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Miller's camping trip
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Thump, thump, thump went Mike Maroth's feet that day in early February, the day when the fresh breeze blew through Detroit like a spring wind through a dusty barn.
And as the thumping continued on the treadmill in that Orlando gym, that's when you knew things really were changing for the better several hundred miles north in Motown.
Because when the television showed a picture of Pudge Rodriguez wearing a Tigers uniform, Maroth managed to avoid, say, falling face-first off of the treadmill.
Come again? Rodriguez in Detroit? And second baseman Fernando Vina? And shortstop Carlos Guillen?
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| Mike Maroth should benefit greatly with Pudge Rodriguez behind the plate in Detroit.(AP) |
"The television was a little to the left of the treadmill," Maroth recalled the other day, chuckling. "So I didn't see specifics. But I looked up and saw that uniform with the Olde English D.
"It sure gave me a little extra to get through my run that day."
Thump, thump, thump, and now it's Maroth's heart, not his feet, that is doing the pounding in these early days of camp. As manager Alan Trammell and pitching coach Bob Cluck continually promised him last season, when he became the first major-league pitcher in more than 20 years to lose 20 or more games, things would never, ever be that bad again.
Maybe in Toronto last September, when his grandmother died one night and Maroth lost his 20th decision the next, that promise seemed hollow.
But from the perspective of a new spring, after a winter in which he became a father and his team's roster turned over dramatically, it's crystallizing into hope and excitement.
"His wife was pregnant, his grandmother died and he lost 20 games," Cluck said. "He survived all of that.
"So this year's got to be a piece of cake, right?"
Well, let's not get carried away. You don't move overnight from Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High to an Oscar for best actor.
But there's no arguing that the view from Maroth's locker is golden right now. When he looks three spaces to his right, he sees Rodriguez -- a 10-time Gold Glove catcher and the force behind Florida's shocking World Series title last year. When he glances a little further down the room, he sees Vina, a two-time Gold Glove winner, and Guillen -- the club's new double-play combination.
"After last year, I think everybody knew we needed to make changes this offseason," Maroth said. "The guys coming in really improved things.
"That was something we needed. That's a lot different than having a guy who has potential. It makes it easier to put last year behind us. It's totally different now. There's not going to be any pressure on us from last year, because this team has improved so much. And it will be a totally different team."
Last season, during the Tigers' spectacular free-fall toward 119 losses, Maroth, Nate Cornejo and Jeremy Bonderman each finished among the American League's top 11 pitchers in ground-ball-to-fly-ball ratio.
Yet many of those ground balls were wasted. The Tigers ranked dead last in the AL in fielding percentage. Losses piled up like cookies at a Girl Scout sleepover.
Particularly on a certain young left-hander.
But while the 20 losses made him a near-household name, there is ample evidence Maroth, 26, shouldn't be stuck wearing a scarlet "L" on his forehead.
The last Tiger pitcher to lose 20 games -- Mickey Lolich, who lost 21 in 1974 -- also was a 25-game winner in 1971 and a 22-game winner in 1972.
"To tell you the truth, I thought when I went home for the winter, family and friends would keep asking me about the 20 losses," Maroth said. "I was surprised when they didn't.
"But a lot of other things are going on in my life besides baseball."
Indeed, within a few breaths of season's end, a son, Nolan Everett, was born to Mike and his wife, Brooke.
"With Nolan in the picture the whole offseason, it allowed me to take my mind off of baseball and focus on family, and that's so important," Maroth said. "After the season I had last year, it would have been easy to focus on (the 20 losses) all winter."
The Tigers were so confident in both Maroth's psyche and ability that they didn't even bother checking over the winter to see whether he needed psychological counseling.
"No," Trammell said. "He's OK. If he would have needed it, or if we thought he would have needed it, we would have. But his wife was due. Twenty losses was tough at the time, but I told him and everybody else that the year we were having was going to pass."
Not only was it going to pass ...
"In the long run, it's going to make him tougher," Cluck said. "He kind of epitomizes the kind of person we want on this team. He gave us all he had last year, from opening day until the end of the season.
Maroth started 33 games in 2003. And according to research by the Elias Sports Bureau, he joined Dave Stewart as one of only two major-leaguers to lose six decisions by May 1 (Stewart did it in 1984). He also became only the second pitcher in the past 110 years -- along with Dolf Luque in 1922 -- to lose 10 decisions by June 1.
Yet, through the rainstorm -- Maroth also won two of his final three starts after his 20th defeat.
"Thinking back, I'm very proud of what I was able to accomplish," Maroth said. "Getting through the season, taking the ball every time, not backing down."
His game is control and finesse, not power. His fastball tops out at 88 mph, so he's got to spot his changeup, cut fastball and curveball if he has any chance at all. Cluck figures him for a middle-of-the-rotation guy on a good team, but points to one particular area where Maroth's ceiling is not limited.
"His character," Cluck said. "From the neck up, he's as strong as anybody in the clubhouse. His fastball is a little below average, but it's got sink. His changeup is great and his curveball is great."
And who knows? If the Tigers catch the ball better this season, Maroth's turnaround could come sooner rather than later. They've also added veteran Jason Johnson, and though Johnson might not be an ace, he has made 133 major-league starts. The plan is for Maroth to continue to develop in the shade provided by Johnson.
"He's got good stuff," said Rodriguez, who has caught Maroth in a couple of bullpen sessions this spring. "I think he can be a great pitcher. He has good control. He was just pitching with bad luck."
But bad luck must not always be permanent, and sometimes it can even form the foundation of a solid frame. Look at Tom Glavine. Sure, he's a five-time 20-game winner. Yes, he has won two Cy Young Awards. But back in 1988, Glavine wasn't known for much more than losing 17 ballgames.
The way things are aligned now, the Tigers likely will start Maroth in the season's second game, on April 6, after Johnson pitches on opening day.
The game is in Toronto ... the perfect place to scare away old ghosts.
Miller's previous camping stops: Pirates in Bradenton | Devil Rays in St. Petersburg | Blue Jays in Dunedin | Twins in Fort Myers | Red Sox in Fort Myers | Yankees in Tampa | Astros in Kissimmee | Phillies in Clearwater | Red Sox in Fort Myers
