- Spring training will determine if Whitey Wilshere ends up in the rotation or the bullpen, but either way he’ll probably make the roster. Gene Conley, Hank Aguirre, Tom Hughes, Si Johnson, and Johnny Marcum are also in the race for the back-end of the rotation.
- Jason Schmidt and Claude Passeau have struggled mightily (Passeau especially has put himself in danger of not making the team at all), opening up more competition for starting spots. Wilshere is almost guaranteed one, and Marcum has impressed as well.
- Passeau has moved down to AAA. Newhouser and Wilshere have spots in the rotation, but the rest is unsettled. If Johnson has a decent 2nd start, he is in, but nobody else has shown enough, leaving eight pitchers vying for the final 2 spots.
- Wilshere moving to the rotation opens up a lot of room in the bullpen, with Mike Henneman joining Buddy Napier as candidates to close.
- Napier has been rocked hard, moving him to the edge of the roster entirely. Henneman is the closer, with Mark Dewey the only other decent bullpen performer so far.
- Jason Schmidt and Claude Passeau have struggled mightily (Passeau especially has put himself in danger of not making the team at all), opening up more competition for starting spots. Wilshere is almost guaranteed one, and Marcum has impressed as well.
- Robby Thompson and Charlie Gehringer are competing to start at 2B, and Ray Chapman and Sparky Adams to backup George Davis at SS.
- Thompson is far ahead of Gehringer at this point, and Chapman is even outperforming Davis at SS so far.
- It’s all so confusing. Phillips was brought in just for flexibility, and he’s outperforming everyone. Thompson and Adams continue to impress, while both Davis and Gehringer are edging towards demotion. Jorge Orta has been recalled.
- Thompson is far ahead of Gehringer at this point, and Chapman is even outperforming Davis at SS so far.
- Only 2 of Al Kaline, Wes Covington, and Jody Gerut will make the roster in all likelihood.
- Right now, it’s Covington and Gerut, as Kaline–along with Ty Cobb–are the worst performing OFers of the Spring. Veteran utility player Tony Phillips has been called up to add some roster flexibility as well.
- Cobb has recovered slightly, but Kaline has just about lost his roster slot. Geoff Jenkins has been recalled to add some competition here as well.
- Right now, it’s Covington and Gerut, as Kaline–along with Ty Cobb–are the worst performing OFers of the Spring. Veteran utility player Tony Phillips has been called up to add some roster flexibility as well.
- Ed Bailey has closed the gap with Bill Carrigan at C, and Phil Roof has been added as a 3rd option.
- Bailey is hitting better than Carrigan, leaving open the possibility of a platoon situation.
- Hank Greenberg is struggling, opening the door for Nate Colbert to push him at 1B and Bob Bailey has hit enough to make a strong case for a roster spot.
- Even Greg Brock is outhitting Greenberg at this point.
| Near Definite | Likely | Possible | Long Shot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Pitchers | Hal Newhouser Whitey Wilshere | Si Johnson | Jason Schmidt Johnny Marcum Gene Conley Hank Aguirre Tom Hughes Red Ehret Justin Verlander Mickey Lolich | |
| Middle Relievers | Kevin Hart | |||
| Setup | Mark Dewey | Buddy Napier Roberto Hernandez | ||
| Closer | Mike Henneman | |||
| C | Ed Bailey Bill Carrigan | Phil Roof | ||
| 1B | Hank Greenberg | Nate Colbert Greg Brock | ||
| 2B | Robby Thompson | Tony Phillips Charlie Gehringer | Jorge Orta | |
| 3B | Jimmy Collins | Bob Bailey | ||
| SS | George Davis | Ray Chapman Sparky Adams | ||
| OF | Ty Cobb Chili Davis | Wes Covington Oscar Gamble Jody Gerut Al Kaline | Geoff Jenkins |