Bruce Rondon RUMORS & NEWS

Detroit Free Press "The Tigers love power arms. It’s why they still love Bruce Rondon. The Tigers have a pitching staff capable of shattering records for strikeouts. When you have guys who can make batters regularly miss on two-strike pitches, you cherish them. You offer them a little longer leash. But..." May 02

Detroit News "Bruce Rondon's debut in Detroit is on hold. Not because of anything that happened. Because rain postponed Tuesday's game against the Royals at Comerica Park. Game 1 of the series is today. Still, the reliever will get an opportunity — maybe as early as tonight — to show his worth as the..." April 24

Detroit News "Bruce Rondon's three-week apprenticeship at Triple A Toledo ended Tuesday when the Tigers summoned their hard-throwing rookie right-handed reliever ahead of Tuesday night's game against the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park. Rondon will replace right-handed reliever Octavio Dotel, who has..." April 23

Fox Sports Detroit "Tigers manager Jim Leyland is tired of talking about Bruce Rondon, even though Leyland knows he has to make a decision soon. Rondon probably can't do anything without feeling he's under a microscope these days. Pitching on the second of back-to-back days, Rondon allowed two runs on two hits,..." March 28

MLB.com "The Tigers will open the season with a closer by committee. It just won't include their closer of the future. Detroit set its pitching staff Thursday morning by optioning hard-throwing prospect Bruce Rondon to Triple-A Toledo, along with long reliever Luis Marte. With that, the seven-man..." March 28

Detroit Free Press "The Detroit Tigers today optioned relief pitchers Bruce Rondon and Luis Marte to Triple-A Toledo, paring their roster to 26 players. Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said the team will go with a closer by committee to start the season. The committee could include Octavio Dotel, Al..." March 28

Detroit Free Press "Bruce Rondon had his best outing of the spring. The Tigers rookie reliever threw 12 pitches, eight for strikes, in the ninth inning of a 9-1 win over the New York Mets at Tradition Field on Thursday. "He was a little better," manager Jim Leyland said. "He threw some swing-and-miss breaking..." March 15

Detroit News "Pitching was Tuesday's topic as Jim Leyland leased the visiting manager's office at Bright House Field, where the Tigers thrashed the Phillies, 10-6. Starting pitching. Relief pitching. Depth. Numbers. Decisions. Leyland spoke first of the baby-steps approach with closer candidate Bruce..." March 13

Detroit News "Last time out, Bruce Rondon fired one fastball after another. This time out, he mixed in a half-dozen off-speed pitches. Each time, the results were good — plenty encouraging for a Tigers team still trying to figure out who's going to close games for them in 2013. "We want him to use all..." March 12

Michigan Live "Bruce Rondon struggled in his most recent outing. His next outing is being delayed by a couple days. Rondon will work on mechanical issues in a side session Wednesday. Detroit Tigers pitching coach Jeff Jones said Monday morning that Rondon is likely to pitch Friday against the New York..." March 04

CBSSports.com "The Tigers may not have a closer issue yet, but they could be working toward one if hard-throwing 22-year-old Bruce Rondon doesn't find the strike zone. There have been hints out of Tigers camp that longtime manager Jim Leyland is concerned about the current closer situation. However, Tigers..." March 04

Detroit Free Press "After his latest bout of control trouble Sunday, prospective Detroit Tigers closer Bruce Rondon will skip his next exhibition outing and instead throw a session in the bullpen to work on his mechanics. "We saw a couple of things on tape that he is doing differently than last year," pitching..." March 04

Detroit Free Press "Potential Detroit Tigers closer Bruce Rondon gave up his first run in three spring training outings today. Entering for the fifth, he allowed a leadoff single to Justin Turner. Rondon retired the next two hitters, then -- with the runner on third -- did something that usually is a bad idea for..." March 02

Detroit News "Yes, it was daring of the normally buttoned-down Dave Dombrowski to be so bold. He expected a 22-year-old kid minus a lick of big-league experience to dash from the Tigers bullpen and become his team's closer in 2013. Dombrowski decided last autumn, after Jose Valverde had blown to pieces..." March 02

Detroit News "He'll correct it every time. And so far, he has. Whenever Jim Leyland believes the cart is being put before the horse this spring — which usually coincides with someone referring to Bruce Rondon as the closer — the Tigers manager sets the record straight. "I don't know who you are talking..." February 27

Detroit Free Press "For perspective on pitching, Buck Martinez is a good man to talk to. He caught more than 1,000 games in the big leagues. He managed the Blue Jays. And for more than two decades, Martinez has dispensed his insight on telecasts in the U.S. and Canada. On Saturday, he did the Toronto telecast..." February 24

Detroit News "Fast. That's how Bruce Rondon looked in his first outing of the spring on Saturday — pitching a scoreless, but eventful fifth inning in the Tigers' 10-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Marchant Stadium. "He threw some fastballs I didn't see, but they somehow ended up in my glove," catcher..." February 24

Detroit Free Press "Bruce Rondon passed his first minor test of spring training Sunday afternoon in his quest to become the Tigers' closer. Throwing against batters for the first time, facing his first dose of pressure, Rondon didn't appear nervous. He didn't look overwhelmed. He stayed around the strike zone and..." February 18

Detroit News "Few, if any, Tigers fans wanted to see Jose Valverde in the Old English D after his repeated implosions during the 2012 playoffs. Forget watching him close the ninth inning. Nobody wanted to see him pitching in the eighth, seventh sixth or fifth innings, either. No lead was too big to be..." February 18

Detroit News "He threw hard, but not his hardest. He threw well, but it's far too early for him to be at his best. Bruce Rondon, the right-hander who hasn't been named the Tigers' closer yet but will be given an excellent chance to win the job, faced hitters in batting practice for the first time this..." February 18

Detroit Free Press "Bruce Rondon, the rookie pitcher with the golden arm, stood in the Tigers' clubhouse. "What's the fastest you have ever thrown?" I asked. "Here in Florida, 104," he said through a translator. This is magical, mythical territory, even if it was during a minor league game. "Can you..." February 17

Bless You Boys "This story probably carries the most weight of the spring. First off, we'd be interested in Bruce Rondon anyway. He's a 22-year-old kid who throws fire and quickly rose through the Tigers' minor-league ranks as a closer. He even made an eye-catching appearance in the Futures Game. We'd be..." February 14

Detroit News "So now the catcher has caught him — and has given his stamp of approval. It's one thing for a general manager to hope that all goes well with a new closer, especially when that closer — if, indeed, he wins the job — will be a rookie. It's another thing for a manager to feel good about the..." February 14

Detroit Free Press "There were push-downs, but no push-ups. During the Tigers' first workout of spring training Tuesday, manager Jim Leyland instructed a group of pitchers on how to field a ball -- such as a bunt -- after it had come to a stop. "Push it down into the ground," Leyland commanded, demonstrating..." February 13

Michigan Live "For the next seven weeks, Detroit Tigers fans will analyze every move right-hander Bruce Rondon makes. The spotlight will be focused squarely on him. But it will be at least seven weeks and one day -- Opening Day in Minneapolis -- before the rookie closer faces his first true test. Rondon can..." February 11

Detroit Free Press "General manager Dave Dombrowski addressed four of the Tigers' major issues Tuesday entering next week's start of spring training. He spoke at the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association meeting at Hockeytown Café. THE CLOSER: Bruce Rondon, a 22-year-old, 6-foot-3, 265-pound rookie with a big..." February 06