We learned earlier today that the Tigers would retain manager Brad Ausmus. GM Al Avila elaborated on his reasons for sticking with the embattled manager. Chris Iott of MLive.com and Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press have the details.
- Fenech explores the timeline of the decision to keep Ausmus. It was reported on September 10 that Ausmus would be fired at the end of the season. Owner Mike Ilitch reportedly wanted to let him go earlier in the year, but former GM Dave Dombrowski “fought off ownership.” When Avila took over for Dombrowski, he began evaluating Ausmus and other personnel. Per Avila, “Whenever you make a decision to change a manager, do it right then and there and don’t wait.”
- Avila praised Ausmus’ work with young personnel, particularly Nick Castellanos, James McCann, and Anthony Gose. Avila noted that Ausmus “had to personally get involved in the teaching of these young players. And he has.” He also has a good rapport with the veterans. Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler, and others have publicly lobbied in favor of Ausmus.
- Despite falling out of contention, the Tigers continue to battle for wins. Avila considers this another point in Ausmus’ favor. The club is 12-11 in September. In particular, Avila is pleased with his manager’s game preparation – even when the outcome is no longer relevant.
As a Tigers fan I am happy. Why?
1. Avila made a bold move, but making a non-move. On the surface, he is defying Ilitch, his owner (at least according to the reports).
2. Ilitch is open minded enough to understand that Ausmus may not have been the right choice 2 years ago, but he may be now.
3. Ausmus with experience is better than Ausmus with no experience. Remember that Ausmus with not experience went 13-6 v. the Royals and won the AL Central (in 2014). He was not as bad as his record in 2015.
Now GET SOME PITCHERS!
Ausmus continues to make the same… I’ll call them “mistakes” that he has done all along. Experience doesn’t seem to have make him any wiser. Valdez and Farrell have been on the roster, yet they do not pitch. The bullpen has been terrible. Yet he continues to use the same pitchers in the same roles. I think everyone knows what Al Al is capable of by now (scary). Ausmus refuses to try anyone in a new role. Gee, Feliz has closed before, so even though he’s has an era of 7+, he’s now the closer. Wilson is too old to be a rookie, so he must only be capable of mop up. In spite of his effective pitching, he can only be used in low leverage situations. Please, Guru, let me know when Ausmus does something differently than he did two years ago. Until then, his experience means nothing.
The situation with Brad Ausmus is reminiscent of what White Sox manager Robin Ventura endured during the 2014 season. He had a weak bullpen with no defined closer and injuries early in the campaign exacerbated the situation. Pitchers who were were meant to be long men and in setup roles were suddenly elevated into positions they couldn’t handle and, of course, the manager took the brunt of the criticism from a predominately ignorant fan base.
It was the front offices responsibility to provide the manager with better talent in the bullpen. They failed the White Sox last season, as they have the Tigers in recent years, including 2015.
I agree the front office needs to provide some talent, but the manager also needs to develop some, from what he is given. Where I see the similarity is that Chicago also seems to be sticking with Ventura, when a change would probably be welcomed..
Let me help you. Valdez and Farrell aren’t ready for prime time. They are only here to get their feet wet and provide depth. No sense destroying their confidence so early in their careers.
Al Al has had a hip problem most of the season. He is healthy now and needs to pitch.
Felix is working his way back from surgery. He has given up about 2 runs in his last 10 outings. If he continues to prove himself he will be in the back end of the bullpen next year.
Wilson and Hardy had good seasons. They are not going to ruin it in the last three weeks for them. They have both been worked too much already. They are purposefully given a day or two between appearances for good reason. We know what we have there, let’s see what the rest of them can do.
Pushing VMART down in the lineup is a good step.
Giving Wilson higher leverage innings in a new role (typically 8th inning) is another.
Experimenting with Iglesias at the top of the lineup is another.
It took forever for him to react to Vmart not hitting. Wilson, when used, is still seldom in a high leverage situation. He has been used early, or after the bullpen has blown the lead and extra innings are suddenly upon them. Iglesias was tried in the two hole while Miggy was on the DL, and he HAD to drop Kinsler to third, since Vmart wasn’t hitting. That has been what he has done, react to situations rather than being pro active.
Stymeedone, I generally think ausmus has done an alright job, but I completely agree with you criticism. He is way too conservative of a manager. He needs to be more flexible with the roles he puts his players in so he can better react to each situation. Keeping Victor in the fourth spot in the lineup and keeping joba in the setup man role are just two examples. I can understand the other side of the arguement, but personally I agree that he needs to be more proactive as a manager.
The VMart criticism is certainly valid and the Iggy one too, although many pundits still called Iggy an all field no hit shortstop only a few weeks ago. Ausmus must have also had a hard time believing his eyes and was afraid it wouldn’t last. He was not alone.
To be fair Wilson was brought in in a lot of high leverage situations, they just happened to be in the fifth, sixth, seventh or extra innings. He was the only reliable guy who could go multiple innings. He was used as the old school “fireman” and I had no problem with that.
In my opinion, Brad Ausmus will be an elite MLB manager. He was a great defensive catcher and more knowledgeable than most of his peers with regard to the pitching staffs he handled throughout his career.
All things being equal, I believe catchers often make the best managers because their position dictates that they are involved with all facets of the game…pitching, hitting and defense. They are generally the ‘quarterbacks’ on the baseball diamond and this knowledge gives them a leg up on other candidates who seek managerial positions.
This whole ordeal reflects very poorly on Avila. All front offices have leaks, but he let news about the firing of his manager get out and waited this long to reaffirm that he was staying? He’s the real amateur in this.
Your convoluted hypothesis is a stretch (with all due respect).
The much more logical rationale for what happened is much simpler:
THE REPORT WAS INACCURATE… and he was still deciding. The day he decided, he confirmed Ausmus was staying. The end.
Convoluted? Might want to look that word up…
Your explanation still makes Avila look bad. If news breaks that your manager is fired, don’t leave him hanging for weeks. It’s poor leadership and shows that if you work for the Tigers, Al Avila does not have your back.
I don’t think it’s the G.M.’s job to respond to every rumor the media throws out there, which are far more abundant in the internet/twitter era compared to the time when I first became a MLB fan back in the early 1960’s. Avila is doing his due diligence and waited until he was convinced that Ausmus is still the right man to take the Tigers forward into 2016 and beyond.
I’m curious. Since the decision had not yet been made on whether to keep him, and they had already publicly stated that, and did so again upon the rumor leaking, how do you feel it should have been handled? Should they have decided to keep, or fire him instantly, even though they were not yet ready to make the decision?
Best way to lobby for a manager is to win games.
I think we ought to blame the reporting team at WDIV for jumping the gun and getting the story wrong. Avila immediately refuted the rumor that Ausmus was out by saying he was still under evaluation till the end of the season. If anything it seems like Avila made the decision earlier than expected. See http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/09/tigers-plan-to-dismiss-brad-ausmus-at-seasons-end.html