Bonine likely to start on Saturday in Willis' spot

06/11/2008 6:38 PM ET
Bonine likely to start on Saturday
Right-hander would make Major League debut in Willis' spot
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- Eddie Bonine will likely be making his Major League debut for the Tigers on Saturday in what used to be Dontrelle Willis' rotation spot.

Though the Tigers still have a TBA listed under the starting assignment for Saturday's game against the Dodgers, and Bonine is still listed as the probable starter for Triple-A Toledo on Thursday, Tigers manager Jim Leyland said there's a 90 percent chance that Bonine will be Detroit's starter on Saturday. It wasn't finalized yet, and Leyland said there's a chance that they could decide on just-arrived left-hander Casey Fossum.

Most likely, however, it appears Bonine is the guy. In that case, his unlikely rise through the farm system will take him to the big leagues.

Originally drafted by San Diego in 2003, the Tigers got Bonine as a selection in the Rule 5 Draft -- the Minor League portion of it. He had a combined 10-16 record with an ERA near 6.00 over two years in the high Class A California League, but his performance abruptly seemed to change once he jumped east to the Tigers' system in 2006.

He has proven himself at every level, starting at Class A Lakeland that year, continuing to a 14-5 record and 3.90 ERA at Double-A Erie last season, and now going 9-2 with a 4.48 ERA for Toledo. He is not a hard thrower, but he has a lot of success by keeping the ball on the ground. His ratio of ground outs to air outs is at 1.75 this season, up from 1.51 last year at Erie.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Go Bonine

Hopefully 7 or fewer ERs and 1.2 IP+

Maybe a CG Shutout?

Let's get more than one this year