The Tigers announced a trio of new coaches on Wednesday. Cody Asche and Anthony Sanders are heading over from the Orioles to serve as assistant hitting coach and first base coach, respectively. Billy Boyer, Detroit’s minor league field coordinator last season, was promoted to major league quality coach. Cody Stavenhagen and Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic reported on Tuesday that the club was close to hiring Asche and Sanders.
Sanders had coached first base for the Orioles since 2020. He previously coached at multiple minor league levels with Colorado. Sanders was the Pioneer League Manager of the Year in 2014 after leading Grand Junction to a first-place finish. He will take over for Anthony Iapoce, who had been Detroit’s first base coach for the past two seasons.
Asche was playing in professional ball as recently as 2019, but has quickly ascended the coaching ranks. His first gig was as a minor league hitting coach in the Philadelphia organization in 2021. It was a homecoming of sorts, as the Phillies selected Asche as a fourth-rounder back in 2011. Asche moved on to Baltimore in 2022, again as a minor league hitting coach. He was bumped up to the major league staff in 2023 as an offensive strategy coach. In 2025, he was promoted to hitting coach. Asche will replace Keith Beauregard, whose contract ran out at the end of the season.
This is Boyer’s second stint with the team. He was Detroit’s infield coordinator in 2022. Boyer then moved on to the college ranks, working as an assistant coach with the University of Washington in 2023, before coming back to the Tigers in a minor-league role.
Detroit also announced changes in the front office. Dr. Georgia Giblin was promoted to Vice President, Health & Performance. She’s been with the organization for the past five seasons, most recently serving as Vice President, Baseball Performance Science. Alex Smith has been named Vice President, Baseball Strategy. He had served as the Cubs’ strategy coach last season. Smith worked on the analytics side with Chicago for more than a decade. Former Driveline employee Christian Hook was promoted to Director, Pitching Evaluation. He joined the organization in 2022.
Former Nationals senior director of amateur scouting Brad Ciolek was named Director, International Scouting. Ciolek had been with Washington for the past two seasons after spending 11 years in Baltimore’s scouting department. His addition will move Tom Moore into a new role as Senior Advisor, International Operations. The final change in the scouting department was the appointment of Theo Hooper to Assistant Director, Amateur Scouting. Hooper had spent the past four seasons as a staff assistant with the Rangers.
Guess that would make it Asche Wednesday.
Rim shot!
Every time I see Cody Asche’s name, in my head I hear a Japanese name (rhyming with Kobayashi). I’m not even sure if that’s how Asche is pronounced but it gets me every time.
i’m pretty sure it’s “Ash-E” i like thinking of it as kobayashi though !
Not to be confused with the Starfleet simulation of the Kobayashi Maru.
Mind boggling.
Yuck. Ciolek’s a good hire but Sanders can’t nurse a steal out of anyone falling short of elite sprint speed. And Asche? His arrival in Baltimore corresponded with their 1.5 season offensive collapse and regression. Glad he’s gone. Strange for the Kitties to pick him up.
people might question Asche as a hitting coach considering the under performing 25 Orioles. But his key philosophy is hitting line drives and staying in the strikezone. Sounds like a Harris guy. Sure could have used him last September.
So happy for Gilbin. she gets the final laugh after she was professionally embarrassed by anti female Shep and Morris on a Tigers telecast. She has been great in fueling the development system with nutrition, kinesiology and proper training. She probably had a hand in bringing Lund here as well.
Excited to see the moves and not standing pat after two straight playoff runs.
Asche also contributed to the Birds’ massive offensive collapse in 2024. His philosophy was never discernible in results.
Yes. They were the up and coming who went…nowhere.
Boyer
North Hill