Tigers third base coach Chip Hale is leaving his position to accept a job as head coach at the University of Arizona, per an announcement from the school’s baseball department. Michael Lev of the Arizona Daily Star tweeted this morning that there were “strong indications” Hale would be the program’s new head coach.
This, rather remarkably, is the second time in the past month that the Tigers have lost a member of their Major League staff to a college program. Assistant hitting coach Jose Cruz Jr. accepted a job as the head coach at Rice University back on June 9.
Both Hale and Cruz were in their first season as members of AJ Hinch’s coaching staff in Detroit. Hinch, of course, is also in his first year as Tigers skipper after serving his suspension on the heels of the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal. Prior to taking his now-former post with the Tigers, Hale was the bench coach for the 2019 World Series champion Nationals. He also spent two years as the D-backs’ manager and has served as a bench coach and/or third base coach with the D-backs, Mets and Athletics.
Hale, 56, played his college ball at Arizona and was a 17th-round selection of the Twins back in the 1987 draft. He spent parts of seven seasons in the Majors (six with Minnesota, one with the Dodgers), serving as a utility infielder and batting .277/.346/.363 in 333 MLB games.
“I am very honored and excited to be the new head baseball coach at the University of Arizona,” Hale said in a statement released by the Wildcats. “We will work tirelessly to build on the success that has been established here and continue to coach and develop our Wildcats to be champions on the field and in the classroom. With the help and support of the University of Arizona and the Wildcat Family, we plan on making many trips to Omaha!”
The Tigers have yet to announce who will be taking over as their new third base coach in the wake of Hale’s departure.
Good for Hale. It seems Detroit needs to rethink where are they going & who is going to get them there. I remember Kaline & Trammel & a host of others. I hope to see them come back some day.
Kaline for sure won’t be back.
What a door knob statement – you think the Kaline family thinks that is funny?
I believe I’m done with this site. 4 thumbs up on a deceased Al Kaline comment makes me sick. Welcome to the entitled generation. Good luck on getting out of Mommy & Daddy’s cellar.
I agree, Curly. This has just turned into a stage for bad put-down “comedy”. If it isn’t disgusting attempts at humor, it’s political comments. Or trashing fellow commenters. Maybe they should go old school, bring in a moderator and screen these remarks. But they won’t because the future leaders of our world will cry discrimination.
The irony of you throwing a fit over a comment you could have just easily ignored and then calling other people entitled.
The irony of having to write some snappy reply.
Bye!
It was a joke. In poor taste, sure, but no need to shift directly into cancel mode.
Be careful, it wasn’t our generation that is nicknamed “the ‘me’ generation.” You may want to check yourself before seeing who is really the entitled one if you believe that a public comment board should be catered to your world view.
Or………you can simply mute the people that leave those types of comments……..
Detroit is a hot mess.
Maybe Hinch the problem.
Happy Sox went with TLR.
And Hinch isn’t the problem. It’s good to see coaches get a manger job it’s a promotion. Your just mad he didn’t want to mange the Sox and you had to hire great grandpa Tony
Hinch is a good manager. He will rebuild Detroit the right way.
All he needs are trash cans!
What have you been watching? Hinch has this team playing well above their heads. Top bats are coming and tigers haven’t spent on free agency yet. Future looking bright with Hinch at the helm. Have fun with your old bag of bones manager.
Hinch is completely fine. TLR is more of a mess. Lucky to have inherited a great roster.
It’s not just about being fine or not. Head coach at one of the finer collegiate baseball schools in the nation, not to mention one that plays a full collegiate season.. Not a “winter school”, is a promotion to just about any regular coach on a MLB coach, getting up there in age a bit. This might just be the job he can retire at and not have to tolerate MLB’s grueling travel schedule 6 months of the year.
I love Hinch. I’m an Astros fan and was sad to see him go even though I obviously understood why. He’s a great manager.
Agree to all you said and would like to add in the fact he more than likely quadrupled his current salary. Four times the money for a quarter of the games???
As a Tigers fan I’m happy the White Sox went with that old bag of bones LaRussa
To suggest these guys are leaving for great jobs because of Hinch is a statement that shows you don’t have a clue.
I object to that comment. We have great young pitching and a number of high level prospects that will be joining the Tigers in the next 2 years. Plus we have the # 3 overall pick in next weeks draft with 2 more in the top 38. The rebuild is within sight and we’ll soon be contenders. Oh yea we hired the best manger on the market in Hinch while the White Sox hired a washed up and out of touch from reality in LaRussa,
So who really is the “hot mess”?
We? I didn’t realize you were part of the organization.
Oh, give it a rest. Like you’ve never called your favorite squad “we” or “us.”
Comes from the person who calls themselves Dodger Jr???? It’s ironic you can’t even see your nose in front of your face! GFY!!!
I think your Sox are hot mess
I think it’s funny all these Detroit fans are upset with the hot mess comment and calling out a fan of a team with the third best record in the AL right now.
Now, a hot mess team is my angels.
Let me say, this comment does not represent white Sox fans. I think the white Sox should have hired Hinch, and instead went with LaRussa which is a huge mistake. As much as I dislike the Tigers as a Sox fan, I think they have really great young pitchers and a ceiling as high as the sky. It’s gonna be a fun division race in a few years
This hot mess just took 2/3 fir ChiSox, Cleveland, swept Cardinals and split with Astros. Also has a ton of young talent. Try know what you’re talking g about before commenting.
What’s the season record Sox v Tigers?
Last time I checked, the Sox have a 11.5 game lead over Detroit!
Sox team is so young and deep that Detroit won’t catch Sox this decade!!
Oh… and your manager was accused of being a cheater. No way I would want him leading the Sox.
Haha!
You don’t want a cheater leading the Sox? When will Larussa step down? Turned a blind eye to Steroids. Canseco… McGuire…
Good thing he’s driven around by the team… don’t want another DUI.
Tony Larussa really is the Jim Lahey of the MLB…
Harold Baines in the Hall of Fame. LOL
Shocker, a white sox fan who has no idea what else is going on in mlb!
That hot mess took 2 or 3 from your beloved Sox this weekend. They’ve had 2 winning months in a row now, and thanks to that series win against Chicago, they are well on their way to a 3rd winning month.
Hinch has them playing pretty well. And, Chris Fetter (the pitching coach) is a rising star that has done a remarkable job.
Exciting comment! “Detroit is a hot mess.”
Wow. He or she could really be onto something here. What a novel phrase. Such a brilliant mind possessed by he or she.
Does he or she refer to Zug Island? District Detroit? The kitchen at any Lafayette Coney Island?
Was it about the Tigers? Not presently. It was accurate with an Ausmus-like hiring disaster at manager, and when other managerial ordinaries were stuck choosing between Buck Farmer and Drew VerHagen to quell rallies.
But, not now, not with a Dugout Wizard the likes of AJ Hinch (if he doesn’t exercise his opt-out).
Grading present-day LaRussa over Hinch? Please issue a recall on that take.
Are the White Sox handicapping themselves on purpose by hiring from 1983? Their team is so good, they did this just to be sporting?
Did Reinsdorf lose a really big bet with Michael Jordan?
To be fair, it actually was wise to pick Tony LaRussa in 2021, but only if the one other option was Montgomery Burns. He would have demanded a lot higher salary.
With today’s win, the Tigers have won or tied each of their last five series (4-0-1).
Per @EliasSports, it’s the first time since 2016 (July 21 to August 7) that Detroit has gone five-straight series without a series loss.
Not bad for a hot mess. Lol
couldn’t he wait?
Nope. The recruiting season never ends
Why is this necessarily on Detroit and/or Hinch? Neither Cruz nor Hale fled, they just found very good college jobs. Obviously the Tigers hired coaches who are of interest from others.
Gruß,
BSHH
It’s not on Hinch. He’s got some remarkable talent on his staff. Lombard and Fetter are 2 others who are hot commodities.
Hinch’s deal obviously includes the rare sports privilege of hiring Men With Brains instead of drinking/dining buddies. Bonus if they’re both.
Why are mangers called managers at the MLB level but head coaches at the college level?
Probably because there are millions upon millions of bucks on managers, and head coaches have the responsibility to get these kids there. Yes, life sucks & isn’t fair.
Why has this become a thread of Detroit vs Chicago? Am I missing something?
Always a rivalry in any sport with Detroit and Chicago. As a Chicago guy, trust me…
Thanks dude, I wasn’t aware folks could be so trivial (oh wait a minute Mets vs Yankees). Gottcha ya
Mets Yankees is as toxic as it gets Lol
Because ChiSox fans are bitter they just lost 2/3 to Tigers.
Bro I could name a ton of times that the Sox have crushed the Tigers but I don’t. Don’t play all your cards man
Red Sox/Yankees & Dodgers/Giants are right up there too.
“Mangers called Managers”?!
Isn’t it amazing that all the denigrating comments on this site get all the thumbs up. Who’d a thought?
If you are still sore because people jumped on you for making a poor decision when you made a joke about one of the greatest man that has ever walked on the face of the earth, get over it!
Tigers are playing decent right now with several top prospects on the way, hardly a hot mess.
Agreed
And agreed again.
Add me to the list of those who would be agreeing ….
Slow news day when you’re reporting base coaches leaving.
Well, the news is slow on Mondays because so many teams are off. Then, much of the news comes out in the afternoon, so stay tuned.
I respect the Tigers as a baseball club, even if I hate them at the same time. That’s what’s great about baseball
Good luck, Chip. Bear Down, baby!!!
caption the article picture: “Young man, if you don’t put that helmet on your head I’m going to go coach in Arizona”
Chip Hales minor league walks to strikeouts are ridiculous.
White Sox fans love their July championships… the rest of the league celebrates World Series Championships.
LOL
Arizona is a great baseball school! Awesome career move!
Add me to the list of those who would be agreeing ….
Welcome home Skipper. I’ll take Hale over Johnson every single time.