In Phil Coke’s three-year major-league career, he’s finished 31 games and he’s started just one — the Tigers’ final game of the 2010 season. That outing could best be described as abbreviated; he threw 1.2 innings, allowing five hits, a walk and two runs.
What conclusions can we draw from this micro-sample size? Less than nothing.
That’s part of the reason Tigers fans are interested to see how Coke performs in 2011 now that he’s a member of the rotation, slotted neatly behind Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. That’s not to say Coke has no experience as a starter. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Coming up through the Yankees’ system in the mid-2000s, he worked predominately as a starter. From 2005-08, Coke started 77 games.
At Double-A Trenton in 2008, he started 20 games and posted a 2.51 ERA to go with his 9-4 record. That earned him a call-up to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre where he was turned into a reliever.
Go figure.
| Year | Age | Team | Lg | Lev | W | L | G | GS | CG | IP | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 22 | Charleston | SALL | A | 8 | 11 | .421 | 5.42 | 24 | 18 | 0 | 103.0 |
| 2006 | 23 | 2 Teams | 2 Lgs | A+-A | 5 | 8 | .385 | 3.19 | 27 | 20 | 1 | 127.0 |
| 2006 | 23 | Charleston | SALL | A | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0.53 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 17.0 |
| 2006 | 23 | Tampa | FLOR | A+ | 5 | 7 | .417 | 3.60 | 22 | 18 | 1 | 110.0 |
| 2007 | 24 | Tampa | FLOR | A+ | 7 | 3 | .700 | 3.09 | 17 | 16 | 1 | 99.0 |
| 2008 | 25 | 2 Teams | 2 Lgs | AA-AAA | 11 | 6 | .647 | 2.79 | 37 | 21 | 1 | 135.2 |
| 2008 | 25 | Trenton | EL | AA | 9 | 4 | .692 | 2.51 | 23 | 20 | 1 | 118.1 |
| 2008 | 25 | Scranton/Wilkes-Barre | IL | AAA | 2 | 2 | .500 | 4.67 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 17.1 |
| 6 Seasons | 31 | 29 | .517 | 3.61 | 125 | 77 | 3 | 496.0 | ||||
With his return to the rotation this spring, Coke posted a 3-2 record with a 2.49 ERA in 21.2 innings. Not shabby, but how will it play out over the long season? Lynn Henning today provided this assessment of Coke:
He looked good for much of the spring, but took some knocks late. The switch to starting is still in progress. If things don’t work out, he goes back to the bullpen, Andy Oliver moves in, and the Tigers probably strengthen their seventh-inning options. But they’ll give this experiment a full and necessary opportunity to work.
We’ll have to see what “a full and necessary opportunity” means. If Coke lasts as a starter, what’s the impact on the bullpen? Or, does it mean he’s more valuable in relief compared to the young arms the Tigers can summon to the rotation, such as Andy Oliver and/or Jacob Turner?
And it all hinges on Phil Coke. What do you think?
dailyfungo.com 
Coke has great stuff, but I’m not confident in his ability to make 30 starts, which is what the Tigers need.
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are you kidding Armando Galleraga(???) should have pitched a No-No last year he will do fine in az but we let him go cheap and coke is all ??? i think if they all live up to their potential maybe have a chance but twinkies and chisox will both be tough this year
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Coke will do fine. He’s an certainly an upgrade from the number fives of recent history.
Also, how cool is it that Coke, Scherzer, Jackson, and Schlereth are going to be in NY on Thursday.
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