Too early for a noisy panic over Tigers closer

Fans are fretting. Rumors are rumored. Everyone wants closure on the Tigers’ closer situation, predictable angst that happens to be way, way premature.
Dave Dombrowski says he’s not panicking. Jim Leyland confirms he’s not panicking. You can bet some in the organization are getting antsy after rookie Bruce Rondon scuffled (baseball term) through his first four outings, then took a break to work on his mechanics.
It’s a major issue partly because it’s the Tigers’ only major issue this spring. I suppose the fifth starter counts as an issue, not because they don’t have one, but because they have two — Rick Porcello and Drew Smyly.
There were even whispers of trying Porcello in the closer’s role, which is nonsense. Bring back Jose Valverde? Highly unlikely.
Calm down, folks. At least for now. Rondon is a raw 22-year-old who never has pitched in a major league game. The Tigers knew it was a risk to semi-anoint him, but he throws so hard and harbors such potential, it’s worth a shot now. In the spring. It may not still be worth a shot in July, August and September, but in case you haven’t noticed, it’s spring (sort of).
Rondon strikes out batters, walks batters and when he’s tickling 102 mph, could intimidate batters. But nobody knows if he has the true closer’s mentality, the blank stare required to peer through the pressure and rebound from failure.
While everyone else was declaring the Tigers a 98-win team and guaranteed division winner, Leyland was warning the closer situation was trickier than people realize. Of course, the closer situation always is trickier than people realize, whether you go with a rookie or a 35-year-old veteran. By the end of last season, Leyland was riding the ghost of Valverde.
I think there’s a reasonable chance the Tigers’ September closer isn’t even on their roster right now. That’s not a prediction of failure for Rondon. He’ll get ample opportunity to be the guy. But Dombrowski and Leyland have too many options and too good a team to let a rookie spend half a season getting comfortable.
If Rondon stumbles, the Tigers have other candidates on their staff: Joaquin Benoit, Octavio Dotel, Al Alburquerque, Phil Coke, Brayan Villarreal.
And they also have that wonderful tool known as the trade, and a fine tradable commodity in Porcello. I’ll offer my wacky guess — past mid-summer, the Tigers will pick up a veteran closer, someone like Jim Johnson, who may become available if Baltimore takes a step back.
It makes no sense to take a loaded team into September without a set closer. It also makes no sense to worry about it right now. Internally, I’m sure the Tigers are debating their orange stripes off. Outside, fans will fret and media will mull, because that’s what we do. But look at it this way — the Tigers don’t get the luxury of having a tested veteran at EVERY SINGLE POSITION, do they?
They expected to sweat over at least one position, even an important one, and it would be silly to look at Rondon’s three-and-two-thirds innings and immediately jumble the plan. Give it time. Save your panic for when it really might be needed.
Bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com
Twitter.com/bobwojnowski