Fernando Rodney - Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers

Rodney made his Major League league debut 2002 at the age of 25 and split his time between the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens and the Tigers from 2002–2005.

In 2005, Rodney became the Tigers closer after Troy Percival went down with an arm injury and his replacement, Kyle Farnsworth, was traded at mid-season to the Atlanta Braves. He was called up from Toledo after Farnsworth was traded, then settled into the closer role, earning nine saves in 39 total appearances, during which he racked up a 2.86 earned run average.

When the Tigers signed closer Todd Jones during the 2006 off-season, Rodney was reinserted into a middle relief/setup role. Rodney embraced the role as the Tigers proceeded to have their most successful season in recent history.

On July 3, 2006, at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California, Justin Verlander, Joel Zumaya, and Rodney each threw multiple fastballs clocked in at over 100 mph, becoming the first time in MLB history that three pitchers on the same team had done so during one game.

Rodney started 2008 on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis. He re-joined the big league club in mid-June. On July 27, Rodney was announced as the Tigers' new closer, replacing Todd Jones.

Following the 2009 season, the Tigers offered arbitration to Rodney, which he rejected to pursue a multi-year deal. He was expected to be one of the more valuable closers on the market because as a "Type B" free agent, he would only cost teams a supplementary draft pick. His 1.40 ground ball-to-fly ball ratio ranked first that year among free-agent closers. Originally, the Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies were rumored to be interested in signing Rodney. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were also reported to be in serious discussions with his agent.