with his fastball averaging 93 miles per hour . Only one was higher than 94 miles per hour.
Many believed that Rondon was the future for the Tigers at the backend of the bullpen.
The Detroit Tigers have banished rookie closer Bruce Rondon from the team for the remainder of the 2015 season – citing “lack of effort”.
“Other than saying that [general manager] Al Avila and myself completely agreed on it, there will be no other details or comment”, added Ausmus in the ESPN report.
Ausmus declined to elaborate on the move, shutting down questions about whether it was baseball-related and when the decision was made.
“Brad and I met and we agreed that the course of action was best for Bruce and the club“, Avila told ESPN via text message Tuesday afternoon. Feliz has experience closing with the Texas Rangers, but if he is to close with the Detroit Tigers organization it should be with the Toledo Mud Hens. Rondon has appeared in 35 games, while tossing 31.0 innings of work. Wilson has been one of the few bright spots with this team, sporting a 2.22 ERA and filling whatever role the Tigers have needed him for, whether it be middle reliever, closer, or starter.
It also noted that Rondon was not able to participate in any game during the 2014 season because he underwent a Tommy John surgery. If he doesn’t get his act together GM Al Avila should not hesitate to show Rondon to the door and end his career with the Detroit Tigers. Perhaps a public shaming, the likes of which we have not seen from the Tigers in a long time, will show him the error of his ways. The 24-year-old will continue to improve with his ability to become a lock-down closer.
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Castellnos said he walked in and saw Rondon’s locker being packed up, but that was the extent of his surprise.
