Former Mariners and Pirates skipper Lloyd McClendon will serve next year as the Tigers’ hitting coach, per a team announcement. He’ll take over for Wally Joyner, who is said to be departing to pursue other opportunities, per Evan Woodberry of MLive.com (via Twitter).
The 57-year-old McClendon ran up a 336-446 record during his initial run as a manager with Pittsburgh. After a strong first season in Seattle in 2014, when he returned to the top uniformed staff job, McClendon’s Mariners sputtered a season ago and he lost his job as part of a broader house cleaning exercise.
McClendon spent the 2016 season managing at Triple-A Toledo — the top Detroit affiliate. Now, he’ll be a part of a major league staff that’s headed by manager Brad Ausmus. The Tigers somewhat surprisingly elected to pick up Ausmus’s option this winter, but there has been no indication that any additional seasons were added to his deal — putting Ausmus in the position of managing for his job.
Also joining the Tigers’ staff as assistant hitting coach is Leon “Bull” Durham. The former big league slugger has been in the organization for 17 years, the team notes, but has never before coached at the major league level.
I think both are great choices
Avila did the right thing: Trust but verify. Ausmus got his contract but now he’s got McClendon to push him.
Yea wouldn’t mind Lloyd taking over for Ausmus, I mean it wouldn’t be my first choice
Might be worth mentioning that:
“McLendon previously served as the Tigers’ bullpen coach under Jim Leyland in 2006 and as hitting coach from 2007- 2013. He interviewed with the Tigers for the managerial position after Leyland’s retirement, but the job was given to Brad Ausmus.”
http://www.blessyouboys.com/2016/10/21/13362604/lloyd-mcclendon-detroit-tigers-hitting-coach-bull-durham
What are you suggesting? Manager in waiting?
I’m pretty sure in that picture Lloyd McClendon is thinking something like “What the *hell* was the name of that movie?”
We need to stop giving jobs to our buddies, this team is becoming the “old boys network”, where if someone is out of a job we’ll hook them up. What can Lloyd do to improve this team? The same he’s done in the past? So why bring him back? Our continuing disappointments aren’t due solely to poor hitting/pitching and underperformance, but also to bad decision making in filling out roster. Mark Lowe for two years? Based on half a good season? In Seattle? And Brad is hamstrung in sending him out there because Lowe’s going to get paid no matter what so may as well keep him. And sure Brad, never having managed before, has made some other bad decisions. Yes, the roster needs to change, but not as much as the staff needs to change.