Although Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire has indicated his desire to return to the club next season, the fate of his coaching staff may yet be up in the air, according to Evan Woodbery of MLive Media Group. With the season coming to a close, general manager Al Avila and company are apparently still faced with decisions regarding the status of the team’s staff, with announcements to come at season’s end. As The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen speculates, that certainly makes it seem like changes are coming, though of course any relevant announcements will have to wait. Gardenhire previously expressed his hope that his staff would remain intact for 2020, the final year of his contract. That group includes familiar faces like Rick Anderson and Steve Liddle, as well as Lloyd McClendon and Ramon Santiago. However, after such a dreadful year in all facets of the game, the front office will certainly look critically at the coaching.
From elsewhere around the American League…
- Yankees fans shook their heads in disbelief as starter James Paxton left yesterday’s game after just one inning. However, it seems that the team managed to avoid yet another significant injury; Paxton underwent an MRI this morning that revealed nothing but nerve irritation, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. His removal from the game was merely a precaution and is not expected to affect his availability in the approaching ALDS. The club has faced questions all year about postseason pitching, and an injury to Paxton—the team’s most reliable starter in the second half—would have sent the New York faithful spiraling.
- White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, according to James Fegan of The Athletic. He was scratched from his schedule start on Thursday, and of course won’t pitch again this season. While the two-to-four week timeline that comes with the injury is of little significance at this time of year, it’s nonetheless good to hear that the promising rookie will be at full health before too long. He’s had some growing pains as a rookie but has shown some encouraging signs, striking out 81 batters in his first 73 innings as a big-leaguer. With 141 1/3 innings between several levels, he’s also amassed his biggest workload as a pro.
- It’s no secret that Orioles pitching has come up short this year, but first-year pitching coach Doug Brocail expected some struggles when he took the job last winter. As he and a new front office regime attempt to build a pitching staff from the ground-up, Brocail offers some insight into the state of the organization in an interview with Dan Connolly of The Athletic (subscription required). There’s a long way to go for the team, but Brocail is seeing marginal improvements with rookie general manager Mike Elias trying to play catch-up after inheriting last year’s MLB-worst roster. With the emergence of John Means and the continued growth of the organization’s analytics department, there are some positive takeaways from his first year on the Baltimore staff.
Lloyd McClendon has to go….I’m fine with the rest of gardys staff staying
why?.. it’s not his fault they got nothing but .240 hitters up and down the line up and in the minors.they need better hitting prospects on every minor league team.until they draft better positional hitters this current line up is best were gonna see and all I hear for excuses is “we can trade some pitching prospects for hitters” really?! think they’re better off keeping gardy and the staff till they turn a corner.whos the better coach that will take over and get better results from this dumpster fire of a team??.
It’s beyond time to move past Pizza Mike’s love affair with former Pirate skippers. Chris has his father’s love of the game; time to make his own mark. I love the arms in the minors, Avila & David Chadd have been great drafters for years, Trader Dave always traded them away. Anybody that makes it is hampered by Lloyd. Ask Nick “Don’t call me Nick” Castellenos.
that’s a solid take on chadd.hes been a good piece that Avila can turn to in regards to younger players.
Wait a second, please name me all the great prospects Al has drafted that got traded during DD reign? I now know of one or two that became really good mlb players.
Eugenio Suárez straight up for 1 year of Alfredo Simon
That is one bad move, but the reality is most 90% of the prospects traded by Dave never panned out.
ok name me some that didn’t! dude get a clue
Luis Pineda in the Dmitri Young deal, Juan Gonzalez never made the majors and not the MVP one, was part of the Carlos Guillen deal, Ramon Martinez was part of the Placido Polanco, Brian Rogers who was traded for Sean Casey, He sent Andrew Miller, Cameron Maybin, Mike Rabelo, Burke Badenhop, Dallas Trahern and Eulogio De La Cruz to the Marlins for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. None of these guys helped the Marlins and only Miller had great success years after the trade and Maybin was an average player. Need I go on Al?
What hitting coach can make a difference in the cavernous CoPa????
Anderson and Liddle are jokes. Vavra too.
That’s one bad thing about Gardy. He’s too loyal to “his” guys.
yeah,that’s a problem.i agree about Anderson & Liddle
Sorry, not a tigers’ fan but why does McClendon need to go? He has managerial experience and was an Ok player during the day…
He’s been there too long with limited success.(some may argue his “good” years were due to just having an extreme amount of talent) They just need a new voice. Not an indictment on McClendon.
my thinking is why bother with so other hitting coach? but doesn’t one of the games greatest hitters play for us?! think he would help the younger guys with the hitting.though I can just as easy see him collecting that 30 million and not be botherd by mentoring.
my thinking is why bother with some other hitting coach? but doesn’t one of the games greatest hitters play for us?! think he would help the younger guys with the hitting.though I can just as easy see him collecting that 30 million and not be botherd by mentoring.
It is always about talent. The hitting coach basically watches video and tries to breakdown the hitters approach, swing, strike zone control etc. They aren’t going to take a .240 hitter and make him a consistent.300 hitter. A really good hitting coach can influence the mental approach and help with identifying pitcher’s tendencies. Most good hitters already have that ability when they reach the majors.
Leave ’em Loaded Lloyd give you any idea? It’s more about his first (and unsuccessful) stint as batting coach under Jim Leyland?
then keep moving
Clean house, Avila, Gardenhire, Coaching Staff!!! How can the A’s and Ray’s continue to make the playoffs in a shoestring budget while the Tigers continue to suck year after year!! Hire someone who can evaluate talent, make smart trades that actually put major league talent on the field and don’t spend money on retreads!!! Wake up Ilitch!!!
beacuse Dombrowski absolutely destroyed the minors with his bonehead trades and refusal to go to analytics with the rest of MLB.were just now seeing Avila’s and the new scouts draft picks start to trickle through.drafting in the top 5 last few years helps also.if anyone wants affirmation of Dombrowski,just go check the Red Sox boards and their minor teams are gutted just like ours was.
The minors are more important in this era. Players are changing teams so often. There wasn’t a need for a ss or 2nd baseman in the past(Lou & Tram almost 20 yrs).Different game today!
Guys, Dave has been gone three years and he started the rebuild in some ways when he traded Price. You can bash Dave and Mr. I (who supported what DD was doing) all you want. But for a 10 year period, the Tigers were at the Center of the baseball world. They had more nationally recognized stars on their team since Gibson, Trammell, and Morris. They went to two World Series. My prediction is they will not be back in a World Series in the next 15 to 20 years based on the Tiger history prior to DD and Mr. I
I would retain current hitting coach(LM). Maybe hire a co-hitting coach. Eddie Murray’s last stint as hitting coach was 2007(Dodgers). At 63, he might be open to the job if his health is still good. Young hitters can use the extra coaching.
The Tigers were NOT fundamentally sound. I expect better from a Ron Gardenhire team. They lost 116 games, many like blundering amateurs. Who is that on?
When you have three or four young players it’s easier to manage. But a whole roster full is a lot on a manager.
In being short, I made it sound as if I was blaming Gardenhire. I expected a last place finish after most of the pitching staff was lost. But the way the Tigers lost was discouraging. I’m asking: Who (Where) is the fault? Fundamentals are taught in MiLB and should continually improve. It wasn’t just the rookies…
Since the Tigers don’t develop at MiLB (and haven’t since John Fetzer). Instead of dismissing the current coaching staff, they should quadruple it.
They’re rebuilding. The team is made up almost completely of young players, especially since they traded Castellanos. They weren’t expected to contend. Were you expecting Gardenhire to make a playoff team of them? They had several playoff teams and two World Series appearances, but never won the World Series. During that time they traded away their prospects, trying to get a title. They never got one, so now they have to rebuild.
They were the worst team in baseball. They looked like they could be one of the worst before the seasons start but you don’t get to say “what do you want Gardy to do.” He managed a 47 win team. I’m not sure any of there young guys even look like they could be future pieces and guys like Candelario took steps back. He didn’t have much to work with but he didn’t do much with the little he had either.
Your forgetting they lost 4 of 5 starters early in the year. That would hinder most elite teams. One bright spot, Miggy was able to stay in the lineup after surgery.
yankees = suspicious fake news
Did the Tigers lose Fulmer this year due to Tommy John survey?
He missed all of 19, and probably part of 20. Nearly 1/3 of Mlb pitchers have had Tommy John operation(not always works either).