Chris McCosky

The Detroit News

Lakeland, Fla. – There is a fundamental difference between how a manager and general manager view their team.

It is Al Avila’s job to see the long-term picture, this season and beyond. Manager Brad Ausmus is focused only on the here and now. That partly explains why they have a slightly differing vision for top prospect Michael Fulmer.

Avila said on Thursday that they were stretching Fulmer out to be a starter at Triple-A Toledo.

“Right now, it’s in his best interest to be a starter,” Avila said. “The development process is better when you are a starter. You get more chances to throw more of your pitches. It’s best for him to be a starting pitcher.”

Ausmus’ job is to make sure he selects the 12 best pitchers for his Opening Day roster. And he hasn’t ruled out Fulmer as one of the 12 best.

“I have said it from the get-go – if Fulmer was going to be a starter, it’s most likely he’d be starting in Toledo. If he was going to make this team, it’s more likely it’d be as a relief pitcher.”

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Fulmer, who made his first start Friday, is being stretched out. Ausmus explained why.

“He needs to be stretched out somewhat in the event he does become a starter in Toledo,” he said. “It’s easier to work backwards than it is to work forwards.”

Meaning it’s easier to transition from starter to reliever than the other way around.

Avila said he felt there was enough bullpen depth without Fulmer. Ausmus hasn’t quite reached that same conclusion.

“Nothing has been decided on Fulmer, definitively, at this point,” Ausmus said.

As a point of reference, general manager Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland had a similar conflict in 2006. They went back and forth on whether Joel Zumaya should start the season as a starter in Toledo. Leyland argued that Zumaya deserved to make the big-league club, that he was one of the 12 best arms in camp.

Zumaya became an integral piece of that 2006 bullpen.

The difference this year is there is more pitching depth. Drew VerHagen, Bruce Rondon, Kyle Ryan, Angel Nesbitt, Shane Greene, Buck Farmer, Bobby Parnell and Fulmer are all in the mix for two and possibly three bullpen openings.

“If all of a sudden we were short (on relief pitching), Fulmer be the obvious guy you’d look at,” Avila said. “But right now, it’s in his best interest to be a starter.”

Ausmus isn’t completely convinced of that.

“You don’t want to rush a guy and stunt his development,” Ausmus said. “But the question is, would it have stunted his development? I can’t give you an answer to that right now.”

What does Fulmer think about all of this? Obviously, he will do whatever he needs to do to be on the big-league roster.

“They haven’t really approached me with anything yet,” he said. “I like starting, I love it. But coming out of the pen the first two times, I actually really enjoyed it. I felt ready when I was in the game and I felt strong when I was in the game. And I felt strong yesterday (when he started).”

He has been on a starting pitcher’s five-day routine all spring, but his pitch count hasn’t been increased as much yet. He threw 35 pitches Friday. The other starting pitchers are up to 50 and going to 70-75 in their next start.

“I just go to the mound when they tell me to and throw until they tell me to stop,” he said

Twitter @cmccosky