Is there a leading candidate to be the next Tigers manager?
It looks like there very well could be according to ESPN’s Buster Olney who says that according to sources that former Astros skipper A.J. Hinch is “widely regarded as the favorite to become the next manager of the Detroit Tigers”.
Former Houston Astros Manager AJ Hinch is widely regarded as the favorite to become the next manager of the Detroit Tigers, sources tell ESPN’s Buster Olney. The sources said the Tigers are making decisive progress toward finalizing their choice for manager.
Hinch (46), who was suspended for the entire 2020 season after his role in the Astros cheating scandal reportedly interviewed with the Tigers shortly after the Dodgers won the World Series which marked the end of his yearlong ban.
Obviously any potential Hinch hire is going to come with plenty of controversy with baseball purist out there given his role in the cheating scandal. My take though is the guy served his penalty and should be given his second chance which Al Avila seems completely ready to do.
“Really, I can’t say that I’ve eliminated anybody,” Avila said Friday. “The cheating scandal is not a good thing, obviously. They’re serving their suspensions, and once their suspensions are over, then they’ll be free to pursue their careers. So we have not eliminated anybody from our list at this point.”
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“I guess one thing you could eliminate is a guy that maybe played and has absolutely no coaching experience, no managerial experience, and goes from being a player directly to a major league manager,” he said. “I probably wouldn’t go that way, but everything else I would say is in play.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
ESPN
With the White Sox opting to hire Tony La Russa on Thursday, the Tigers and Red Sox remain the only two teams looking for managers this offseason after Ron Gardenhire retired with a week to go in the regular season and Boston fired Ron Roenicke after one season. Ironically, the Red Sox look primed to bring back Alex Cora who they let go for his role in the cheating scandal which if that’s the case Hinch, his 570-452 record, three 100-win seasons, and a World Series title in 2017 will seemingly have nowhere else to go but Motown if he’s looking to manage in 2021.