Detroit — Joe Jimenez and the Tigers were both caught in a catch-22 last season.
Jimenez needed a more defined role to be able to settle in, gain confidence and be more effective. The Tigers needed him to pitch better to justify giving him a set role.
Neither happened. Jimenez ended up giving up 26 runs in 19 innings last season. It was a horror show for a power-armed right-handed pitcher who had dominated every rung of the Tigers minor-league system before last season.
But everything changed, first when general manager Al Avila hired Ron Gardenhire as his manager and Chris Bosio as pitching coach last winter.